The 31-1 approval of the Las Vegas relocation not only signaled the end of their tenure in Oakland, but also opened the door to the future of the franchise. While Mark Davis tried to work out a deal with the city of Oakland, it seems as though he was left no other choice option during negotiations.
With the Las Vegas Stadium expected to be complete by the 2020 season, the fans in Oakland were left a sour taste in their mouth. The city has two more years to enjoy their beloved team and their quest to win a Super Bowl, especially with the signing of hometown hero Marshawn Lynch.
Now that the decision has died down, along with the NFL offseason, it has provided others the opportunity to chime in. In recent news, Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban, a well-renowned business mogul, slammed the relocation, during an interview with ESPN. During his rant, he stated that the NFL is getting greedy with their money and that the move could possibly backfire, via Will Brinson of CBSSports.com:
“Why? There’s just no good reason. It’s no disrespect to Las Vegas, it’s a great city and it’s vibrant. But they’re going to a smaller market, it’s transient, and it’s just another example of chasing every last dollar, and that tends to backfire,” Cuban said.
The main questions regarding the decision loom with the lifestyle in Las Vegas, with how the tourist destination will react to NFL games. Las Vegas is a gambling destination and popular partying scene, meaning fans wouldn’t necessarily give up a majority of their day to watch the Raiders play.
After being proposed the $750 million subsidy, there was no way the NFL and the owners would pass up the opportunity. What remains to be seen is how the fan base in Las Vegas will react and whether or not the main fans supporting the Raiders will be of a traveling contingent.
This isn’t the first time Cuban has publicly bashed the NFL, calling them pigs that were getting fat. He continued the analogy by stating that fat pigs will get slaughtered, with the NFL attempting to capitalize on every last dollar.
