Stay in oakland
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The NFL is reportedly taking a stand against the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas.
According to NFL Network's Steve Wyche, the league's owners want to keep the Raiders in Oakland. This stands in direct opposition to the work team owner Mark Davis has done with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and state lawmakers to get a stadium deal done in Las Vegas.
Wyche explains the case for Oakland, via NFL.com:
League studies have lent more attractiveness to the Bay Area because of market size and long-term financial stability, per a source. The issue is to come up with the funding for a new stadium in Oakland. Davis and city leaders seem at an impasse, but a person I have spoken with said the NFL is still trying to find ways to figure out how to keep the Raiders in Oakland. There are far more ways to monetize the NFL in the super-wealthy Bay Area than in Vegas, the source said.
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Mark Davis observed the NFL choose two teams to repopulate Los Angeles over his, and as a result, the Oakland Raiders will be blazing a more unique relocation trail in a few years.
However, the infamous owner is not over the allure of the Los Angeles market. He made an off-the-board pick regarding the recently branded “Fight for L.A.” skirmish that’s been embraced by the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
“You know, it’s kind of funny,” Davis said, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. “They’re talking about the fight for Los Angeles. And Raiders fans have been telling me we already won that fight, And that the Rams and Chargers are fighting for the No. 2 and 3 spots.”
While Davis’ remarks are interesting due to the NFL choosing both aforementioned teams ahead of his in the L.A. derby, he has a point. The Raiders became immensely popular in Los Angeles during their 13-season run, and the silver and black often competed heavily with blue and gold for color supremacy in the stands in San Diego during the rivals’ AFC West encounters down south.
The Raiders are the only team to win a Super Bowl out of L.A., dominating Super Bowl XVIII, while the Rams didn’t win until moving to St. Louis. The Chargers played in Los Angeles for exactly one year, 1960, before moving south and staying for over 50 years. So, Davis’ franchise still has a legitimate claim to the territory. And when the Raiders venture to Las Vegas, they will be competing for southern California-based fans.
“A good portion have come from Los Angeles and Southern California,” Davis said of fans who have made season-ticket deposits for Las Vegas Raiders games. “Without stepping on any toes, we’re going to market ourselves in Los Angeles area. And San Diego. We’re reaching out to Raider Nation in Southern California. It’s strong there.”Comment -
“They’re talking about 20,000 people coming into town on weekends to see the Raiders play. I think they’re getting more interest from out of town than in town.” — Michael Gaughan, owner of the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
Sports columnist Vinny Bonsignore had a great piece in last Sunday’s paper about the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas in 2020 and team owner Mark Davis saying a good portion of the season ticket deposits so far are coming from Los Angeles — 280 miles away.
That’s a 41/2 hour drive one way for a home game. You want to talk about fan loyalty?Comment -
I imagine most are thinking of it as a 50 buck plane ride rather than a 4 hour drive.Originally posted by Mr KLC
But they are right about out of towners liking it more than locals. Being able to see an NFL game and/or an NHL game is a big extra drawcard as a foreign tourist..Comment -
At this moment, no one knows where the Raiders will be playing in 2019. San Diego has been widely suggested as a temporary landing spot until everything is set in Las Vegas, but as of Tuesday, the Raiders have yet to engage in talks with city authorities.
“Our office has not been in communication with the Raiders,” Craig Gustafson, spokesman for the San Diego mayor told Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter).
Last month, we heard that there is still a possibility of the Raiders playing in Oakland this year. Of course, with lawsuits and ugliness involved, nothing can be said for certain.
Mark Davis previously expressed little interest in sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, but the league could push that pairing if it winds up being the most logical solution. Given Santa Clara, California’s relative proximity to the Raiders’ fan base and the quality of the stadium, it’s not hard to imagine Roger Goodell advocating for that scenario.Comment
