Getty Las Vegas Raiders Stadium Construction Site.
The Raiders have already played their last game in Oakland and could be playing their last game of the season on Sunday. While the team would love to keep the season going on as long as possible, there’s no doubt there are many excited about the move to Las Vegas. As construction powers through, Allegiant Stadium is starting to take form. The Raiders’ Las Vegas stadium may not be the most expensive stadium in the NFL but it may be the best looking.
Mick Ackers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal took some excellent photos of the new stadium.
An @AllegiantStadm update of all four sides of the $2 billion, 65,000-seat indoor stadium. #vegas #raiders #stadium #unlvfb
He also got a very good video of what the stadium looks like from the freeway.
North and east facing sides of the exterior of @AllegiantStadm are completing at a rapid pace. Trees also now being planted on the widened sidewalks on Dean Martin Drive. #vegas #raiders #stadium
Some fans have lovingly nicknamed the stadium “The Death Star” and it’s hard to argue that’s a great name due to how menacing of a structure it is. On the surface, it looks like the perfect home for the silver and black. The mostly black exterior with hints of white and silver screams: “This is where the Raiders play.” The inside still needs a lot of work, but it’s looking like it’ll be finished before the season is supposed to start.
Work continues on the inside of @AllegiantStadm with the field tray track system being the focus of work. 2 of the 13 tracks stretching the full length of the stadium’s floor. Also, a large amount of stair railing has been installed in the last 2 weeks. #vegas #raiders #stadium
It’s hard to argue that Allegiant Stadium has the potential to be one of the best looking stadiums in sports. Even the NFL is going to have a hard time denying it.
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NFL Could Open Season at Raiders New Stadium
Las Vegas is new to the professional sports world and the Raiders’ 2020 debut will be the first time an NFL game has been played there. Nevada is already getting the NFL Draft and it is looking like the first time Allegiant Stadium will be showcased to the world will be in Week 1 during primetime. According to Vincent Bonsignore at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the NFL is currently planning to have the Raiders play on Sunday night for the first game of the 2020 season:
Of all the scenarios being considered, people close to the situation indicate the most likely at this early stage could be the Raiders’ home opener filling the Sunday Night Football stage, with the Rams’ home opener at SoFi Stadium, the $5 billion, 72,000-seat stadium being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, opening the NFL season on the preceding Thursday night.
That would leave the Los Angeles Chargers, who will share SoFi Stadium with the Rams, to play in the nightcap of the season-opening Monday night doubleheader.
“Certainly (the NFL) will have to figure out how to get all three into prime time early in the season,” an unnamed high-ranking league official said.
Sunday night would be a great time to show off Allegiant Stadium to the world. However, the NFL is considering trying to get even more eyes on it, per Bonsignore:
According to another high-ranking league official, the NFL has also considered the possibility of the Raiders and Allegiant Stadium hosting the Thursday night game.
“Nothing has been finalized yet,” that league official said. “We’ll see how it all shakes out after the Super Bowl.”
The Raiders playing the first game of the season would be an interesting turn of event. The Los Angeles Rams spent $5 billion on SoFi Stadium. That’s significantly less than Mark Davis and the Raiders paid. Regardless, either stadium being showed off for the NFL’s first game of 2020 will be a spectacle.
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