Let me be completely frank: the Oakland Coliseum is a dump.
Trust me, I’ve been there. My pleasant visit to the Coliseum was during a Oakland Athletics game, as it is the only stadium remaining in the United States to host a major league football and baseball team. This is not a good thing for either sides. For the Raiders, its field is partially covered with the baseball diamond, which creates on the worst turfs in the NFL. Due to the Raiders struggle for relevancy over the past decade, the stadium is rarely sold out, and is usually susceptible to television blackouts. The Athletics have to deal with a massive foul territory due to the football dimensions of the Coliseum, a tarp that covers most of the stadium during games, and a turf that can get roughened up during football games. The coliseum has also had many problems with sewage leaking out from the clubhouses and locker rooms, leading to complaints from many players and coaches. For years, both squads have looked towards a new stadium. The Raiders were originally looking at returning to Los Angeles, but lost out to the Rams. Since the announcement of the Rams move, the Raiders have looked towards other locations, such as San Antonio and Las Vegas. For me, there is no doubt about where they should go: They need to move to Las Vegas.
Sure, there are many reasons why they shouldn’t move to Las Vegas. They have never had a major sports team, the teams they do have in the minors get little if any support, and they would have one of the smallest markets in the NFL. These points don’t show the main pro to moving to this city: It’s freaking Las Vegas. The potential for the stadium and the area around it could be something that could exceed the magic that is Jerry’s World(Cowboys Stadium) in Arlington, Texas. What I envision is a stadium that is in the center of a gigantic hotel complex, something similar to that of the many mega hotels in the city. These mega resorts include the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian, and many other well acclaimed spots.
The similarity between all of these resorts is there is a theme to each hotel, such as Venice with the Venetian. With this stadium and resort complex, they could place thousands of hotel rooms around a brand new stadium. It would be themed around the NFL and football in general. It could feature a large amount of shopping and restaurants that fans could visit before and after the game. The hotel could also provide themed rooms and suites to specific players and teams. There could also be themed amusement park rides, such as other resorts in the Las Vegas area. Imagine a roller coaster called Roger Goodell’s Revenge. It would be full of drops, turns and loops, and will feature hundreds of relics of the players that he is suspended throughout his tenure as commissioner. Another great idea would be a ride called The Deflator, which could be a balloon ride that deflates over time. Just imagine all of these great possibilities! Roger Goodell would be so pleased!
Ultimately, the advantage of moving the Raiders to Las Vegas would be for the large tourist base that exists in the city. Having football games each Sunday would compete with some of the most popular shows in town. Along with that, some of the best players in the league would probably be attracted to the city, as it is home to great nightlife and…. Uh…… gambling. Also, if done right, a new stadium could also portray the spectacle that is the city of Vegas. It is an idea that the NFL should look at, and honestly, anything is better than Oakland and the Oakland Coliseum.
