Robert Kraft Says Team In Las Vegas Would Be Good For NFL If Raiders Want To Move There

[HacheMan]

[h=1]Robert Kraft says team in Las Vegas would be 'good for NFL' if Raiders want to move there[/h]Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

Count <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Robert Kraft" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">Robert Kraft</culink> among NFL owners bullish on Las Vegas.
The <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/New England Patriots" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">New England Patriots</culink> owner told USA TODAY Sports on Friday that he would support the efforts by <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Oakland Raiders" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">Oakland Raiders</culink> owner Mark Davis to relocate his franchise to the so-called Sin City if a stadium deal can’t be struck to keep the team in the Bay Area.
"I think it would be good for the NFL,” Kraft told USA TODAY Sports. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won’t do it … I want to support him.”

That’s a huge statement from one of the NFL’s most influential owners, wo was making his first public comments on the subject.


Kraft has no reservations about the NFL putting a franchise in a city that is largely built on the gambling industry – a philosophy contrary to how league was traditionally concerned about the perception of any association with Las Vegas casinos.
“I came into the league in ’94,” said Kraft. “Back then, any exploration of that market was dismissed out of hand. I’m looking where we are today and thinking of the last 10 to 15 years, and the emergence of new media, with Google and Facebook and the like. We’re just living in a different world, technology wise. The risks in Vegas are no longer exclusive to Vegas.”
Although there is no proposal to consider at the moment, the Raiders-to-Las Vegas possibility has generated much momentum. In late April, Davis met with officials in Las Vegas and pledged contribute $500 million toward a proposed $1.4 billion stadium.
After their proposed stadium with the <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/San Diego Chargers" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">San Diego Chargers</culink> in <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Carson, California" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">Carson, Calif.</culink>, was bypassed in favor of the now-Los Angeles Rams’ stadium plan in Inglewood, the Raiders have a one-year lease to continue playing at the O.Co Coliseum, with an option for two additional years.


When NFL owners meet on Tuesday in Charlotte, Las Vegas won’t be on the official agenda. But it will surely spark more conversation – and Davis, who would need 24 votes for NFL approval of any move, will have opportunities to gauge the tenor of other owners.
Like Kraft, Dallas Cowboys owner <culink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Jerry Jones" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help; z-index: 9000; border-bottom-style: dashed !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(182, 20, 0) !important; background: inherit !important;">Jerry Jones</culink> is a supporter. Jones recently maintained that the entertainment aspects offered by Las Vegas far outweigh any gambling concerns.
“Whatever the risks,” Kraft added, “they are no greater (in Las Vegas) than playing a game in New Jersey.”

 

[MikeB]

Kraft is right

 

[PatsFan1283]

It seems like the owners are cool with the Raiders moving to Vegas but the issue is they just want Mark Davis to sell the team. NFL is big business now and they want the people that own the teams to be billionaires that just know how to get a lot of high-end deals done. Guys like Kroenke with the Rams rather than old school mom and pop-ish type owners like Davis son, Ralph Wilson or Mike Brown.

So if he doesn't want to sell the team, they're just going to make things difficult and treat him like he is irrelevant.

The Raiders would've done way better returning to LA than the Rams will. The Raiders were always LA's #1 team, but Kroenke is a billionaire that can get things done, get a stadium built, bring in sponsors, has Walmart $, etc

 

[honzie]

If any team is a good fit in Vegas it is the Raiders... but I always want them in Oakland. Established a legacy there in their first 2 decades. The ______ Raiders in any other city just doesn't sound right. But sadly, the bay area is not going to fill 2 stadiums every Sunday. Plus I like to watch the Black Hole idiots do their thing.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Business wise it might work but moving to LV seems like a terrible idea for the Raiders. Homefield is gonna suck compared to other places. Tourists, gamblers, opposing fans planning weekends around a trip....Just seems like a pretty lame homefield in a league where the difference between the 7th and 27th best teams is just not that big. San Antonio would be better but obviously Mcnair/Jones don't want the comp and those guys have a lot of pull.

Also, one of those black hole old school Raider fans is going to kill some fool when he starts cheering a late TD in a blowout because it got him a winning ticket on his total bet.

 

[SmokeyLa]

City won't support it after 3 years unless they are winning

 

[Willie99]

Kraft is just aligning with owners so he can get Roger fired

 

[doubledeuce22]

Business wise it might work but moving to LV seems like a terrible idea for the Raiders. Homefield is gonna suck compared to other places. Tourists, gamblers, opposing fans planning weekends around a trip....Just seems like a pretty lame homefield in a league where the difference between the 7th and 27th best teams is just not that big. San Antonio would be better but obviously Mcnair/Jones don't want the comp and those guys have a lot of pull.

Also, one of those black hole old school Raider fans is going to kill some fool when he starts cheering a late TD in a blowout because it got him a winning ticket on his total bet.

haha so true

 

[HacheMan]

City won't support it after 3 years unless they are winning

Possibly true but LA doesn't support a team either yet keeps getting chances...

 

[PatsFan1283]

City won't support it after 3 years unless they are winning

For 8 games? I don't think attendance would be a problem. The problem is the crowd would be filled with Chiefs, Steelers and Broncos fans that are on vacation.