The NFL no longer can hide its cards — it's ready to go all in on Las Vegas.
The quickest draw to get there is relocating the Raiders from Oakland, and team owner Mark Davis has $500 million ready to make it happen.
First, the possibility of that happening wasn't ruled out by Roger Goodell. Then the commissioner expressed how the league is "evolving" in its stance in being more associated with legalized gambling.
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Then came the Vegas endorsement of the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, arguably the league's most powerful owner. It went to another level Friday when another NFL heavyweight billionaire, the Patriots' Robert Kraft, gave his blessing to the Raiders, via USA Today.
"I think it would be good for the NFL," Kraft said. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won't do it … I want to support him.”
Vegas and its mayor, Carolyn Goodman, are waiting with open arms. It has taken a long time for the NFL power players to open their minds. As Goodell said in April and Jones earlier this month, Kraft echoed the sentiment that the so-called risks associated with Vegas no longer outweigh the entertainment reward.
In NFL-owner speak, that means everyone who counts has realized that Vegas, like Los Angeles for the Rams, is bigger money in the bank. Now that weekly fantasy football has blurred the lines of gambling on NFL games, that's no longer a hurdle in profiting from a team in Sin City.
It means the pitch Davis made to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee in late April, offering to spend half a billion to help build a $1.6 billion, 64,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, has a lot more legs. It already had some when more photogenic soccer superstar David Beckham joined Davis in pitching that the stadium would also bring a Major League Soccer team to Las Vegas.
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Mark Davis and David Beckham (Getty Images)
"To bring a great organization like the Raiders is incredible, but it’s bigger than that," said Beckham, who also has business ties to the stadium-backing Sands Corporation.
The NFL is realizing how big it could be in its next stage of westward re-expansion. It's no longer just a way for Davis to create better leverage against Oakland. Jones and Kraft wield great influence on the other owners, and along with Goodell, they can work to get 24 of the 32 needed to approve the Raiders' move.
While the Raiders are becoming a stronger bet for Vegas, it's clear that the league has thought a lot more about expanding its reach there with any team. It's the No. 40 television market and growing, ahead of current NFL cities Green Bay, Buffalo, New Orleans and Jacksonville. It's not too far behind Cincinnati, Kansas City, Nashville and San Diego.
Unlike all those cities, Las Vegas opens the NFL to new revenue streams. It's the hub for two things hugely responsible for the league's booming popularity: fantasy football and gambling. It's a great place to give the Pro Bowl needed pizzazz and make the draft an even more marquee event. Imagine what Super Bowl week would be like, never having to leave The Strip. As MLS and the NHL also look to plant pro teams in Vegas, the NFL should be extra motivated to jump in and dominate another sports market.
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London and Mexico City still have their appeals, too, but they work better as satellite sites for NFL teams. Vegas, with L.A., would form a much better 1-2 punch than going overseas and south of the border. It keeps the NFL right in the heart of the action that's made it so profitable.
The NFL doesn't need to pretend it's a moral authority on anything anymore, least of which is its fans betting on its games. Whether it's out of need or greed, Vegas will be part of the league soon.