The Oakland Raiders will become the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, following a vote by the National Football League (NFL), which was passed nearly unanimously last month. Since the vote, Spring Valley students and teachers have been thrilled to call the Raiders their home team, and finally have the NFL in their home city.
“I’m excited to watch my favorite team, the Raiders play. They’re probably going to be a big deal here and I’m excited for all the other NFL teams to come,” said Sophomore Jevon Ross.
The Raiders are coming off of a great season, that was decimated by injuries to their star quarterback Derek Carr and pro bowl offensive tackle Donald Penn. The Raiders went 12-4 last season, and lost in the wild card playoff game against the Houston Texans. Despite the devastating loss and Carr’s broken leg, the NFL preseason power rankings puts the Raiders at number 9 for the 2017 season
Although the Raiders will not play in Las Vegas for at least two more years, fans are pumped for the move and excitedly anticipating their upcoming season.
“I think the Raiders are going to be good when they come here and hopefully I’ll see a super bowl,” said Varsity Football Coach Marcus Teal, a lifelong Raider’s fan.
The Raiders moving to Las Vegas also adds to a list of things to do for families in Sin City. Even football fans who do not root for the Raiders can enjoy seeing their own teams visit the stadium.
“The best thing about the Raiders coming here is that I can watch the Chargers beat them,” said Kyle Moser, who is looking forward to the annual division game.
Despite team loyalty, most students expressed their excitement to finally have professional sports making their way to Las Vegas.
“Heck yeah I’m excited,” Freshman Amy Regalado said of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas. “Derek Carr is cute and I can’t wait to meet him.”
The move to Las Vegas can also mean more student and community involvement with the NFL. Athletes around the country stop and speak to schools about their experiences in life. Now that athletes play in Las Vegas there’s a better chance that players will come speak at Spring Valley and motivate them to get to the next level.
“Having these pros in Las Vegas will give an idea to our athletes what they went through and that they were once on a high school field like themselves,” said Coach Teal. “We can study and learn from watching them in a live game.”
Now Raiders fans will not have to travel far to meet and watch their favorite players. In the summer, pro teams host meet and greets and camps for people to learn about the game of football and to meet their favorite stars. In the 2016 summer The Raiders along with the San Francisco 49ers hosted youth camps in July at their facilities. If the Raiders continue to host those camps, they will likely be held in Las Vegas.
“If they host camps here I know I will be attending to improve my game and to see those animals,” said sophomore Scire Leffall, who plays Spring Valley football.
Outside of student excitement, many recognized the power that having an NFL team will bring to the city.
“I feel that when you bring any professional sports team to Las Vegas it’s gonna bring money. It’s gonna be good for the economy, ” said varsity football player junior Nick Wright.
With the Raiders making the move they becomes the third NFL team to relocate in the past year, following the Chargers and the Rams. Raiders owner Mark Davis and the NFL couldn’t reach an agreement on building a new stadium in Oakland, and that’s when Las Vegas offered a $1.9 billion stadium.
“I think it’s pretty cool that Las Vegas finally has professional sports teams coming here,” said junior Oscar Pena
