The NFL’s Oakland Raiders could become the first professional football team to play in Las Vegas, but it might take years to get that done.
In the meantime, Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis said he will attend the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee’s April 28 meeting at UNLV and discuss a potential move to Las Vegas.
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval wants it to happen sooner.
“Based on my impressions from Mr. Davis, I think that he’s interested in Las Vegas,” Sandoval told the Las Vegas Sun. “Based on my conversations with the Sands, they’re very interested in building a stadium. Based on my conversations with the local leadership, they’d love to see a team as well,” Sandoval said. “So the makings are there, but again, it comes down to money, and there’s needs and wants. And we’ve got to make sure that we address our needs.”
The Raiders are among several NFL teams looking to switch cities, and Las Vegas Sands principal owner Sheldon Adelson has proposed building a 65,000-seat domed stadium for $1.3 billion and using a combination of public and private funding to accommodate an NFL team and large events.
Among stadium site proposals is a tract of mostly vacant desert land located west of the UNLV campus and north of McCarran International Airport on the north side of Tropicana Avenue.
The location is much more ideally suited for UNLV, which currently plays its home football games at the antiquated Sam Boyd Stadium, located several miles east of the university’s campus and far from the Las Vegas Strip.
The proposed location would make the stadium much more readily accessible to UNLV students, as well as Las Vegas Strip visitors.
Sam Boyd Stadium is one of the oldest in the nation and regarded by many as the worst. Yet, it hosts many popular annual events, including a leg of the AMA Supercross series and the annual Las Vegas Bowl NCAA football contest.
The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee is an ad-hoc committee charged with examining and suggesting ways to improve the Southern Nevada economy through infrastructure improvements.
Although its recommendations are not binding, they carry a lot of weight in the Nevada Legislature, and help to identify likely projects for public funding.
The proposed stadium and improved public transportation via a light-rail system and a potential high-speed rail line to Southern California are among the many projects the committee might recommend. All are intended to help diversify and improve the Las Vegas area’s economy.
If a new stadium is built, Davis is interested in moving the Raiders to Las Vegas, but that move would require approval from other NFL team owners. In the meantime, Davis said he’s interested in having the Raiders play preseason games and possibly a regular season game in Las Vegas.
Even if the Raiders or another NFL team does not move to Las Vegas, Adelson says the proposed stadium would host enough events to make it viable.
