Raiders to Las Vegas confirmed

[NWRebel]

Raiders giving their presentation to the NFL team owners today from 10 - 11:30 AM .  Vote to follow.

If we get this team to Vegas it is certainly something I never would have thought I would see in my life time.  

[ph90702]

8 hours ago, Wyovanian said:

Does he? Sisolak's a lawyer and a politician, which means he's very precise with his choice of words. Look at them carefully. He left himself an out... 

He's not actually a lawyer.

[Greedy Reb]

Attendance will get a good bump for no other reason than the location of the stadium. Samy Boyd isnt in the most accessible part of the valley for other parts. Many more folks from Summerlin and up in NLV will be more inclined to come check out a game when they don't have to drive all the way over to old boulder highway and park in the dirt. 

[Wyovanian]

21 minutes ago, Greedy Reb said:

Attendance will get a good bump for no other reason than the location of the stadium. Samy Boyd isnt in the most accessible part of the valley for other parts. Many more folks from Summerlin and up in NLV will be more inclined to come check out a game when they don't have to drive all the way over to old boulder highway and park in the dirt. 

They're also going to be choosing between sitting in a 1/3 full stadium (at best) and watching UNLV Football on a Saturday or watching NFL Raiders Football in a more exciting environment on Sunday. Which brand do you think a town as transient and transplanted as LV is going to draw?

[BestintheWest]

27 minutes ago, Greedy Reb said:

Attendance will get a good bump for no other reason than the location of the stadium. Samy Boyd isnt in the most accessible part of the valley for other parts. Many more folks from Summerlin and up in NLV will be more inclined to come check out a game when they don't have to drive all the way over to old boulder highway and park in the dirt. 

That's an understatement. It's probably in the worst part of town as far as freeway access.

[toonkee]

1 minute ago, Wyovanian said:

They're also going to be choosing between sitting in a 1/3 full stadium (at best) and watching UNLV Football on a Saturday or watching NFL Raiders Football in a more exciting environment on Sunday. Which brand do you think a town as transient and transplanted as LV is going to draw?

Hey...UNLV might get it to half full when some popular teams come to town.

But seriously, still better than Sam Boyd.

 

[Greedy Reb]

2 minutes ago, Wyovanian said:

They're also going to be choosing between sitting in a 1/3 full stadium (at best) and watching UNLV Football on a Saturday or watching NFL Raiders Football in a more exciting environment on Sunday. Which brand do you think a town as transient and transplanted as LV is going to draw?

False choice. I don't see a significant increase in attendance for UNLV unless they get good. I'm thinking maybe an 8k bump or something like this. UNLV tickets will be at a MUCH cheaper price point and provide an interesting entertainment option that is more conveniently located in the valley than Sam Boyd. It will appeal to families looking for something to do on a Saturday night who couldn't afford NFL tickets and don't want to drive to Boulder highway. 

The Raiders will have no problem selling out and will be attracting tourists coming in to see the opposing team as much as they will locals. 

[toonkee]

Just now, BestintheWest said:

That's an understatement. It's probably in the worst part of town as far as freeway access.

Oh, the Russell and Trop exits aren't that far at all.

 

 

[Poster17]

I can't believe I'll have to become a Raider fan.  Always been a Cowboys fan, and I'll still root for them.  But I have to support the hometown team. 

[SharkTanked]

I expect a small attendance bump for UNLV, but we are talking 2 years away too and a lot can happen (for better and worse) between now and then, so it is hard to predict where UNLV's attendance will be at. Assuming Sanchez isn't the answer, I would expect a decent bump in attendance just because of the new stadium. If Sanchez has us bowling, we would probably small to no bump in attendance. I don't see us getting a ton of more regularly attending fans just because of the new stadium. I think we will get a few casuals who just want to see the new stadium, and its a cheap way to do it. I also think we will see more of a bump from visiting fans, as it is much more convenient for them to attend now.

As for the long term impacts, I don't see it as a net positive for UNLV, and it is far from the only thing holding us back from the PAC12 lol. UNLV has a crap ton to do on the academic side (which it is finally working on), not to mention it has to do a MUCH better job of fundraising than it is. What we really need is a reliable sugar-daddy corporate sponsor (ala Albertsons at Boise... not talking Pat Knight money, but someone who is going to take on a lot of the Athletics funding that needs to get done). I think what the Raiders coming does is put a hard cap on the ceiling for UNLV football. That ceiling is still much higher than where we are at now, but I am not sure it is high enough to be a legitimate PAC12 team.

Short-term, it will be a shot in the arm for UNLV football... long-term I'm less inclined to think it will be a huge benefit.

[Wyovanian]

1 hour ago, BestintheWest said:

That's an understatement. It's probably in the worst part of town as far as freeway access.

I'm not going to claim SBS's location is good by any stretch, but there's only about three traffic signals from the Russell Road exit off of 95 to SBS's parking lot.

The worst freeway access in LV is the area around Frenchman's/ Sunrise Mountain. There is none.

[trvitmvnz]

I am only who feels how ruthless the city of Oakland is, there is gonna be a riot with burning cars 

[trvitmvnz]

1 hour ago, Poster17 said:

I can't believe I'll have to become a Raider fan.  Always been a Cowboys fan, and I'll still root for them.  But I have to support the hometown team. 

I been to NOLA and believe me, most of them I talked with isn't Saints fans 

[trvitmvnz]

Congrats UNLV on your new home and your Fertitta football facility

[Wyovanian]

1 hour ago, Greedy Reb said:

False choice. I don't see a significant increase in attendance for UNLV unless they get good. I'm thinking maybe an 8k bump or something like this. UNLV tickets will be at a MUCH cheaper price point and provide an interesting entertainment option that is more conveniently located in the valley than Sam Boyd. It will appeal to families looking for something to do on a Saturday night who couldn't afford NFL tickets and don't want to drive to Boulder highway. 

The Raiders will have no problem selling out and will be attracting tourists coming in to see the opposing team as much as they will locals. 

Families (and individuals) that can't afford both (a MUCH broader segment than the one that can't afford the NFL but can afford CFB considering CFB average ticket prices are around $50) are more likely to opt for making two or three NFL games and zero CFB games rather than foregoing the Raiders for the Rebels. The brand is incalculably stronger. It's going to be another thing in LV that UNLV Football competes with, not something that sparks interest in UNLV Football. UNLV corporate season ticket buyers will also be in play. They might support both at first, but if they have to work to give away Rebels tickets while everyone is claiming the Raiders' tickets, they will drop the Rebels tickets. I foresee suite holders getting UNLV tix automatically as part of their package to keep UNLV "attendance" figures up. Attendance may jump a bit at first, but if the energy in the stadium for Rebel Football is no better or possibly worse than SBS, that bump will fade quickly if UNLV doesn't produce wins. Given the overall perception of the brand that is UNLV Football, I still doubt that even a modestly competitive team will get much traction competing with what will soon be two major league professional teams (although one starts much later in the season).

The NFL really goes out of its way with promotions to draw families despite the higher ticket price, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see some outreach effort on the part of Davis to somewhat endear himself to locals and curb the high price perception,

Speaking of Davis, the other thing to worry about is his ongoing cooperation with UNLV as far as sharing the stadium. One of his key points of contention in Oakland is the scheduling issues that currently arise with the A's home schedule, and that's only for about a third of the season. Sharing facilities with a team whose schedule basically runs concurrently with the Raiders is going to be a problem down the road, I can all but assure you. He's willing to play all kinds of ball to get what he wants now, but once he has it, he is very likely to start moving goal posts...

[Wyovanian]

1 hour ago, SharkTanked said:

I expect a small attendance bump for UNLV, but we are talking 2 years away too and a lot can happen (for better and worse) between now and then, so it is hard to predict where UNLV's attendance will be at. Assuming Sanchez isn't the answer, I would expect a decent bump in attendance just because of the new stadium. If Sanchez has us bowling, we would probably small to no bump in attendance. I don't see us getting a ton of more regularly attending fans just because of the new stadium. I think we will get a few casuals who just want to see the new stadium, and its a cheap way to do it. I also think we will see more of a bump from visiting fans, as it is much more convenient for them to attend now.

As for the long term impacts, I don't see it as a net positive for UNLV, and it is far from the only thing holding us back from the PAC12 lol. UNLV has a crap ton to do on the academic side (which it is finally working on), not to mention it has to do a MUCH better job of fundraising than it is. What we really need is a reliable sugar-daddy corporate sponsor (ala Albertsons at Boise... not talking Pat Knight money, but someone who is going to take on a lot of the Athletics funding that needs to get done). I think what the Raiders coming does is put a hard cap on the ceiling for UNLV football. That ceiling is still much higher than where we are at now, but I am not sure it is high enough to be a legitimate PAC12 team.

Short-term, it will be a shot in the arm for UNLV football... long-term I'm less inclined to think it will be a huge benefit.

Very well stated. And I think you're probably right about visiting teams attendance bumping, but that can work both for and against Rebel Football. If the locals don't turn out but more visitors do, it will be worse than SBS for home field environment.

[Greedy Reb]

12 minutes ago, Wyovanian said:

Families (and individuals) that can't afford both (a MUCH broader segment than the one that can't afford the NFL but can afford CFB considering CFB average ticket prices are around $50) are more likely to opt for making two or three NFL games and zero CFB games rather than foregoing the Raiders for the Rebels. The brand is incalculably stronger. It's going to be another thing in LV that UNLV Football competes with, not something that sparks interest in UNLV Football. UNLV corporate season ticket buyers will also be in play. They might support both at first, but if they have to work to give away Rebels tickets while everyone is claiming the Raiders' tickets, they will drop the Rebels tickets. I foresee suite holders getting UNLV tix automatically as part of their package to keep UNLV "attendance" figures up. Attendance may jump a bit at first, but if the energy in the stadium for Rebel Football is no better or possibly worse than SBS, that bump will fade quickly if UNLV doesn't produce wins. Given the overall perception of the brand that is UNLV Football, I still doubt that even a modestly competitive team will get much traction competing with what will soon be two major league professional teams (although one starts much later in the season).

The NFL really goes out of its way with promotions to draw families despite the higher ticket price, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see some outreach effort on the part of Davis to somewhat endear himself to locals and curb the high price perception,

Speaking of Davis, the other thing to worry about is his ongoing cooperation with UNLV as far as sharing the stadium. One of his key points of contention in Oakland is the scheduling issues that currently arise with the A's home schedule, and that's only for about a third of the season. Sharing facilities with a team whose schedule basically runs concurrently with the Raiders is going to be a problem down the road, I can all but assure you. He's willing to play all kinds of ball to get what he wants now, but once he has it, he is very likely to start moving goal posts...

Not trying to be antagonistic but as someone who has lived in LV my entire life (not sure where you live) but having a central location for UNLV games in a elite stadium, at a lower price point, will be attractive to folks who don't want to drive all the way from NLV and Summerlin to Sam Boyd. It is not just freeway access but just overall terrible location. The area sucks and people don't like going over there. People in LV are obsessed with new and Boulder highway feels old and depressed. UNLV will be able to get more students to the games and more people in the community. 

As I said before, it won't be significant unless they start winning, but it is absolutely a major upgrade in facility, interest, and location for UNLV football. Lets not all forget, TS and every UNLV coach has had to feign enthusiasm for years when they take recruits out to Sam Boyd. Trying to put lipstick on that pig has been an impossible task. I don't think TS will face that same sense of embarrassment when he takes them to one of the nicest stadiums in the country where Super Bowls will be played. 

[SharkTanked]

3 minutes ago, Greedy Reb said:

Not trying to be antagonistic but as someone who has lived in LV my entire life (not sure where you live) but having a central location for UNLV games in a elite stadium, at a lower price point, will be attractive to folks who don't want to drive all the way from NLV and Summerlin to Sam Boyd. It is not just freeway access but just overall terrible location. The area sucks and people don't like going over there. People in LV are obsessed with new and Boulder highway feels old and depressed. UNLV will be able to get more students to the games and more people in the community. 

As I said before, it won't be significant unless they start winning, but it is absolutely a major upgrade in facility, interest, and location for UNLV football. Lets not all forget, TS and every UNLV coach has had to feign enthusiasm for years when they take recruits out to Sam Boyd. Trying to put lipstick on that pig has been an impossible task. I don't think TS will face that same sense of embarrassment when he takes them to one of the nicest stadiums in the country where Super Bowls will be played. 

I have lived in Vegas for 40 years and been a season ticket holder for both UNLV sports for 30 of those. I know Vegas fans. Location is an excuse. They only show for winners. We don't have a winner. Same for the students.

Have you seen what a college team looks like playing in an NFL stadium? There is no home field advantage there. It's as empty as can be. I agree that recruiting will improve with this, but even if we double the number of fans (a tall order), the place will be a tomb on game days. 30K in a 65K stadium?

[Wyovanian]

7 minutes ago, Greedy Reb said:

Not trying to be antagonistic but as someone who has lived in LV my entire life (not sure where you live) but having a central location for UNLV games in a elite stadium, at a lower price point, will be attractive to folks who don't want to drive all the way from NLV and Summerlin to Sam Boyd. It is not just freeway access but just overall terrible location. The area sucks and people don't like going over there. People in LV are obsessed with new and Boulder highway feels old and depressed. UNLV will be able to get more students to the games and more people in the community. 

As I said before, it won't be significant unless they start winning, but it is absolutely a major upgrade in facility, interest, and location for UNLV football. Lets not all forget, TS and every UNLV coach has had to feign enthusiasm for years when they take recruits out to Sam Boyd. Trying to put lipstick on that pig has been an impossible task. I don't think TS will face that same sense of embarrassment when he takes them to one of the nicest stadiums in the country where Super Bowls will be played. 

I lived in LV for twenty years and know the market and the fans. Still have a lot of friends and family there...

And those nice NFL stadiums suck when it feels like you're at a Pop Warner game because it's so empty.

[BackthePack]

I see this as a negative/push for UNLV football, and a big positive for almost every other thing to bring the events originally held at SBS closer to the strip. The big thing that bothers me is the power Davis is trying to control with the stadium in his original terms. This is as much, if not more the state of Nevada's stadium when we consider how much tax money is coming from the public. Davis better be grateful for anything he gets for getting to leave the dump of Oakland.