Will the Raiders regret moving to Las Vegas? | The Tylt

The Raiders have been eyeing an exit from Oakland for awhile now, but with 31 of 32 NFL team owners voting in favor of relocation to Las Vegas—it's officially official. The last time we polled Tylters about a possible move, nearly 63 percent of you said the Raiders should stay in Oakland. But a new $1.9 billion stadium financed predominantly with public money, was enough to convince ownership. Will they regret it?

Here's the official statement from the Oakland Raiders:

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have received conditional approval from the National Football League to relocate the franchise to Las Vegas, Nevada.

“My father always said, ‘the greatness of the Raiders is in its future,’ and the opportunity to build a world-class stadium in the entertainment capital of the world is a significant step toward achieving that greatness. I would like to thank Commissioner Goodell, the National Football League and my 31 partners. I would also like to thank Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Legislature for their commitment. Finally, I would like to thank Sheldon Adelson for his vision and leadership, without which this project never would have become a reality.

“The Raiders were born in Oakland and Oakland will always be part of our DNA. We know that some fans will be disappointed and even angry, but we hope that they do not direct that frustration to the players, coaches and staff. We plan to play at the Coliseum in 2017 and 2018, and hope to stay there as the Oakland Raiders until the new stadium opens. We would love nothing more than to bring a championship back to the Bay Area.”

At the end of the day, the Raiders needed a new stadium and Oakland was just not the place to get it done. Las Vegas has a proposed stadium ready to go. The Raiders will be able to play in a beautiful, state-of-the-art 65,000-seat stadium, financed mostly with public money. Oakland may be home to Raiders fans, but the city failed to keep the team from relocating. This is a good move for the Raiders that will set the team up for decades of success.

But fans feel betrayed. The Raiders built a home in Oakland and fans stuck by them, even through years of terrible football and Al Davis' toxic ownership. There was a long stretch of time when no one was paying attention to the Raiders, but the city of Oakland has always been there for the team. Holding fans hostage for free taxpayer-supported stadiums is just a slap in the face. Moving the team to a city that has loose morals and is a logistics nightmare, just for free money, is even more painful.