In an exclusive sit-down with Sharí Nycole for Black Women In Sports, Sandra Douglass Morgan outlines how she became President of the Las Vegas Raiders and what bringing Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas has meant for the city and surrounding communities.
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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]