A tale of two franchises
NHL’S GOLDEN KNIGHTS READY TO FLY IN VEGAS, WHILE NFL WAITS ITS TURN
This being Sin City and all, Bill Foley, a smile on his face and a new NHL team on his resume, is putting all his cards on the table when it comes to the possible relocation of the Oakland Raiders to Vegas.
“I’d rather not have them here. Because they’re competition,” the owner of the expansion Golden Knights says candidly. “But it’s probably good for Las Vegas to have the exposure. And that’s where I live now. We’re going to have a competitive team in all aspects. So we’re not that concerned.”
About a 20- minute drive from the clanging slot machines, velvet craps tables and retina- blinding neon lights of the famed Strip, we are sitting in a boardroom at Foley’s upscale offices in suburban Summerlin. In this quiet setting, far from the chaos of Las Vegas Boulevard, the subject du jour on this nippy Monday: the possibility of the NFL becoming the second major North American sports league to put a team in the so- called Gambling Capital of the World, following in the footsteps of the NHL.
Here in the town where bluffing is an art form, the personable Foley, 71, doesn’t play t hat game. He’s a straight shooter. When cynics throughout the hockey world thought he’d suffered a bout of sunstroke from the sweltering Nevada heat when he launched his season ticket drive in 2015, he had the last laugh when the franchise capped off its season ducats at 16,000 several months ago.
As such, when Foley says there is room for both the NHL and NFL in these parts, you tend to believe him.
“Here’s the thing: NFL teams have only eight regul ar season home games and two pre- season home games,” Foley says. “( The Raiders) are going to import a lot of fans. So it’s not going to be the same. As you know, hockey has a particular type of fan base. Hockey teams rely on season ticket holders and game- day sales, those types of things. The arena, the event, it’s very important for hockey. Whatever happens, we haven’t lost sight of the goal. We are the homegrown team.” As for the Raiders? “I believe they are going to come,” he says. “I don’t believe they’re going to get their stadium deal done in Oakland.”
Little did Foley know at the time that the events in the subsequent week would leave the Raiders’ potential stadium deal in Las Vegas in turmoil.
Just days after our conversation, the “Vegas Raiders” dream of many locals was tempered by allegations Raiders owner Mark Davis had shut out from his lease intentions potential stadium investor Sheldon Adelson, causing the casino mogul to pull his finances out of the project. The result: a lack of money for the project, a lack of trust in Raiders ownership from some of the city’s top movers and shakers and the accompanying reality the Raiders- to- Vegas scenario now is on thin ice.
Talk about a tale of two franchises. On the other side of Interstate 15 from the swank Mandalay Bay resort is a dusty weed- infested plot of land. Look just north of here and you can see the new TMobile Arena, home of the Golden Knights.
This patch of rust- brown Nevada dirt might not look like much to you. But for the Raiders, this is where they hope their Vegas field of dreams will be built one day.
For now, there is just a chain- link fence accompanied by a large white sign sporting the words: “Available: 62.58 Acres.” And given the issues the Raiders encountered this week, that sign might be here for a while.
The Raiders had hoped to buy this land. Just two weeks ago, the team filed relocation papers with the NFL. If they receive 75 per cent approval at the owners meetings next month to do just that, this will be the preferred site for their stadium.
As recently as Monday, Bill Foley, like many in town, figured it would happen. Then things began to unravel.
News br o ke Monday the family of Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corp. chairman and CEO, had withdrawn as investors in a proposed $ 1. 9- billion, 65,000- seat domed stadium. Adelson reportedly was shocked to find out his family was not included in the Raiders’ submission of a proposed lease agreement to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority last week — one which had some locals grumbling that Davis tried to pull a fast one by calling for a $1 annual rent payment.
Last month, Raiders representatives told the stadium authority board construction would be financed by investment firm Goldman Sachs — with or without the Adelsons as partners. But Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Adelson pulled out, Goldman Sachs did the same.
The original proposed financing structure would have seen t he Adelsons pledge US$ 650 million, the Raiders commit $ 500 million and another $ 750 million in bonds funded via the government through an increase in the hotel room tax. The state money still remains in place.
So where do the Raiders go from here?
Having lost the Chargers to Los Angeles, San Diego has reached out to Raiders officials. San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott has put together a group trying to get the team to stay in the Bay Area, releasing a statement this week that “we stand ready to work with the team and NFL to keep the Raiders here at home.”
Davis and the Raiders have said Las Vegas remains their goal, but commissioner Roger Goodell says there is much work ahead on that front.
About 10 minutes west of The Strip, more than 100 black- and- silver- clad fans gathered back in August to watch the Raiders’ first pre- season home game at a watering hole renamed the Las Vegas Raiders Nation Cantina. Supporters wore Las Vegas Raiders T- shirts already available on eBay.
The thirst for NFL football definitely is here, even with the recent setbacks.
“I believe somebody will call us and offer us a date to the prom and we’ ll get there,” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday.
Steve Sisolak isn’t so sure. He’s the chairman of the Clark County Commission in Nevada. He’s the guy who bought the first- ever season ducats for the NHL expansion team when Foley kicked off his ticket drive in 2015. He’s also been key to efforts to bring the Raiders here. As such, the events of the past few days have left him wondering if the NFL dream can still become reality.
“It’s been disappointing,” Sisolak told Postmedia. “I mean, people had set their hopes pretty high and things had been moving along. We’re somewhat hopeful that somehow we’re still going to be able to salvage this deal. There’s a lot of us still working on it. And with a little luck, maybe we in Las Vegas can help put something back together. I just don’t know.”