NFL follows the money in voting for Raiders to make Las Vegas home
PHOENIX— The message was sent as concisely as Michael Corleone told Sonny: It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.
Las Vegas has been awarded an NFL franchise in the Raiders and done so in overwhelming fashion, as owners voted 31-1 on Monday at the league’s annual spring meetings to allow Mark Davis to move his team from Oakland to Southern Nevada and into a state-of-the-art domed stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders.
Let that sink in.
I wonder how the skull logo will look on a T-shirt with a backdrop of The Strip.
“I understand the business side of the NFL,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr tweeted shortly following the announcement. “It affects us all.”
It’s all that matters.
Somewhere, the person most responsible for such a momentous time in Nevada’s timeline was assuredly informed of the news, that only Miami dissented when a vote was called and that the project of which he was the brainchild will now move forward with an NFL tenant.
None of this happens without Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.
It never becomes reality. The town doesn’t change forever.
UNLV’s football program doesn’t realize such a window of future opportunity.
History is never written.
Davis said as much when specifically mentioning Adelson’s vision and leadership in his post-vote remarks, also thanking, among others, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Legislature for their commitment.
This was also fairly obvious: In the room, $750 million won the day.
The tax subsidy that was voted by the legislature into law made it impossible for owners to ever really glance away from Las Vegas. Even when Adelson backed off from the deal and his pledge of $650 million after stating it became clear, “the Raiders have decided their path for moving to Las Vegas does not include the Adelson family,” the idea that those in the NFL would summarily nix the plan wasn’t at all realistic.
Jerry Jones would never allow it.
If the ball was advanced by Adelson to begin things with a stadium plan, the Cowboys boss absolutely carried it over the goal line for Davis and the Raiders when it came to collecting enough votes needed for approval.
No entity follows the money better than NFL owners, and none owns more influence when it comes to the matter of dollar signs than Jones, who has been by far the most powerful voice as three teams (St. Louis, San Diego and now Oakland) were approved for relocation the last 15 months.
He is also a major owner of a hospitality-marketing company, along with the Yankees, called Legends, which is involved with sponsorships and the selling of suites and naming rights fees for several NFL stadiums, with the Las Vegas venue to follow. Jones stands to make a fortune — yes, even more than the one he already boasts — off all such ventures.
All owners see Las Vegas as a way to get richer, but none more than Jones given the role Legends is expected to play.
It’s not as any of this is a fresh concept for the league. Teams have been moving one way or the other for decades, always with the intent of bettering their bottom line. This time is no different.
Owners, more than anything Monday, voted for the sort of potential revenue streams and long-term financial gains the city of Oakland never offered with any kind of manageable stadium proposal, at least none viewed acceptable to NFL brass.
Once the Raiders secured the remaining financing from Bank of America — reportedly also with the influence of Jones — this thing was over. Done. Signed with a silver pen and black ink.
31-1.
How much of a slam dunk was it?
The Raiders presented their final case to owners at 10:30 a.m.
Thirty minutes prior, word spread Goodell would address the media by 11:15.
Which he did, with Davis standing alongside.
Think about this: For so long, gambling was painted a deal-breaker by NFL officials whenever questioned about the possibility of Las Vegas housing a team. Goodell would all but laugh at the suggestion.
Gambling was barely mentioned in the room Monday prior to the vote.
A league that has forever shunned the idea of having a significant presence in Las Vegas, be from an advertising standpoint or otherwise due to sports gaming, has now embraced the community with the most powerful of tools: One of its teams.
There is only one reason for that beyond the fact most owners have either become educated in the regulations of sports gambling or merely decided it was time to stop appearing so hypocritical.
They followed the money.
“They may not like me saying this, but Las Vegas is a beautiful place,” said New York Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall, in attendance as Goodell’s guest to address owners on a number of topics. “It’s business, right?”
It’s all that matters.
It’s why we now have the Las Vegas Raiders.
Let that sink in.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.
Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.
