The Oakland Raiders appear to be angling hard for a name change to go along with a new home — Las Vegas, baby.
Already in serious talks with the City of Las Vegas and The Sands casino, Mark Davis has said he’s committed to the move if funding can be acquired to build a new domed stadium.
Now, Davis and the Raiders have released a video which further indicates the seriousness of his attempt to move the franchise to the money-rich capital of sports betting in the United States.
https://youtu.be/s818KLU6Dkg
Clearly, this isn’t just a ploy to get the city of Oakland to finally get something going on a new stadium deal. On that note, every proposal has been shot down to this point in Oakland, though Ronnie Lott is doing his best to change that as the face of a new coalition of investors with a new stadium proposal.
With owners like Jerry Jones making it clear the city of Vegas is a viable option in their mind for an NFL franchise, Davis is clearly making a serious push to make the dream become a reality. The NFL has not ruled out a move but also has made it clear it would like Oakland to remain the home of the Raiders.
On the practical side, a move to Vegas might not go off without a hitch. The mayor has made it clear she is not sure about raising the money via taxes, and there are other hurdles standing in the way of a stadium getting built. Still, if Davis gets the full support of his fellow owners, you have to imagine they’ll figure out a way to make it happen.