Las Vegas Raiders getting closer

Today the Raiders cleared the first obstacle to moving to Las Vegas. The city approved public funding for 750 million dollars towards the construction of a stadium. This stadium would provide a home for both the Raiders and the UNLV football team. Mark Davis will contribute about 500 million more and the remainder would be funded by Las Vegas billionaire Sandy Alderson. The stadium will cost around 1.9 billion.

My feelings about this move are mixed. I was all in on the Los Angeles move. Mainly, because I am from LA county and grew up a Los Angeles Raider fan. Although I will always believe the Raiders are the Oakland Raiders, fact is Oakland does not have a plan to keep the Raiders. Some will say that the Raiders should finance their own stadium. I say that the city of Oakland needs to do more to rebuild the area around the Oakland Coliseum. As a fan that frequently goes to game there, it is embarrassing that an NFL franchise plays there. The entire area around the stadium is in shambles. Boarded up buildings and storage lots are all that is there. At the home opener last season I had to watch the Raiders play on a baseball field! The mayor of Oakland Libby continues to say she wants the Raiders in Oakland. It's really just a lot of politician talk.

Forbes magazine just announced that the Rams jumped from the bottom teams in value to now being in the top ten! That was another reason I wanted the Raiders in Los Angeles. In Las Vegas I don't know what their value would be, but I know I'd rather go to Vegas than Oakland to see a game. Driving to Vegas is 4 hours while driving to Oakland is 6. Flying is around the same but I can actually walk around Las Vegas at night while parts of Oakland can be scary.

More than anything, I just want to see my team have it's own stadium that doesn't have sewage problems or dirt on the 50 yard line. The next step for the move is for the 750 million in public funding to pass local legislature. Some believe the local residents of Las Vegas would be paying, but that is not true. The city would increase their current hotel tax. This would put the cost on visitors including fans of the Raiders visiting Las Vegas to see them play. I don't mind paying a few more dollars a night to see my team have a home. Us Raider fans have been waiting a long time for not only a competitive team, but also for a long term home.

I hope this goes through because I don't know what the alternative would be instead of Las Vegas.