00:00 Now, when many people think about Las Vegas,
00:02 they probably envision that busy strip right behind me,
00:05 but what they may not envision or know
00:07 is the fact that Las Vegas has become
00:08 one of the biggest sports towns in the world.
00:11 How, you ask?
00:12 Well, the Las Vegas Raiders,
00:13 the NHL champs Golden Knights,
00:15 and, of course, the two-time WNBA champs,
00:18 the Las Vegas Aces.
00:19 Now, I had a chance to also speak
00:20 to one of the history makers here
00:22 for the Las Vegas Raiders, Sandra Douglas Morgan,
00:24 who's the first black female president of an NFL team.
00:28 We talked about her historic run
00:29 and so much more.
00:30 Take a look.
00:31 First of all, thank you for this sit-down
00:33 because the Super Bowl is literally days away,
00:36 and you took the time to sit here with me
00:38 and talk all about all things yourself
00:40 and also the big game that's coming up,
00:41 so I really appreciate it.
00:42 - Well, thank you for having me.
00:43 Look, it's an honor to be here with you
00:45 and to even do anything to support Essence.
00:47 That was, you know, obviously something,
00:49 a publication that I read and leaned on
00:52 throughout my whole life,
00:53 so it's an honor to be here with you.
00:54 - So the Raiders are the first team in NFL history
00:57 to have a black president, black GM, black head coach.
01:01 - Mm-hmm.
01:02 - For you, how does it feel?
01:04 Because I would imagine that on one end,
01:05 this is incredible, but on the other end,
01:07 it says that there's so much work
01:08 that still needs to be done.
01:10 So with that duality in mind,
01:11 how do you process being a part of black history
01:13 in this way?
01:14 - You know, it's interesting.
01:15 This is such a fast-paced world,
01:16 and when I was appointed as president,
01:19 I really underestimated the impact that it would have,
01:21 and now that I've been able to meet more people
01:23 in the sports industry, I'm realizing,
01:24 yes, there needs to be greater visibility
01:26 for women in football.
01:27 And then you have our coach, Antonio Pierce,
01:29 who we affectionately call AP.
01:31 And, you know, he has such an incredible career as well,
01:34 you know, winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants,
01:36 being a captain there, moving on in coaching
01:38 in just different ranks, and now being our head coach.
01:40 It's an incredible journey.
01:41 And then we had our interim general manager, Champ Kelly,
01:44 a man of deep faith, just really wants to make sure
01:47 that everyone's cup is full around him
01:49 and is so skilled and has an incredible career
01:52 as an evaluator and as a leader as well.
01:55 And when that moment happened, because, you know,
01:57 they were both appointed interim about midseason,
02:00 and the game day is so hectic, everyone's running out,
02:03 and when the three of us actually stood on the field
02:05 and took that photo, it was really a time for all of us,
02:07 even though it was for a short period of time,
02:09 less than a minute, to kind of pause
02:11 and really be able to just soak in the moment.
02:13 And so obviously, you know, things change
02:15 and people move on and the game has to be played,
02:17 but I was really appreciative to have, you know,
02:19 that time of the three of us together.
02:21 - Yeah, for sure.
02:22 What's also interesting is, and I want to think
02:24 about women who may be watching this
02:26 who may not be sports fans or enthusiasts at all
02:28 who are sitting here saying, okay,
02:30 did you just say she's the president
02:32 of the Las Vegas Raiders?
02:33 And they may be asking themselves,
02:35 how in the world did this happen?
02:37 - So I've been a lawyer for 20 years.
02:39 That's my background.
02:40 I have moved on and became a regulator.
02:42 I was a city attorney.
02:43 I've been in both the public and private sector.
02:45 And before joining the Raiders, I was at a firm,
02:47 but I also led--I was the chairwoman
02:49 of the Nevada Gaming Control Board,
02:51 and that was an incredible experience
02:52 and really had to push through the pandemic
02:55 and that leadership experience.
02:56 And that's why I always tell people,
02:57 you never know who you're going to meet and when,
02:59 and you never know--you have to really focus
03:02 on the skills that you're building
03:03 throughout your career.
03:04 So right now, as president of the Raiders,
03:06 I'm over making sure that our team is generating revenue
03:10 and that we're growing our fan base.
03:11 And so that includes everything
03:12 from corporate sponsorships to sales
03:14 to making sure the stadium is running
03:16 at maximum capacity with concerts
03:18 and other special events and private events.
03:21 And then we have regular business functions
03:23 such as finance, HR, IT, you know,
03:26 just making sure that the building is running.
03:28 Work closely, obviously, with our coach
03:30 and general manager.
03:31 They're responsible for football operations,
03:33 but making sure we're doing everything we can
03:35 to support them so we can have them
03:37 a winning product on the field.
03:38 - When we think about black women in the sports spaces,
03:40 not even as athletes necessarily, but like yourself,
03:42 at the executive level, lawyers and things of that sort,
03:45 what should they kind of brace themselves
03:47 in terms of challenges to be able to face
03:50 and then ultimately overcome?
03:51 - You know what I do find challenging
03:56 that I would just kind of convey to others
03:58 is that we really have to talk about each other
04:00 and support each other.
04:01 And I know that sounds very general,
04:03 but for example, you know, we have to be able
04:06 to work hard and put ourselves in positions
04:08 that we're gonna be on hiring panels,
04:09 that we're gonna be in positions
04:10 where we can recommend each other.
04:12 And doing it in a way that is inclusive
04:14 and know that it's not about just saying,
04:16 "Oh, this is only one seat at the table
04:17 "and we have to fight for it."
04:18 No, we're gonna add additional chairs in, right?
04:20 We talk about trailblazing.
04:21 We're gonna make this road wider so more people can join.
04:24 I'm so proud of our leadership team.
04:26 You know, half of our team is women at the Raiders
04:29 and half of them are people of color.
04:31 And, you know, we have talked about the fact
04:34 that unfortunately now when you talk about D&I,
04:37 it can have a negative connotation
04:38 and people assume, "Oh, they got that just because they are,"
04:41 insert whatever here, female, black, you know, LGBTQ,
04:45 when in fact it's the opposite.
04:46 You know, in order to even get to this point,
04:48 we usually had to work twice if not three times as hard
04:51 to get there and have been vetted
04:53 more times than anyone else in order to get that role
04:56 because there's that concern about that fit.
04:58 So I genuinely think supporting each other,
05:00 speaking about each other with intention and positivity
05:03 is something that I encourage everyone to do.
05:06 - Yeah, I'm really curious too.
05:07 Are there footsteps that you saw walked before you
05:11 that you desired to walk in or someone who was
05:15 a really great example for you in a template
05:17 for how you move now?
05:18 And also, what would you like your footsteps to be
05:20 for the next generation of women, black women,
05:23 coming behind you in this space?
05:26 - There is a woman.
05:27 Her name is Rose McKinney-James.
05:29 She is incredible.
05:31 She's actually on the board of directors of MGM Resorts,
05:35 ran for lieutenant governor in the state of Nevada
05:37 in the '90s, and I remember seeing her
05:39 when I was an intern at the legislature,
05:41 and I remember seeing her.
05:42 I was one of a handful of interns of color
05:44 and I saw this woman with an incredible presence
05:46 that was just navigating that building
05:48 like anyone I've ever seen,
05:49 and I could see when she walked into a room
05:51 that people knew that she was there.
05:53 And so even though I didn't have a direct relationship
05:55 with her those first 10 years, I just saw her
05:57 and watched her and thought, okay,
05:59 I don't know exactly what she does,
06:01 but I know that's what I want.
06:03 And later, we were able to connect
06:05 when I became city attorney, and she had been
06:06 in the public sector and private sector as well,
06:08 and she said, "You know, I see you
06:09 "and you're always listening,"
06:10 and we were able to establish a relationship.
06:12 Now, I was probably too fearful at the time
06:14 to talk to her, but now I consider her a dear friend.
06:17 As far as my footsteps, you know,
06:20 my career has definitely taken some twists and turns,
06:24 and I hope it just encourages people to go for it.
06:27 You know, I grew up, my parents are incredible,
06:28 working class, focused on getting an education,
06:31 getting a job, buy a house, and, you know,
06:33 just be stable, which is incredible.
06:37 And if it wasn't for them instilling these
06:40 kind of values in me, I wouldn't have been here.
06:43 But what I don't think we do, sometimes,
06:45 even as a community, is you're looking for safety
06:47 and stability, which is incredibly important,
06:49 but you have to know how to take risks every now and then.
06:52 I love people that have an entrepreneur spirit.
06:56 If it was something that I wish I could have done younger,
06:58 I would have, being able to kind of just have control
07:00 of your own destiny, and so I just encourage people
07:03 to have as many options as possible.
07:05 So I hope my footsteps will encourage people to say,
07:07 "You know what, I want to try so many different things
07:09 that if somebody wants to try to take something away from me,
07:12 I have multiple other options,
07:14 and I'm in control of my own destiny."
07:15 Well, I definitely think they'll see that,
07:17 and I want to ask you this.
07:18 When did you first fall in love with sports?
07:20 Where were you? What sport was it?
07:22 What did it feel like?
07:24 I was actually telling this story earlier
07:25 about when I was like, "Okay, football, what is this?"
07:28 And it was around '86, I think, when the Icky Shuffle came out.
07:31 I don't know if anybody remembers this,
07:32 but that, and then just the excitement around it,
07:35 and the game, and my dad being excited,
07:37 and us kind of talking about it,
07:38 and me and my sister kind of practicing it
07:39 on the linoleum in our kitchen.
07:41 But, you know, the competitiveness,
07:43 kind of competitive nature, and just the dedication
07:46 that athletes put into their craft every day
07:48 is something that I've always been, you know,
07:50 really attracted to.
07:51 When I could see what Sundays looked like
07:54 in those places where there were games,
07:56 and I didn't realize that until I was in my 20s
07:58 when I was able to go to a game,
08:00 and I realized that was something
08:01 that was missing here in Las Vegas.
08:02 So now to be here, and to have my children
08:04 be able to go to games and seeing these experiences,
08:06 and honestly, children all throughout
08:08 Las Vegas' community, it's something that,
08:10 you know, you never know what's lacking
08:12 until sometimes you receive it,
08:14 and it's right in front of your face.
08:15 So for the Raiders to move here to Las Vegas,
08:17 and to have Allegiant Stadium,
08:18 and to have it be available as a place
08:20 where people can congregate, and love,
08:21 and enjoy, and celebrate the Raiders on Sunday
08:24 is something that's great for our community.
08:26 - Well, I'll continue to pull for you,
08:28 and the Raiders.
08:29 Thank you so much for the opportunity,
08:30 and just continued success to you.
08:32 Job well done.
08:33 - I appreciate you.
08:34 Go Raiders.
08:35 (laughs)
08:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments