By Jordan Long
The Oakland Raiders are headed to Las Vegas. On Monday, the NFL owners approved the move by a vote of 31-1. The only team not to support this was the Miami Dolphins. The Raiders won’t relocate there until the 2019 season. According to foxbusiness.com, Steve Sisolak, Chairman of the Clark County Commission, said, “I couldn’t be more excited for the fans and residents of Clark County as we move forward with the Raiders and the Rebels.”
The Raiders needed to make this move. All they wanted was a new stadium. The City of Oakland was unwilling to build one until last week. Oakland’s Mayor, Libby Schaaf, sent a letter to the NFL in hopes of keeping the team in Oakland. The plan included constructing a new arena at the site of the current Coliseum. Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, saw problems with the last ditch plan.
The Raiders are now going to play in the Coliseum next year and possibly the year after. They will then move to their new home in “Sin City” in 2019.
On paper this a decent move for the Raiders. They will go to a new city with a brand new domed stadium. It gives the city of Vegas their second professional team after the NHL team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The people who this will hurt are all the vendors who work in the Coliseum. Their paycheck depends on events there. Sure they have the Oakland A’s baseball and concerts during the summer, but in the fall they earn additional money by working at the football games. There are 2 preseason, 8 regular season, and maybe playoff games of revenue that won’t be in their back pocket. Hopefully these people will manage to find away to earn those lost wages.
What do you think of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas? Who do you think this will impact?
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