By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
He’s hardly a billionaire like Jerry Jones, Stan Kroenke, Robert Kraft or Arthur Blank. He drives a Mini-Cooper after his Dodge Caravan days, wears collar-free shirts with jeans and is the only NFL owner who also owns a team in the WNBA, easily the sports league with most politically vocal and active athletes in the country. And people seem obsessed with his bowl/Beatles-style haircut.
Mark Davis assumed the reins of the NFL Raiders franchise and “Just Win, Baby!” legacy in 2011 after his father, the iconic, colorful and controversial Al Davis, died of heart failure at age 82 on Oct. 8, 2011.
The franchise with the renegade persona was an ideal fit for Las Vegas, a tourism-based entertainment market that is raising more $1 billion in debt service revenues over 30 years to contribute $750 million to build the Raiders’ $2 billion domed, 65.000-seat stadium project on 62 acres on the west side of I-15 across from Mandalay Bay.
While some NFL owners made billions of dollars in other industries, the 66-year-old Davis made his living in, well, football — helping create the Raiders’ retail stores, developing a hand-warmer for football players and even representing former Raiders star receiver Cliff Branch, who died Aug. 3, 2019. Branch’s number was 21 — the number on the side of protective construction helmet worn by Davis at a 2019 stadium naming right announcement in a photo above.
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Davis has charted his own trail in the NFL apart from his dad. While the Raiders have lost more games than they have won in the decade with Davis as owner, the Brooklyn, NY native and Chico State (California) grad has stepped into the spotlight and assumed leadership roles on two major national issues during the last 15 months.
Davis referred to “The Murder Of George Floyd” in this press release below in June 2020. A year ago, LVSportsBiz.com reported on the significance of Davis’s words about Floyd death by showing how his press release was different from that of the one distributed by Las Vegas’s other major league team, the NHL Golden Knights.
Davis told LVSportsBiz.com that the topic of racial justice resonates with him in light of his well-known friendship with civic rights leader/1968 Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith, who lit the Al Davis torch before a Raiders-Houston Texans game in Mexico City in November 2016. Smith — along with bronze winner John Carlos — took a lot of heat for raising their fists to signify Black strength and human rights after receiving their 200-meter race medals on the podium at the summer Olympics in Mexico City 53 years ago.
The Raiders have always been a leader in minority and women rights in the NFL in light of former Raiders coach/Hall-of-Famer Tom Flores being the first Latino head coach to win a Super Bowl; Art Shell being hired as the first Black coach in the sport’s modern era; and Amy Trask being hired as the NFL’s first female CEO.
It’s also no surprise and secret that Davis loves the WNBA Las Vegas Aces, a team he bought in January seven month ago.
WNBA players are among the most politically outspoken in major league sports. The Aces’ star player, A’ja Wilson, used social media to encourage people to vote in the November presidential election.
Some people misunderstood Raiders/Davis’ “I can breathe” social media message four months ago in April after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the death of Floyd, who died under Chauvin’s knee after being suspected of passing a phony $20 bill at a local store on Memorial Day 2020.
It appeared as if Davis had the right intention about addressing racial injustice issues, but his tweet didn’t communicate that it was a take on Floyd’s brother’s comment. Floyd’s brother released this statement to set the record straight:
Then last week, Davis was the first NFL owner to declare that fans must show proof of COVID vaccination in order to attend Raiders home games at their Allegiant Stadium. LVSportsBiz.com had this interview with Davis about his decision that he knew would upset some fans who do not want to be immunized against a respiratory disease that has killed more than 630,000 Americans:
The New Orleans Saints require proof of a COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test for fans to attend a Saints home game.
But the Raiders are the only NFL team to require all fans to upload their proof of vaccination to a CLEAR App to show they have been immunized. Davis said season ticket holders can get a refund or roll over their tickets to the 2022 home season at Allegiant Stadium if they do not want to comply with the Raiders vaccination rule.
Other major entertainment events and trade shows in Las Vegas like the Life is Beautiful multi-day music festival in downtown Las Vegas and the massive CES trade show in January are also requiring proof of COVID vaccination.
Davis did not wear a mask at the ribbon-cutting for Allegiant Stadium Aug. 14, when fans were allowed in the stadium for the first time to witness a Raiders game. He said he was vaccinated. That will be rule for 2021 — if you’re vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask at Raiders home games inside Allegiant Stadium.
Davis might not be a billionaire. But his team is worth $3.415 billion, according to Forbes. The Raiders generated a stunning $550 million in personal seat license revenues from season ticket holders, plus another $330 million from founding corporate partnerships and sponsorships tied to the opening of Allegiant Stadium.
So, maybe he didn’t make this list of the 15 most rich owners in the NFL:
But his team is doing just fine financially in its second season at Allegiant Stadium after fans were not allowed to attend any home games in the Raiders’ inaugural season in las Vegas.
If Raiders season ticket holders don’t want to attend games because of the team’s vaccination requirement, they will find eager buyers on the secondary ticket market, where Raiders home game tickets are going for princely sums.
Like fans during 2020, Davis didn’t attend a single home game at Allegiant Stadium.
That all changes starting Sept. 13 when the Baltimore Ravens visit Allegiant Stadium. Just get your vaccination if you would like to attend. That’s coming straight from Davis.
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