By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
He usually shows up in jeans and a collar-free shirt. But Raiders owner Mark Davis wore a suit and tie because announcing a new fans-must-be-vaccinated-to-attend-games policy is serious business.
At the big domed stadium at noon Tuesday, Davis explained to media gathered next to the giant torch in memory of his dad, Al Davis, that fans with tickets to home games who don’t want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 can get a refund or roll over their tickets to the 2022 season. Davis said he was “very concerned” about losing fans who decline to be immunized against a contagious disease that has killed 622,000 Americans since March 2020.
Davis even noted Allegiant Stadium lost two sold-out events because of the Clark County indoor mask mandate.
The Raiders released the news Monday evening that all fans must be vaccinated against COVID to attend home games in Allegiant Stadium. It made national news as the Raiders are the first team in the NFL to adopt this required vaccination policy for attendees, though event promoters in the entertainment businesses have already started going down this road. It seemed like the vaccination requirement policy was inevitable as America can’t seem to shake this coronavirus with Southern Nevada having too much COVID. With Raiders home game attendees showing proof of COVID vaccination, they do not have to wear masks at games at Allegiant Stadium.
Davis explained it this way: “It’s not just about you. It’s about the person sitting next to you.”
The Raiders shifted to this new policy because Davis said it was “impossible to police” the indoor mask requirement at the four events already held in Allegiant Stadium. In the photo above from the Mexico vs USA Gold Cup game at Allegiant Stadium Aug. 1, even the game hosts were not wearing masks. The Raiders built and run the 65,000-seat building on the west side of Interstate 15 across from Mandalay Bay. The Southern Nevada public contributed $750 million to the construction of the $2 billion stadium project.
LVSportsBiz.com spoke with Davis after the press conference about how the Raiders chatted with Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak before the team announced the new policy last night.
Fans will be required to download the Clear app to their phone and then create an account. Fans will then send their bio info and vaccination card data to their account and that info will be verified when their ticket code is scanned by turnstile workers. Here’s how it will work:
Note that you will still have to wear a mask if you got only one shot and are partially vaccinated. Kids 2-11 will also be required to wear a mask.
There were perhaps four anti-vax protesters who tried to slip through the stadium security station and reach the press conference, but they didn’t get too far. Security caught them and they were told to leave.
At the team’s practice facility in Henderson, Raiders coach Jon Gruden was asked about the new vaccination policy. Here’s his reaction:
“I just support the decisions that are being made. Every state, every team is probably going to have a different view on this. I support the decision that was made. I’ll be anxious to see as many Raiders fans as possible with no mask. That’s what I’m excited about. They can make more noise that way. I know it’s a touchy subject for a lot of people, but I do support the direction we’re heading and I encourage everybody that I know to get the vaccine and come and join us.”
The Raiders fan vaccination policy shows Davis is your not your typical corporate businessman NFL owner. It’s clear that the 66-year-old Brooklyn-born jeans-wearing Chico State graduate is charting his own path as an NFL team owner, creating his own identity apart from his iconic dad, Al Davis.
For example last year, while most NFL teams rolled out polished anti-racism public relations-speak for statements after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, Davis’ Raiders statement was simply entitled, “The Murder Of George Floyd.” Davis also has a unique press release style of capitalizing the first letter of every word in the statement as if the release’s content is one long headline.
Davis was joined at the presser by team president Dan Ventrelle; Jerome Pickett, Clear’s senior VP for sports and entertainment; and Glen Simpson, director of special operations for Community Ambulance, which will run the on-site vaccination clinic before Raiders home games at Allegiant Stadium.
Davis noted that there is discussion about having the vaccination requirement for fans attending Las Vegas Aces games at the arena at Mandalay Bay. Davis also owns the WNBA Aces.
The Raiders are also near the “top of the NFL” in the percentage of players who are vaccinated against the virus. About a month ago, LVSportsBiz.com chatted with Raiders running back Josh Jacobs about the NFL vaccination rules.