Why Las Vegas Is the Perfect Fit for the Raiders – Sports Illustrated

Why Las Vegas is the right fit for the Raiders

The 2020 season will be the first time the Raiders call Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium their brand-new home. A franchise with a nationwide fanbase, partly due to the decades of work Al Davis did, after jumping through hoops, they found "The Gambling Capital of the World" to be their best fit.

There are a few reasons why Las Vegas is the right home for the Raiders.

Raiders Roots

The Raiders' ownership has some roots in Vegas.

While legend and Hall-of-Famer Al Davis owned the Raiders, Las Vegas was one of the cities he loved to visit.

"Al used to love to go to Vegas," said former Raider Matt Millen on Raider Maven's "What It Means to be a Raider" podcast. "For his birthday, he would fly a bunch of people out there; we'd have a great day, we'd all stay together, we'd celebrate his birthday. He'd always loved Las Vegas."

In other words, if Davis were alive, he would have approved the Raiders' move to the Nevada desert.

Whether fans knew it or not, in a way, it made sense that out of all cities the Raiders could have gone to, they chose the one city Davis enjoyed visiting.

Vegas Works

The Las Vegas Raiders aren't the only professional sports team that calls the city home.

In 2016, NHL owners accepted an expansion team with the founding of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. When they began to play the following season, they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing out to the Washington Capitals in five games.

You can say they had gamblers' luck.

More importantly, though, Las Vegas worked. According to Forbes, T-Mobile Arena, home of the Golden Knights, ran at 103.9 percent of their official capacity during their inaugural season. They averaged 18,042 fans per game.

Forbes also reported a revenue of $180 million, which was the tenth best in the NHL, as well as $53 million in operating income, the fifth-highest among the league's teams.

So, imagine a franchise which has 60 years of history, tapping into a market, let alone a state with no football team.

Yeah, it's a no-brainer that the Raiders chose Las Vegas as their new home.

Las Vegas Fits in With the Raiders Mantra

When Al Davis created the Raiders franchise from the ground up, he did so with purpose. He did so to put a mindset inside of Raider players, personnel, and fans alike.

That's why "Just Win Baby," "Commitment to Excellence," and "Winning is Everything" defines what it means to be a Raider.

That's why Raiders fans all say, "Once a Raider, Always a Raider."

We, as a fanbase, are different. We, as a fanbase, stick out.

So, it makes sense that our new home has a little saying that goes something like this:

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

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Why Las Vegas Is the Perfect Fit for the Raiders - Sports Illustrated