The under-construction Raiders stadium in Las Vegas is shown Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019.
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 | 7 p.m.
Praise for the future home of the Oakland Raiders stretched from the stadium’s site in Las Vegas all the way to Indianapolis on Thursday.
During an afternoon news conference at the stadium site just west of Mandalay Bay, Raiders President Marc Badain said the team is pleased with how construction is progressing.
“How could you not be?” Badain asked rhetorically. “To be inside the stadium and to see all the progress that’s being made is really exciting for us.”
Badain was among a group of Raiders and Cox Communications officials at the 60-plus-acre stadium site to announce a 10-year partnership between the National Football League team and the internet provider.
The news conference, Badain said, was just one of a number of similar sponsorship announcements that will be made leading up to the 2020 football season, which the Raiders will play in Las Vegas.
The team is expected to play the 2019 season in Oakland before making the permanent move to Nevada to play in the $1.8 billion stadium, which will be equipped, Cox officials said, will multiple gig-speed bandwidth for fans and stadium operations alike.
“The Raiders are an integral part of the puzzle of us expanding throughout Southern Nevada,” said Michael Bolognini, the Las Vegas market leader for Cox. “For the fan, they want to share their experience out into the social media world right then and there. In a lot of venues, you can’t do that, but with the technology we’re implementing, fans will be able to share those experiences and those Raider wins instantaneously.”
As trucks kicked up dust at the stadium site Thursday afternoon, praise for the venue was even heard from the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden talked about the team’s future home during a meeting with reporters, which was available in video form on the team’s website.
“When you go to Las Vegas, you can’t deny that the stadium they’re building is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my lifetime,” Gruden said. “This Oakland Raiders, Las Vegas Raiders brand is, to me, as good as there is in all of sports. It’s something that really fires me up.”
Financial terms of the partnership between Cox and the Raiders were not disclosed.
