Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson did not let the Super Bowl go by without generating media coverage by suggesting an unlikely NFL franchise move to Las Vegas.
Adelson recently suggested Las Vegas build a $1 billion football stadium to attract an NFL franchise, particularly with the San Diego Charger, Oakland Raiders, and St. Louis Rams franchises looking for new homes this year.
Adelson would like to see a stadium built on the UNLV campus and claims he recently met with Oakland Raiders team owner Mark Davis, but Davis refused to comment.
Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman claims talks of the NFL coming to Las Vegas are serious, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said there isn’t so much as a proposal in place to move a team to Las Vegas, much less a facility in which to play in Las Vegas.
In order for Las Vegas to land an NFL franchise, Goodell on Thursday told interviewer Rich Eisen that 24 of the leagues’ 32 team owners would have to vote in favor of the move. Any decision would rest solely with NFL team owners, and no one else.
While an NFL franchise is unlikely in Las Vegas, particularly given the NFL’s extreme dislike of sports betting, officials at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, support the idea, especially building a stadium on its campus.
The university currently plays football at the antiquated Sam Boyd Stadium, which is located several miles east of the University and is ranked among the worst outdoor stadiums in the United States.
UNLV officials would like to build a stadium on vacant land located west of the university on Tropicana Boulevard and north of McCarran International Airport. The university has offered to trade Sam Boyd Stadium for land to build a stadium closer to the university, which has struggled for many years to field a winning football team.
A new stadium, particularly one designed for an NFL team, would help with recruiting, while also giving Las Vegas a modern, large sports stadium capable of hosting large events, like NFL games.
