Oakland Raiders Moving to Las Vegas
Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas, if announced five years ago, would have sent shockwaves throughout the NFL world. Today, in the year 2017, it barely caused a ripple of reaction. It would appear the NFL season never ends. NFL owners voted 31-1 at the Annual NFL Owners meeting to approve the Raiders relocation to Las Vegas. The lone dissenting vote was by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who cautioned the NFL to consider its legacy in local markets and to give some thought to the loyal fans and how relocation affects a community.
This Oakland Raiders move ends a hectic fourteen-month period where three NFL franchises were moved, the Rams moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and the Chargers following that by moving from San Diego to Los Angeles.
This decision caps years of efforts by Oakland owner Mark Davis to build an NFL caliber stadium in Oakland. When it became obvious a stadium would not be built, the Raider management fielded offers from other cities, and Las Vegas rose to the top of the list with a planned $1.7 billion domed stadium proposal.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint, the move, and the new Vegas stadium, will not be completed for two years, so the Raiders will be playing for two more years in Oakland as a lame-duck team. That is bound to be rather awkward for all concerned, and it will be interesting to see if loyal fans will remain loyal.
The Raiders have won three Super Bowls and an AFL title during its 57-year history, and with a young and talented group of players fresh off a 12-4 record in 2016, this just might be a team which plays late into the playoff season in 2017. Wouldn’t it be fitting, for the fans, if they won a title just before relocating?
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