Benefits of the Raiders Moving to Las Vegas

Many fans of the Oakland Raiders are understandably upset about the team’s relocation approval, but there are several benefits in the franchise moving to Las Vegas.

At the annual NFL owners meeting on Monday, March 27th, they casted a vote that would forever change the course of the Oakland Raiders. The owners voted in favor of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas on a vote 31-1, including Mark Davis’ vote.

While this may be devastating to fans located in Oakland and the surrounding areas, there are also some positives that arise from this situation.

It’s easy to travel to Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a tourist location and it’s pretty accessible from all over the country.

For example, a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is only about an hour and fifteen minutes and depending on when you buy your ticket, it could be quite cheap. This will be easier for fans from all over the country to travel to the new location.

This especially makes it easier for east coast fans. Las Vegas has always been a tourist hot spot. A flight from, say, New York City to Las Vegas is only about 6 hours while a flight from NYC to Oakland is a little bit longer and less affordable.

Either way, the location of Las Vegas is easier for fans from all around the country. Also, it being very close to Los Angeles is a plus because the massive built-in fan base located there.

There is no income tax in the state of Nevada

California currently has a 13.3% state income tax, which in-turn affects players decisions as to where they sign in free agency. Simply put, the less the state income tax, the less money players take home. Players will be able to keep $130,000 more money for every million that they make.

So, yes this is very important.

Nevada currently is one of seven states with a 0% income tax, and this alone may factor in the Raiders’ favor when players are contemplating signing with the team or not. Just like with the teams located in Florida who always are acknowledged for this, this now will become a major advantage for the Raiders.

This tweet from Benjamin Allbright shows how players are already excited about the idea of it. This will help lure free agents to wanting to play for the Raiders and may even possibly help keep some of our own guys.

The Raiders get a brand new stadium

The Raiders will finally get a brand new stadium that is expected to cost about $1.9 billion. This has been long awaited as they have shared a stadium with the Oakland Athletics in the Oakland coliseum.

Players will no longer have to worry about playing on a dirt field in the months of September and possibly October.

The new stadium will be funded by $750M of Las Vegas taxpayer money, $650M from a loan that was given by Bank of America and $500M from the Raiders organization.

Here is a video of the proposed new stadium:

If the plan goes smoothly, the Raiders will now have arguably one of the nicest stadiums in the entire league. It will be an attraction for big events, other sports and players from other teams.

Next: The Raiders Should Not Trade For Richard Sherman

While the Raiders leaving Oakland is a tough thing to cope with, especially as the team is back to being a contender, there are still some positives coming from this situation. They are still the Raiders.