8. Raiders’ move to Vegas almost unanimously approved
In a move that seemed impossible until very recently, the Oakland Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas in 2020 (when the stadium will reportedly be ready).
That, by itself, was pretty stunning. And a portion of Raiders Nation hasn’t taken the news well. But what’s even more stunning is that only one NFL owner voted against the proposal that’s sending the Raiders to the desert in Nevada.
Led by Jerry Jones, who made a strong push for Mark Davis to land the votes he needed, 31 owners voted yes. Only Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, voted against the proposal. His reasoning is hard to argue against, too, even if it goes against the status quo of professional sports dealings (more on that here).
Now, we can never say never, but it sure seems like the door for the Raiders to relocate back to Los Angeles or Oakland will now be forever closed. The amount of money being sunk into the new stadium in Vegas will be like a millstone around the neck of Davis and his Raiders for the foreseeable future.
Whether that ends up being a positive or negative thing for the organization and the NFL as a whole remains to be seen.