Sending a selfie off into the internet void can do many things. But if you’re taking a selfie at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, it can send alcoholic beverages delivered directly to your seat (it confirms you’re above 21).
Though implemented by the Raiders’ previous president Dan Ventrelle, the ability to order concessions from your phone in the stadium is one of the features that Las Vegas Raiders’ president Sandra Douglass Morgan, the first and only Black president in the NFL, touts in her campaign to help attract young, diverse, female fans to the NFL.
“Everyone wants to be on their phones. And so when we go to the stadium, being able to get your food, your beer, your drink—and being able to do it normally [on your phone] is something that we really embrace in a stadium,” she said on a panel at Coins2Day’s 2023 Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit on Tuesday.
While a selfie that converts to a Bud Light delivery may seem gimmicky, the NFL’s issue with declining fandom is real. Losing a little bit less than 1 million fans from 2021 to 2022, the NFL is clearly not resonating with new populations.
This is what Douglass Morgan, who became the Raiders’ president in February, is hoping to change. “When we grew up, maybe our parents had a team,” says the Raiders’ president, who is now 45 years old. “Now, how are we marketing to our younger consumers?”
Douglass Morgan cites collaborating with the organization’s partners, marketing, and digitization as the keys to new and bigger fandoms.
It’s likely that Douglass Morgan’s outership in the NFL—as the NFL’s only female Black president—and insidership as a lifelong Las Vegas resident helps her attract a diverse audience while appealing to the Raiders’ core fandom. Douglass Morgan attended the University of Nevada before she got her law degree from William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Las Vegas. Following these academic jaunts, she worked in litigation for the Mirage casino, before becoming North Las Vegas’ city attorney and before chairing the Nevada Gaming Control Board, per CNBC.
The decision to lead the Raiders was a “no-brainer,” she said, adding that she didn’t realize the “gravity” of her impact until taking the role and meeting so many different women in sports and entertainment. It’s been her mission since starting to push for a more inclusive sport.
“I want to go out and make sure I make my team, I make my family proud, and that’s what I focus on every day,” she said.
