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