Mark Davis and the Raiders are preparing for their inaugural season in Las Vegas, though it is unknown whether fans will even be able to attend games.
One thing is for sure: Raiders owner Mark Davis will not attend home games if fans are not in the seats.
Davis told Vic Tafur of The Athletic he cannot envision watching games without fans, adding he is not convinced partial attendance is the solution:
“It’s all or none for me,” Davis said in an interview at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. “Either all the fans are going to be in there or none.”
“I can’t tell one fan that they can’t go to the inaugural opening game in a stadium that they helped to build through their PSLs,” Davis added. “I won’t tell them that they can’t go but the rest of these guys can … and oh, by the way, don’t worry about it because we’ll be able to advertise on your seats.”
Davis made it clear he understands why the league must consider playing games behind closed doors.
But it seems he would like to show some kind of solidarity with citizens in the Sin City who will be unable to support the Raiders (via Tafur):
“I just can’t. How do you tell fans who gets to go to that first game and who doesn’t? Or who doesn’t get to see the Tom Brady game. … It’s a really tough situation that really can’t be blamed on anybody. All our dreams are coming true, with the new stadium and the new practice facility and everything else, but real life gets in the way sometimes.
Indeed, the timing could not be worse for the Raiders.
Allegiant Stadium has taken nearly three years to complete. Not to mention, the Raiders are hoping to compete for a playoff spot in a loaded AFC West.
But there is a good chance Davis ends up watching his team like the rest of the Raiders fans in Vegas: on a television screen.
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