I don't see them filling the stadium with those folks. I am sure that there will be a decent amount of guys who make it a weekend and go to gamble and then the game on sunday. but that cant be your fanbase. well unless you are the jets. it appears to be our fanbase at this point. the casinos can carry them for a time, I just don't see it working out long term. although with them playing la, Denver and kc every year you may be right.
Oh bullshit. Vegas is a tourist town, people aren't going to travel there regularly to see one team play. They might as well move them to Honolulu.
You're right - "Vegas is a tourist town," why that leads you to believe people won't go there for the added attraction of NFL football is baffling. Have you never taken a road trip? Where did you go, Cincinnati? When the schedule comes out have you never said "this would be a good one to see," at least partially for the locale? There are a lot of fans who take one or two trips a year, some more, some maybe only a trip every few years. I've never met anyone who decides which trip to take based on the game only but also factor in what else they can do for a few days. I'm not a fan of Vegas, the casino life does nothing for me but I would consider a Vegas trip if there was a game there and a chance to see a show or two. There are other legal, if nefarious, activities around Vegas that appeal to those looking for a getaway weekend. Certainly there are more people interested in going to Las Vegas for a few days than to Oakland, California...or Cincinnati.
the problem is depending on guys coming from new York every 4 years to a game is not really what you want your fanbase to be. yes it will help and there will probably always be someone in the stands. I just don't think the city of las vegas will support the team for a terribly long time and the metropolitan area wont come into vegas to support a team for the next 30 years. time will tell. I think it is a bad move. but I could be wrong.
its 7 hrs to drive from Oakland to Las Vegas So this move has to mean they are building a new fanbase plus tourism jmho
Imagine the excitement in the stands when most of the seats are filled with 70 year old retirees who got a Raiders ticket thrown in with their Sands deal on Orbitz, call girls are trying to hook drunk gambling addicts at halftime in the slot room next the to gate D bathrooms, and the luxury boxes are filled with Saudi princes and Japanese businessmen playing poker with their backs to the field? It's got success written all over it.
It's worked for 50 Superbowls. Although, a good deal of the NFL profit is merchandise, I don't see a lot if one time fans, buying the swag.
You might be right, but 32 extremely successful, wealthy individuals believe it will make more money for them than having the Raiders remain in Oakland. The people running the casinos think it will help them make money. The odds are those guys will be correct.
That's the sad part. The owners and the NFL have plenty of money to fund the building of their own stadium. But they choose not to because they know that a city will pony up the cash. NFL owners realize that they hit the god damn lottery and they're going to milk it for whatever they can. Owning an NFL team is way better than owning a gold mine.
