April 23, 2024 • 21 mins
Today's special guest is Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of the Las Vegas Raiders. She has more than two decades of leadership experience in the sports, gaming, and corporate sectors, and joins Host Ramses Ja to talk about her amazing career and leading the Las Vegas Raiders in her hometown.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The name Sandra Douglas Morgan has long been a familiar
one in the state of Nevada. In the past, she
has served as chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
As the chief regulator for Nevada's dominant billion dollar gaming industry,
Sandra led the passage and implementation of cashlest wagering regulations,
ensured that gaming licenses adopted policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment,
(00:24):
and led a team of four hundred employees in five
cities across the state of Nevada. Sandra also served as
commissioner on the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was the
first black city attorney in the state of Nevada when
she was the chief legal officer for the City of
North Las Vegas. As if this wasn't enough, Sandra was
(00:44):
named president of the Las Vegas Raiders by owner Mark
Davis in July of twenty twenty two, making her the
first black female president in NFL history. And she is
our guest today. This is the Black Information Network Daily
Podcast and I'm your host, ramseys Jah and.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I get to be the special guest host today and
my name is q War.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Indeed, thank you so much Q, by the way for
setting this up. This is obviously very timely and very
meaningful for Women's History Month, and obviously, Sandra Douglas Morgan,
thank you so much for being on our show today.
It is a joy to even hold this time and
space with you.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Thank you for having me rams this and Q, thanks
for the invitation. Yeah, it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Absolutely, I appreciate you saying that. So what we do
around here is we start all of our stories at
the beginning. So do us a bit of a favor.
I know we touched on it a bit, but give
us a bit about your background, the real background. You know,
where you grew up, what influenced you. Just you know,
whatever you're feel comfortable and goes as long and short
as you want, but we want to know the story
(01:54):
of what led you to this conversation today.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, you know, I don't.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
It wasn't a something that I could say was planned
or strategic or I had a goal of being an
NFL president. That definitely wasn't the case. I'm definitely a
child of Las Vegas. I grew up here, ended up
my family ended up here because my father retired at
Nellis Air Force Base, My mother worked in different kind
of casinos, some on the strip, some off the strip
(02:19):
when I was growing up, and a lot of people
in the area that I grew up in, which is
the East side of Las Vegas, so shout out to
the east Side, you know, had a parent in the
military and had you know, another parent in the gaming industry.
It was not uncommon for that, especially when I was
growing up in the in the early eighties, so you know,
grew up there hard working parents definitely strussed the importance
of education. My mom was my mom is Koreat American
(02:41):
first generation and definitely said if you're not you know,
don't focus on your education, you know, won't have the
opportunities and experiences that you want to have. But they
never made us feel like we were without and we weren't.
You know, we were definitely working.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Class, but definitely felt like the love and had everything
we needed.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
So fast forward, I went to school and middle school,
high school on the east Side. Knew I wanted didn't
want to stay in town. I knew I wanted to
go somewhere and ended up getting a scholarship the University
of Nevada right now and just loans weren't even something
that was part of.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Our our vocabulary.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
I mean, I knew I was applying to different schools,
but I just I definitely was impressed upon us to
get a scholarship.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
My sistant went to Colorado State.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
I went to you and R and thought I was
going to end up in California honestly for law school,
because there wasn't an accredited law school here in Nevada
when I was an undergrad. So I finished undergrad in
nineteen ninety nine, and at that time there was actually
a bill passed to get state funding for a law school.
But I thought, I don't want to go to a
new law school because if I go to a new
law school and I graduate from there, I'll end up
(03:42):
having to practice in the state of Nevada. Until the
law school is accredited, you're limited to practicing law in
that state. And lo and behold, unlv did actually worked
wonders and became accredited within three years. So I was
in the third graduating class of the law school. By
the time I applied, they were provisionally accredited, and so
I knew it was a little bit of a safety
net that, Okay, even if I finished law school here,
(04:04):
I could still go practice anywhere I wanted to go.
And you know, I say in Nevada is home because
I was educated on both sides of the state and
I never left, you know. When I came back here,
I went to law school at UNLV, ended up getting
a job at a firm, went in house at MGM,
which was an incredibly proud moment, I think, not just
for myself just being kind of the first lawyer in
my family, but for my mother. My mother worked you know,
(04:26):
hourly different jobs at different casinos, and for now her
daughter to actually be able to give legal advice to
one of the largest gaming corporations was definitely a proud moment.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And went to the public sector.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
After that, went to the City of North Las Vegas,
went to AT and T, then was appointed to the
Athletic Commission, which governs mixed martial arts and boxing. Was
later appointed to the Gaming Commission and then became chair
of the Gaming Control Board during you know, really critical
time I think for the gaming industry.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
One we were.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
The only state for so long, or with a major state,
that actually had sports betting. So when I was a commissioner,
that's when the Supreme Court passed a repealed pass, but
it's a law that basically limited professional sports and amateur
sports kind of gambling to different only to Nevada and
really Montana, small slice of it.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
And so once that.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Law was repealed, states were allowed to pass their own
sports betting statutes. And obviously you've seen the surge of
that over the last goodness what four to five years.
And so I was a commissioner during that time and
then was the chair of the Game to Control Board. Unfortunately,
during the pandemic, which was definitely a trying time, I
know for many of us. With Nevada having an unemployment
(05:40):
rate over thirty five percent, it was definitely difficult for
Nevadams as well.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So I was lucky enough to come to Las Vegas
last summer participated in a program called raiders Den where
we worked with some high school kids at Allegiance Stadium,
and the name that I heard the most was yours
before we even had a chance to meet, because everyone
wanted to press upon me how important that type of
work was to you. So on, on the back of
(06:06):
Black History Month and now Women's History Month, talk to
us about the significance of being the first black female
president of an NFL team.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
You know, I know it's important.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I mean, I will tell you I have said this
publicly and privately to my friends.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
You know, I knew that.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
I don't think I knew the gravity of it. I mean,
and I say this in the most ways. I don't
think the first is a success story. What success is
not being a last? Right, So I knew I was
the first. I figured it would get some attention, and
I thought I'd go back to work and was admittedly
very surprised and just a little bit shocked about the
(06:44):
amount of attention. But it also made me realize that
there are so many women, so many people right of
different backgrounds that just want some visibility when it comes
to sports because it is a small network, especially when
you're talking about professional sports and then even the NFL,
and you know, being from Las Vegas, this is my home.
So I want, you know, to make sure that the
Raiders are represented well, that we're doing the right things
(07:05):
in the community. But being a black woman in this role,
there's just been so many women, I mean, I'm at
collegiate level, at amateur level and in professional levels and
different leagues that have said, you know, we've been waiting
for this moment, and I do think me being somewhat
of an outsider obviously to the space because you know,
Nevada has never really had professional sports before twenty seventeen,
you know, really didn't understand the impact that this position
(07:27):
and my appointment to this position would have. So I,
you know, take this, you know, obviously, very seriously. I
take leading a team regardless, you know, if it's the
Raiders or anything else that I've done, very very seriously.
But for this team and what it stands for, it's tremendous,
rich history. And making sure that we're representing our team well,
making sure that I'm representing the team well, and I'm
representing you know, our community and.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Our culture well is incredibly important.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
But it's you know, it hopefully shows, you know, people
of all different backgrounds that anyone regardless that they look like,
is able to lead if given the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
You and I finally had the chance to connect super
Bowl week, and I believe the first thing that I
said to you was that I'm proud of you. I
want to say that to you again now. Ramses and
myself are very very proud of you. The work that
you're doing the position that you're in because we understand
that for you, that was not an easy path to
tread and for you to get to where you are,
(08:20):
you really had to excel and be better than your
colleagues at almost every step. So you know, kudos from us.
You know, you got a support system here if you
ever need it. During the season this year, in an
interim position, all of your leadership was black. I think
your GM, your head coach, and yourself and Antonio Pierce
(08:42):
has since become the full time head coach for the Raiders.
Talk to us a little bit about that moment and
how that felt.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
It was incredible, and you know, when you're going through that,
especially having that change mid season, so many plates are spending,
you know, at the same time. And it was great
when we were walking out to the game and we
beat the Giants and it was pre game and you know,
there's so much stuff going on. We have, you know,
people on the field, we have different corporate activations we
have to make obviously, coaches getting ready and focused on
(09:10):
the team. Champ Antonio Champ Kelly being there as well,
and it was for I mean, you see the photos,
but that was about not even thirty seconds I want
to say, fifteen seconds of photo. And we obviously we
knew when you know, everything kind of happened around October thirty.
October thirty first, I mean we've known each other before then,
you know, but for that moment, in that seconds, right
(09:33):
on that field, it was like, oh, that's when it
kind of I think hit you a little bit, but
you know, an incredibly proud time. Both of those men
are truly truly talented, experienced, smart capable leaders, and I'm
incredibly proud of both of them, and to be even
to be with them during that moment is something I
definitely treasure and we'll never forget, and you know, definitely
(09:53):
want to support ap on this journey. I think Entirerater
Nation wants too as well. You've seen the energy and
the passion that he brings. There's definitely an excitement you
know in the building about you know, actually going back
to our I shouldn't say going back to the roots,
but just educating people on what it means to be
a Raider and for me personally being again from Las Vegas,
not and having the Raiders move here.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Unfortunately during the pandemic, you know, we're still newer to.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
This market, so I'm really excited for him and not
only what he's going to do on the field, but
helping us off the field on you know, understanding and
growing people's love and growing our fan base for the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We are here today with the President of the Las
Vegas Raiders, Sandra Douglas Morgan. Okay, so I want to
share a little bit with you about my experience. Q
invited me out to Allegiance Stadium in Vegas, and you know,
(10:54):
I used to go to Vegas all the time. You know,
I'm a DJ. I'm an old DJ, So I used
to go out there and DJ up and down the
Strip plan Hollywood and Rio and all those places, right,
And then I went out to participate in the Raiders
Den event that Q was putting on with Numia Duncan Reed,
who's also been on this show as well, and I
(11:18):
got a chance to like take Vegas in and asking,
as someone who grew up there, talk to us, well,
just talk to us a bit about the city of
Las Vegas becoming a prime destination for sports as well
as entertainment, because I've seen now there's these stadiums everywhere
and this new energy that is in the city and
(11:41):
being someone that grew up there and obviously being able
to transition into perhaps the most significant role out there.
You know, talk to us a bit about what it's
like seeing the city evolve in that way.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Well, first of all, let me thank you both for
participating in the raiders Den.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
I mean, that is what we are trying to do
in this commune, right, You're bringing the community to the stadium,
you know, giving people access to the stadium who may
not have that access on a Saturday, on a Sunday
during a game, and giving them the opportunity to pitch
ideas and kind of bringing out that entrepreneurial spirit which
you know, our community traditionally just hasn't had access to, right,
being able to kind of create your own, your own niche,
(12:20):
your own wealth, and not happening to be reliant on others.
So kudos to both of you, and I really thank
you guys for participating in that.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
I'm just proud of the community.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Again, and I grew up here, so obviously I'm biased,
but what you've seen is, you know, when I was
growing up here about four hundred thousand people and now
we're about two point three two point four million.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
It's an incredible city.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
I think of opportunity, right, you can come here, you
can come here, make a good living and be able
to ride for your family. We have still relatively good
cost of living obviously that's increasing everywhere, a low tax space.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I sound like I'm pitching the statement.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Jo as to why people are coming here, right, yea,
you know they have access they can have access to,
you know, a good stable education, a good job, and
be able to revive for their family. Ten percent of
residents of Nevada, definitely Southern Nevada just moved here.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Within the last couple of years. That's incredible, right.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
And when you look at yes, gaming is a dominant,
dominant factor in an industry in the state, but there's
so many leaders that have been here for decades that
understand the importance of diversifying that economy because gaming is
not just slot machines and table games, although we have
plenty of those here, and that's want people to have
a good time. The non gaming revenue has exceeded gaming
(13:32):
revenue even within the casinos for well over a decade.
So things like hospitality, dining, shows, entertainment, different experiences, so
Vegas has grown, you know for that, and I think
depth there was a huge focus on that late nineties
kind of two thousands, and then in this last you know,
almost decade, maybe seven or so years, so you've seen
(13:52):
the you know, really true explosion of sports with the
Golden Nights coming here and you know, them getting the
Stanley Cup within the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
First four years.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
You have the WNBA back to back champions of the
Las Vegas Aces, who are kind of our neighbors down
the street, and you've just seen a growth in that.
The thrill though I haven't had a chance to go
there yet, but it's the Volleyball League obviously, Las Vegas Lights,
Mine ear League Soccer, Minor League baseball, and the Aviators
that have been here for a while. And I think
it shows that, you know, Las Vegas is wanting to
(14:20):
become a well rounded not just community, but economy as well.
And I think that's the excitement of it all. You know,
we have forty million visitors. That's different from any other place.
But we have to be able to know that this
community of two million that is growing, you know, can
sustain you know, the growth that we're having, and so
far it's it's been great.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
You know, you have impact in spaces where you don't
even realize. Sandra, there's a young lady who used to
volunteer here in the city with us for hashtag lunch Bag.
She helped us feed hundreds of thousands of people over
a ten year span.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
She is now the top.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
High school female basketball player in the country, and you
are one of her heroes. So I wanted to pass
that on to you and follow that up with the question,
if you had to pick a single piece of advice
or just it doesn't have to be a single piece,
but just some advice for young women like her who
look up to you. What would that advice be.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
That self you have to be confident.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And I know that people say this a lot, but
self doubt can be your own worst enemy.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Are just a state of the world.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Unfortunately, we have certain things stacked against us, and we
have certain challenges that we're going to face that we
could try to articulate in words, and people will just
never understand. You're going to have enough of those challenges
around you that you don't have any control over. So
what we can do is control ourselves, our mind and
have confidence in ourselfs and we really really need to
focus on that. I think it's definitely more of a
(15:53):
struggle for women and young girls, just because of the
things that are constantly being pushed at social and different
things like that. But I would say to be confident
and just know that self doubt can be a greater
enemy than any extra force or person that we face.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
You know what, I've been listening to you talk, and
this is even more exciting than I thought it was
going to be. You know, we talked to exciting people
quite a bit. Very fortunate to be able to do that,
but rarely do we get people who are as inspiring
(16:29):
and and as accomplished and in such a meaningful way.
I say that to say that for the entirety of
this conversation, I think my ears perked up when you
said that you graduated college in nineteen ninety nine, and
I'm like, I don't know how you pulled that off
as a twelve year old or whatever it was. You know,
(16:50):
I got.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Prodigy. I graduated college five years old. It was incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well that's that, clearly, that's what happened. But I don't
imagine that you are anywhere close to being done. So
for the people that already know about you, and for
our listeners who are maybe just getting familiar with everything
that you've done and everything that you're doing, the people
(17:16):
that you are just now inspiring. What is it that
we all can look forward to that is next for you?
Are you working on a book? Are you wanting to
grow in this way, that way, elevate? You know, tell
us what's next for you.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
You know, I'm focused on being a Raid honestly right now,
I'm going I'm entering into my third season.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
You know, I think we.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Always need to develop and grow professionally and personally, and
so I'm focused on you know, I have a thirteen
year old and a seventeen year old teenagers, love them exact,
Hey that's going on. I want to make sure that
I'm supporting them and that their cup is full, and
that I'm you know, trying to reinforce positivity and things
and making sure that you know that you know, my
(17:58):
husband and I are raising you know, good kind you
know individual So that's always going to be my my
goal personally and professionally. You know, every year, even though
I'm going to say, hey, I'm the president, I want
the team to be the best we have to constantly
look and adapt and see how factors are things are changing.
And you know, I focus a lot internally on the
first season, making sure I got to know the people
in this organization, what it stood for, what we've meant,
(18:20):
the history in Oakland, the history in Los Angeles, and
so now it's about having and you know, motivating obviously
this our team here to go out and hit every
single space, not just a Nevada but obviously internationally, and
making sure we're representing the Raiders in this in this
very strong international brand in the best way because that
will then you know, translate and help our football team
kind of get you know, obviously the best players and
(18:42):
being able to support them as well.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
So that's what I'm focused on.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
I really want to focus on the here and now,
and I do think when you do that and you
give your best effort, that things later will will present themselves.
And that's how I've operated, you know, I mean, you
definitely want to look ahead, and there's definitely a lot
of goals and things that I that I want to
strive to. But I think if you're do well and
treat people well in the position you're in now, that's
what's going to open doors for you in the future.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
I think that is a fantastic response. So let's let's
lean into that just a bit more before we let
you go. For folks that want to, you know, tap in,
maybe watch your story unfold, are their website, social media,
anything like that that we can provide for our listeners
so that they can bear witness to this amazing journey
(19:25):
that you're on.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
You know, Ram, this is a thing that's a challenge
for me. I'm a pretty private person.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I have my Instagram is private. I have a SDM
raiders one that's my that's my ex and my Instagram handle. Okay,
and uh, you know, I guess raiders dot com as well.
But I'm still transitioning into being If you look at
all the positions I've had before this, it was pretty
you know, more behind the scenes. But I do try
(19:52):
to keep what's private private, and I know that, you know,
some of that's going to be out of my control,
but you know, talking to you and talking to you know,
different organizations and things like that, I'm always going to
want to give back. I do think it's important obviously
to be present and inspire people, not just in Las Vegas,
but anywhere that I can.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
But I don't have like a I don't post a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
That's okay, that's all right.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Look, so you're not going to get a woe by
whoa my day, but I try to give snipitary doubt there.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Okay, that's that.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I'm sure that that's plenty. I know that there are
a lot of young women and girls that have been
really invested in the conversations that we've been having this month,
and you know, for the people that really are inspired
and really feel like their future looks could now look
like your present. You know, people like you tend to
(20:42):
lead pretty big footprints and they're not always left on
Instagram dot com. And so you don't have to worry
about whether or not you post a lot. I think
the headlines speak volumes, and if you keep doing what
you're doing, I think you are lifting us all up
and we couldn't be more proud of you. I'd like
to thank you for taking the time to come on
today's show and talk with me. Obviously, you and Q
(21:02):
know each other, but this is a very special moment
for me and all of us here at the Black
Information Network, So again, thank you very much. For that
once again. Today's guest is the president of the Las
Vegas Raiders NFL football team, Sandra Douglas Morgan.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host,
Ramse's Jaw on all social media and join us tomorrow
as we share our news with our voice from our
(21:43):
perspective right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
The name Sandra Douglas Morgan has long been a familiar
one in the state of Nevada. In the past, she
has served as chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
As the chief regulator for Nevada's dominant billion dollar gaming industry,
Sandra led the passage and implementation of cashlest wagering regulations,
ensured that gaming licenses adopted policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment,
(00:24):
and led a team of four hundred employees in five
cities across the state of Nevada. Sandra also served as
commissioner on the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was the
first black city attorney in the state of Nevada when
she was the chief legal officer for the City of
North Las Vegas. As if this wasn't enough, Sandra was
(00:44):
named president of the Las Vegas Raiders by owner Mark
Davis in July of twenty twenty two, making her the
first black female president in NFL history. And she is
our guest today. This is the Black Information Network Daily
Podcast and I'm your host, ramseys Jah and.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I get to be the special guest host today and
my name is q War.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Indeed, thank you so much Q, by the way for
setting this up. This is obviously very timely and very
meaningful for Women's History Month, and obviously, Sandra Douglas Morgan,
thank you so much for being on our show today.
It is a joy to even hold this time and
space with you.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Thank you for having me rams this and Q, thanks
for the invitation. Yeah, it's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Absolutely, I appreciate you saying that. So what we do
around here is we start all of our stories at
the beginning. So do us a bit of a favor.
I know we touched on it a bit, but give
us a bit about your background, the real background. You know,
where you grew up, what influenced you. Just you know,
whatever you're feel comfortable and goes as long and short
as you want, but we want to know the story
(01:54):
of what led you to this conversation today.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, you know, I don't.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
It wasn't a something that I could say was planned
or strategic or I had a goal of being an
NFL president. That definitely wasn't the case. I'm definitely a
child of Las Vegas. I grew up here, ended up
my family ended up here because my father retired at
Nellis Air Force Base, My mother worked in different kind
of casinos, some on the strip, some off the strip
(02:19):
when I was growing up, and a lot of people
in the area that I grew up in, which is
the East side of Las Vegas, so shout out to
the east Side, you know, had a parent in the
military and had you know, another parent in the gaming industry.
It was not uncommon for that, especially when I was
growing up in the in the early eighties, so you know,
grew up there hard working parents definitely strussed the importance
of education. My mom was my mom is Koreat American
(02:41):
first generation and definitely said if you're not you know,
don't focus on your education, you know, won't have the
opportunities and experiences that you want to have. But they
never made us feel like we were without and we weren't.
You know, we were definitely working.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Class, but definitely felt like the love and had everything
we needed.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
So fast forward, I went to school and middle school,
high school on the east Side. Knew I wanted didn't
want to stay in town. I knew I wanted to
go somewhere and ended up getting a scholarship the University
of Nevada right now and just loans weren't even something
that was part of.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Our our vocabulary.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
I mean, I knew I was applying to different schools,
but I just I definitely was impressed upon us to
get a scholarship.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
My sistant went to Colorado State.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
I went to you and R and thought I was
going to end up in California honestly for law school,
because there wasn't an accredited law school here in Nevada
when I was an undergrad. So I finished undergrad in
nineteen ninety nine, and at that time there was actually
a bill passed to get state funding for a law school.
But I thought, I don't want to go to a
new law school because if I go to a new
law school and I graduate from there, I'll end up
(03:42):
having to practice in the state of Nevada. Until the
law school is accredited, you're limited to practicing law in
that state. And lo and behold, unlv did actually worked
wonders and became accredited within three years. So I was
in the third graduating class of the law school. By
the time I applied, they were provisionally accredited, and so
I knew it was a little bit of a safety
net that, Okay, even if I finished law school here,
(04:04):
I could still go practice anywhere I wanted to go.
And you know, I say in Nevada is home because
I was educated on both sides of the state and
I never left, you know. When I came back here,
I went to law school at UNLV, ended up getting
a job at a firm, went in house at MGM,
which was an incredibly proud moment, I think, not just
for myself just being kind of the first lawyer in
my family, but for my mother. My mother worked you know,
(04:26):
hourly different jobs at different casinos, and for now her
daughter to actually be able to give legal advice to
one of the largest gaming corporations was definitely a proud moment.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And went to the public sector.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
After that, went to the City of North Las Vegas,
went to AT and T, then was appointed to the
Athletic Commission, which governs mixed martial arts and boxing. Was
later appointed to the Gaming Commission and then became chair
of the Gaming Control Board during you know, really critical
time I think for the gaming industry.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
One we were.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
The only state for so long, or with a major state,
that actually had sports betting. So when I was a commissioner,
that's when the Supreme Court passed a repealed pass, but
it's a law that basically limited professional sports and amateur
sports kind of gambling to different only to Nevada and
really Montana, small slice of it.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
And so once that.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Law was repealed, states were allowed to pass their own
sports betting statutes. And obviously you've seen the surge of
that over the last goodness what four to five years.
And so I was a commissioner during that time and
then was the chair of the Game to Control Board. Unfortunately,
during the pandemic, which was definitely a trying time, I
know for many of us. With Nevada having an unemployment
(05:40):
rate over thirty five percent, it was definitely difficult for
Nevadams as well.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So I was lucky enough to come to Las Vegas
last summer participated in a program called raiders Den where
we worked with some high school kids at Allegiance Stadium,
and the name that I heard the most was yours
before we even had a chance to meet, because everyone
wanted to press upon me how important that type of
work was to you. So on, on the back of
(06:06):
Black History Month and now Women's History Month, talk to
us about the significance of being the first black female
president of an NFL team.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
You know, I know it's important.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I mean, I will tell you I have said this
publicly and privately to my friends.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
You know, I knew that.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
I don't think I knew the gravity of it. I mean,
and I say this in the most ways. I don't
think the first is a success story. What success is
not being a last? Right, So I knew I was
the first. I figured it would get some attention, and
I thought I'd go back to work and was admittedly
very surprised and just a little bit shocked about the
(06:44):
amount of attention. But it also made me realize that
there are so many women, so many people right of
different backgrounds that just want some visibility when it comes
to sports because it is a small network, especially when
you're talking about professional sports and then even the NFL,
and you know, being from Las Vegas, this is my home.
So I want, you know, to make sure that the
Raiders are represented well, that we're doing the right things
(07:05):
in the community. But being a black woman in this role,
there's just been so many women, I mean, I'm at
collegiate level, at amateur level and in professional levels and
different leagues that have said, you know, we've been waiting
for this moment, and I do think me being somewhat
of an outsider obviously to the space because you know,
Nevada has never really had professional sports before twenty seventeen,
you know, really didn't understand the impact that this position
(07:27):
and my appointment to this position would have. So I,
you know, take this, you know, obviously, very seriously. I
take leading a team regardless, you know, if it's the
Raiders or anything else that I've done, very very seriously.
But for this team and what it stands for, it's tremendous,
rich history. And making sure that we're representing our team well,
making sure that I'm representing the team well, and I'm
representing you know, our community and.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Our culture well is incredibly important.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
But it's you know, it hopefully shows, you know, people
of all different backgrounds that anyone regardless that they look like,
is able to lead if given the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
You and I finally had the chance to connect super
Bowl week, and I believe the first thing that I
said to you was that I'm proud of you. I
want to say that to you again now. Ramses and
myself are very very proud of you. The work that
you're doing the position that you're in because we understand
that for you, that was not an easy path to
tread and for you to get to where you are,
(08:20):
you really had to excel and be better than your
colleagues at almost every step. So you know, kudos from us.
You know, you got a support system here if you
ever need it. During the season this year, in an
interim position, all of your leadership was black. I think
your GM, your head coach, and yourself and Antonio Pierce
(08:42):
has since become the full time head coach for the Raiders.
Talk to us a little bit about that moment and
how that felt.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
It was incredible, and you know, when you're going through that,
especially having that change mid season, so many plates are spending,
you know, at the same time. And it was great
when we were walking out to the game and we
beat the Giants and it was pre game and you know,
there's so much stuff going on. We have, you know,
people on the field, we have different corporate activations we
have to make obviously, coaches getting ready and focused on
(09:10):
the team. Champ Antonio Champ Kelly being there as well,
and it was for I mean, you see the photos,
but that was about not even thirty seconds I want
to say, fifteen seconds of photo. And we obviously we
knew when you know, everything kind of happened around October thirty.
October thirty first, I mean we've known each other before then,
you know, but for that moment, in that seconds, right
(09:33):
on that field, it was like, oh, that's when it
kind of I think hit you a little bit, but
you know, an incredibly proud time. Both of those men
are truly truly talented, experienced, smart capable leaders, and I'm
incredibly proud of both of them, and to be even
to be with them during that moment is something I
definitely treasure and we'll never forget, and you know, definitely
(09:53):
want to support ap on this journey. I think Entirerater
Nation wants too as well. You've seen the energy and
the passion that he brings. There's definitely an excitement you
know in the building about you know, actually going back
to our I shouldn't say going back to the roots,
but just educating people on what it means to be
a Raider and for me personally being again from Las Vegas,
not and having the Raiders move here.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Unfortunately during the pandemic, you know, we're still newer to.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
This market, so I'm really excited for him and not
only what he's going to do on the field, but
helping us off the field on you know, understanding and
growing people's love and growing our fan base for the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We are here today with the President of the Las
Vegas Raiders, Sandra Douglas Morgan. Okay, so I want to
share a little bit with you about my experience. Q
invited me out to Allegiance Stadium in Vegas, and you know,
(10:54):
I used to go to Vegas all the time. You know,
I'm a DJ. I'm an old DJ, So I used
to go out there and DJ up and down the
Strip plan Hollywood and Rio and all those places, right,
And then I went out to participate in the Raiders
Den event that Q was putting on with Numia Duncan Reed,
who's also been on this show as well, and I
(11:18):
got a chance to like take Vegas in and asking,
as someone who grew up there, talk to us, well,
just talk to us a bit about the city of
Las Vegas becoming a prime destination for sports as well
as entertainment, because I've seen now there's these stadiums everywhere
and this new energy that is in the city and
(11:41):
being someone that grew up there and obviously being able
to transition into perhaps the most significant role out there.
You know, talk to us a bit about what it's
like seeing the city evolve in that way.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Well, first of all, let me thank you both for
participating in the raiders Den.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
I mean, that is what we are trying to do
in this commune, right, You're bringing the community to the stadium,
you know, giving people access to the stadium who may
not have that access on a Saturday, on a Sunday
during a game, and giving them the opportunity to pitch
ideas and kind of bringing out that entrepreneurial spirit which
you know, our community traditionally just hasn't had access to, right,
being able to kind of create your own, your own niche,
(12:20):
your own wealth, and not happening to be reliant on others.
So kudos to both of you, and I really thank
you guys for participating in that.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
I'm just proud of the community.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Again, and I grew up here, so obviously I'm biased,
but what you've seen is, you know, when I was
growing up here about four hundred thousand people and now
we're about two point three two point four million.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
It's an incredible city.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
I think of opportunity, right, you can come here, you
can come here, make a good living and be able
to ride for your family. We have still relatively good
cost of living obviously that's increasing everywhere, a low tax space.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I sound like I'm pitching the statement.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
I'm not.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Jo as to why people are coming here, right, yea,
you know they have access they can have access to,
you know, a good stable education, a good job, and
be able to revive for their family. Ten percent of
residents of Nevada, definitely Southern Nevada just moved here.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Within the last couple of years. That's incredible, right.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
And when you look at yes, gaming is a dominant,
dominant factor in an industry in the state, but there's
so many leaders that have been here for decades that
understand the importance of diversifying that economy because gaming is
not just slot machines and table games, although we have
plenty of those here, and that's want people to have
a good time. The non gaming revenue has exceeded gaming
(13:32):
revenue even within the casinos for well over a decade.
So things like hospitality, dining, shows, entertainment, different experiences, so
Vegas has grown, you know for that, and I think
depth there was a huge focus on that late nineties
kind of two thousands, and then in this last you know,
almost decade, maybe seven or so years, so you've seen
(13:52):
the you know, really true explosion of sports with the
Golden Nights coming here and you know, them getting the
Stanley Cup within the.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
First four years.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
You have the WNBA back to back champions of the
Las Vegas Aces, who are kind of our neighbors down
the street, and you've just seen a growth in that.
The thrill though I haven't had a chance to go
there yet, but it's the Volleyball League obviously, Las Vegas Lights,
Mine ear League Soccer, Minor League baseball, and the Aviators
that have been here for a while. And I think
it shows that, you know, Las Vegas is wanting to
(14:20):
become a well rounded not just community, but economy as well.
And I think that's the excitement of it all. You know,
we have forty million visitors. That's different from any other place.
But we have to be able to know that this
community of two million that is growing, you know, can
sustain you know, the growth that we're having, and so
far it's it's been great.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
You know, you have impact in spaces where you don't
even realize. Sandra, there's a young lady who used to
volunteer here in the city with us for hashtag lunch Bag.
She helped us feed hundreds of thousands of people over
a ten year span.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
She is now the top.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
High school female basketball player in the country, and you
are one of her heroes. So I wanted to pass
that on to you and follow that up with the question,
if you had to pick a single piece of advice
or just it doesn't have to be a single piece,
but just some advice for young women like her who
look up to you. What would that advice be.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
That self you have to be confident.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And I know that people say this a lot, but
self doubt can be your own worst enemy.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Are just a state of the world.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Unfortunately, we have certain things stacked against us, and we
have certain challenges that we're going to face that we
could try to articulate in words, and people will just
never understand. You're going to have enough of those challenges
around you that you don't have any control over. So
what we can do is control ourselves, our mind and
have confidence in ourselfs and we really really need to
focus on that. I think it's definitely more of a
(15:53):
struggle for women and young girls, just because of the
things that are constantly being pushed at social and different
things like that. But I would say to be confident
and just know that self doubt can be a greater
enemy than any extra force or person that we face.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
You know what, I've been listening to you talk, and
this is even more exciting than I thought it was
going to be. You know, we talked to exciting people
quite a bit. Very fortunate to be able to do that,
but rarely do we get people who are as inspiring
(16:29):
and and as accomplished and in such a meaningful way.
I say that to say that for the entirety of
this conversation, I think my ears perked up when you
said that you graduated college in nineteen ninety nine, and
I'm like, I don't know how you pulled that off
as a twelve year old or whatever it was. You know,
(16:50):
I got.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Prodigy. I graduated college five years old. It was incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well that's that, clearly, that's what happened. But I don't
imagine that you are anywhere close to being done. So
for the people that already know about you, and for
our listeners who are maybe just getting familiar with everything
that you've done and everything that you're doing, the people
(17:16):
that you are just now inspiring. What is it that
we all can look forward to that is next for you?
Are you working on a book? Are you wanting to
grow in this way, that way, elevate? You know, tell
us what's next for you.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
You know, I'm focused on being a Raid honestly right now,
I'm going I'm entering into my third season.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
You know, I think we.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Always need to develop and grow professionally and personally, and
so I'm focused on you know, I have a thirteen
year old and a seventeen year old teenagers, love them exact,
Hey that's going on. I want to make sure that
I'm supporting them and that their cup is full, and
that I'm you know, trying to reinforce positivity and things
and making sure that you know that you know, my
(17:58):
husband and I are raising you know, good kind you
know individual So that's always going to be my my
goal personally and professionally. You know, every year, even though
I'm going to say, hey, I'm the president, I want
the team to be the best we have to constantly
look and adapt and see how factors are things are changing.
And you know, I focus a lot internally on the
first season, making sure I got to know the people
in this organization, what it stood for, what we've meant,
(18:20):
the history in Oakland, the history in Los Angeles, and
so now it's about having and you know, motivating obviously
this our team here to go out and hit every
single space, not just a Nevada but obviously internationally, and
making sure we're representing the Raiders in this in this
very strong international brand in the best way because that
will then you know, translate and help our football team
kind of get you know, obviously the best players and
(18:42):
being able to support them as well.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
So that's what I'm focused on.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
I really want to focus on the here and now,
and I do think when you do that and you
give your best effort, that things later will will present themselves.
And that's how I've operated, you know, I mean, you
definitely want to look ahead, and there's definitely a lot
of goals and things that I that I want to
strive to. But I think if you're do well and
treat people well in the position you're in now, that's
what's going to open doors for you in the future.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
I think that is a fantastic response. So let's let's
lean into that just a bit more before we let
you go. For folks that want to, you know, tap in,
maybe watch your story unfold, are their website, social media,
anything like that that we can provide for our listeners
so that they can bear witness to this amazing journey
(19:25):
that you're on.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
You know, Ram, this is a thing that's a challenge
for me. I'm a pretty private person.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
I have my Instagram is private. I have a SDM
raiders one that's my that's my ex and my Instagram handle. Okay,
and uh, you know, I guess raiders dot com as well.
But I'm still transitioning into being If you look at
all the positions I've had before this, it was pretty
you know, more behind the scenes. But I do try
(19:52):
to keep what's private private, and I know that, you know,
some of that's going to be out of my control,
but you know, talking to you and talking to you know,
different organizations and things like that, I'm always going to
want to give back. I do think it's important obviously
to be present and inspire people, not just in Las Vegas,
but anywhere that I can.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
But I don't have like a I don't post a lot.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
That's okay, that's all right.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
Look, so you're not going to get a woe by
whoa my day, but I try to give snipitary doubt there.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Okay, that's that.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I'm sure that that's plenty. I know that there are
a lot of young women and girls that have been
really invested in the conversations that we've been having this month,
and you know, for the people that really are inspired
and really feel like their future looks could now look
like your present. You know, people like you tend to
(20:42):
lead pretty big footprints and they're not always left on
Instagram dot com. And so you don't have to worry
about whether or not you post a lot. I think
the headlines speak volumes, and if you keep doing what
you're doing, I think you are lifting us all up
and we couldn't be more proud of you. I'd like
to thank you for taking the time to come on
today's show and talk with me. Obviously, you and Q
(21:02):
know each other, but this is a very special moment
for me and all of us here at the Black
Information Network, So again, thank you very much. For that
once again. Today's guest is the president of the Las
Vegas Raiders NFL football team, Sandra Douglas Morgan.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host,
Ramse's Jaw on all social media and join us tomorrow
as we share our news with our voice from our
(21:43):
perspective right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
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