Raiders Leaving Oakland For Las Vegas — And Their Fans Are Coming Along For The Ride
By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
OAKLAND — The Raiders are coming to Las Vegas.
And so are their fans.
“Being a true Raiders fan, you have to be used to it,” said Clint Sapiro, a state of California heavy equipment operator who lives in Pacific Grove, California near Monterey. “I have mixed feelings about the Raiders moving. But I love the business savvy sense of bringing the Raiders to the world in Las Vegas.”
It was two hours before kickoff of the Raiders-Denver Broncos 7:20 p.m. game at the Coliseum, the first game of the last season at the Raiders’ Oakland home that also doubles as the baseball park for the Oakland Athletics.
Sapiro was with his wife Debbie and daughter Lexy looking to score autographs — and Lexy drew a signature from receiver Keelan Doss, who was enticed back to Oakland from the Jacksonville Jaguars after receiver/video producer Antonio Brown was released Saturday morning before signing with the Patriots later that same day.
The Coliseum is the last stadium to house both an NFL team and an MLB club, and the infield dirt is plain to see from the press box behind home plate. The Raiders place kicker, Daniel Carlson, was practicing field goals from shortstop position better known as the 42-yard hash mark on the football field before the game.
The Raiders’ brand power is so potent that the fans have accepted their team’s fate of moving to Las Vegas for the 2020 season when a domed, 65,000-seat stadium is projected to open.
For years, the Raiders tried to work a stadium deal with the city of Oakland. When no agreement was realized, the Raiders chose to do what other NFL teams have done before — move to a city that will open its public coffers to help pay for a new revenue-generating sports venue. Enter Southern Nevada, which is giving $750 million to the Raiders for the new Las Vegas stadium off the Strip.
Raiders fan Chadd Visintainer, a 38-year-old former Easy Bay resident who lives in Idaho, said he will be attending games in Las Vegas without rancor or bitterness.
“I have driven twice by the stadium in Las Vegas and it will be bad-ass,” Visintainer said before Monday’s game. “This team deserves a great stadium.”
Evan Munro, a 24-year-old Air Force police officer from Santa Barbara, understands why the Raiders are leaving the Bay area.
“It’s a business decision,” Munro said. “Drive around the city of Oakland. It’s not the nicest place. The politics pushed the team away.”
The Raiders’ fans include comedian George Lopez, who was the emcee at the Raiders stadium groundbreaking ceremony in Las Vegas in November 2017. He was mingling with friends on the field before the game.
The Raiders played well Monday night, especially quarterback Derek Carr, who passed with precision in Oakland’s 24-16 win over division rival Denver.
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