The potential move of Mark Davis’s Oakland Raiders National Football League business from his base in the Bay Area to the Nevada desert continues to proceed.
Davis picked up a big endorsement of the potential business headquarters shift from Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who plans to call a special session of the Nevada state legislature sometime in October to discuss how to raise $750 million in state funds to help facilitate Davis’s move to Las Vegas. Apparently Nevada is going to seriously consider sinking $750 million into a football stadium with the hope of getting some return on the investment.
“”I am convinced that, given the circumstances and timing with regard to public safety, the convention center, and the NFL, there is an opportunity to significantly improve the tourism infrastructure of Southern Nevada, already the best in the world,” Sandoval said. “Based on the current environment, I believe a special session of the Legislature is warranted and should be called as soon as can be practicably accomplished.”
The governor must be certain that Nevada lawmakers will raise all sorts of tourism taxes, the ones locals don’t have to pay although some locals do because the hikes in various fees for cars and hotels is something locals use, or the governor would have waited until January.
Time is of the essence, or is it? Mark Davis’s father Al moved his Los Angeles Raiders to Oakland in May, 1995, just a couple months before training camp and the pre-season started. It doesn’t matter if Davis gets his stadium deal either in October or in 2017. It is doubtful that Davis’s fellow NFL owners would challenge a move and risk a lawsuit as they did when Al Davis moved his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles without their permission in 1982.
Davis has replaced the California or bust sign with Nevada or bust although when you own an NFL franchise, you don’t go bust.
By Evan Weiner For The Politics Of Sports Business
This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Evan Weiner.