Graney: Super Bowl signals NFL’s new embrace of Las Vegas

DALLAS — The past: In July of 2015, then-Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was set to host a National Fantasy Football Convention at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

He would be joined by star players like Dez Bryant, Rob Gronkowski, DeMarco Murray and many more. There would be seminars and question-and-answer sessions and autograph signings.

Then the NFL forced cancellation of the event, citing its rule that “players and NFL personnel may not participate in promotional activities or other appearances in connection with events that are held at or sponsored by casinos.”

The present: As part of the owners’ meetings here, Las Vegas on Wednesday is expected to be awarded a Super Bowl in 2024.

Talk about a seismic shift the size of the Lone Star State.

A slow progression

Some background: The league had forever been immersed in hypocrisy when it came to sports gaming.

NFL owners snubbed their collective noses at even the idea of publicly linking themselves to gambling and yet gladly welcomed the massive levels of money it generated from various entities.

It has been a slow and progressive march forward. The NFL truly opened its arms to legalized sports betting when the Supreme Court in 2018 overturned a law that had banned commercial sports betting in most states.

The league is immensely popular across the globe — not only for the devotion of fans to specific teams, but mostly for gambling. It’s estimated that Fantasy Football is an $18.6 billion business, which is around $3 billion more than NFL revenues in the year prior to the pandemic. It’s also $11 billion more than the Cowboys are worth.

Which probably means owner Jerry Jones is right now deciding who to use as his fantasy flex position this week.

But in approving the relocation of the Raiders to Las Vegas and now sending the city its greatest and most watched annual event, the NFL has at least come to understand a crucial point: That instead of an acrimonious relationship based on some insincere stance, being tied to Southern Nevada is a whole lot better (and more profitable) than not.

They already knew this, of course. We’re not talking about an industry that until the past few years was uneducated in its understanding of the sports gaming world. Hardly.

“Having the NFL in Las Vegas has been a tremendous positive.” said Raiders president Dan Ventrelle, who declined specific comment on any impending Super Bowl announcement. “The people in our market also know it’s second-to-none for big events.

“Everyone there understands what it means to host big events. Everyone knows the market can handle them in a different way than anyone else. (Las Vegas) knows how to deliver, and the (NFL) knows it.”

The earth moves

The past: There was a time not so long ago when the thought of Las Vegas hosting such a massive NFL event would have induced more laughter than an evening at Comedy Cellar at the Rio.

This, an NFL that once refused to sell commercials regarding the city as a tourist destination during the game.

The present: Caesars Entertainment is an official sports betting partner of the NFL.

And on Wednesday, it will reportedly be announced that the Super Bowl will descend upon Las Vegas in 2024.

It was in 2020 when commissioner Roger Goodell — who will address the media Wednesday — told this to reporters: “We think that sports gambling in many ways creates a lot more engagement for our fans. It gives them another opportunity to engage with the game.”

Hello, Super Bowl LVIII.

Can you feel the earth moving?

For more about Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, visit lvrj.com/SB58.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.