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A look at the relocation of the Oakland Raiders

Roar Guru
15th December, 2014
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Tyvon Branch and the Oakland Raiders may be set for a move. (Photo: Jeffrey Beall)
Roar Guru
15th December, 2014
13
1172 Reads

It’s no secret in the NFL right now that Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis is seriously considering relocating the perennial underperformers to a new city if a stadium cannot be built in Oakland.

Davis inherited a controlling interest in the team after his father’s passing in 2011 and is concentrating his efforts on the commercial operations of the franchise after handing football operations to Reggie McKenzie.

This includes finding a new home for the Raiders after the lease at the O.co Coliseum expires at the end of the 2014 season.

The Raiders are not a successful football franchise right now and haven’t made the playoffs since 2002. This season they had the very real possibility of going 0-16 after losing their first nine games, but have since pulled off wins against Kansas City and a woeful 49ers team.

A change of scenery doesn’t mean the team will stop losing – but let’s have a look at each potential location and their chances of getting the Raiders to move there.

Los Angeles
The Raiders name is no stranger to Los Angeles with the team being located there from 1982 to 1994 after then owner Al Davis wasn’t happy with the facilities at the Coliseum in Oakland. Does that sound familiar?

LA is not a traditional football market with teams such as the Raiders and Rams failing to find success there but the city is too big not to have a professional team. Attempts to attract an NFL team to the area have been ongoing ever since both the Raiders and Rams left town in 1994 but haven’t been very successful.

The almost dead Grand Crossing plan has failed to attract a team since its launch in 2009 and the Magic Johnson backed Farmer’s Field proposal next to the Staples Center has hit a roadblock, with the City of Los Angeles wanting a new convention centre in the planned location.

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Both proposals seem to have the finances in place but won’t start construction until a team agrees to relocate to LA, a challenging goal so far.

Relocation to Los Angeles doesn’t look likely right now as there are no links to stadium projects that can break ground soon and are in the right location. Even if the Raiders agree to move there they would have to find a temporary home for at least the 2015 season.

San Antonio
San Antonio is the only one of the ‘big three’ cities in Texas without an NFL team. They have been in talks with the Raiders since July about getting the team to move there.

They have an NFL ready stadium in the Alamodome with 65,000 seats that can be used while a new stadium is built and unlike Los Angeles, Texas is a football crazy state (Friday Night Lights is a documentary right?)

While the city is certainly ready for an NFL team, it is unlikely that the Raiders will be the team that moves there. San Antonio is a much smaller market than Los Angeles and given Mark Davis is more interested in the business side of the franchise; this will no doubt be a major factor in his decision.

Oakland
Oakland is the preferred destination for the Raiders with so much of the team’s history tied in to the area. They won two Superbowls as the Oakland Raiders (along with one AFL Championship) and have been playing in the AFL or NFL there for 40 years.

The only stumbling block is the construction of a stadium in Oakland that will replace the O.co Coliseum. The preferred location of any new stadium would be on the current site but there have been complications in getting one built.

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The Oakland As also lease the O.co Coliseum and just signed a new 10-year lease, making it hard for the Raiders to knock down the existing stadium. The main proposal is for the $2billion Coliseum City project but getting all parties to agree has been difficult. The Golden State Warriors have already announced they are building their new stadium in Mission Bay.

The Raiders and A’s can still continue with the project but there haven’t been any concrete details regarding financing, development or planning so justifiably the Raiders are exploring their options.

Oklahoma City
There have been no rumours of Oklahoma City being linked to any NFL franchise but I wouldn’t put it past Clay Bennett to get an ownership group together and move an NFL team to Oklahoma City.

Lucky for the Raiders they aren’t located in Seattle.

Likely Destination
Your guess is as good as mine right now. Davis wants to stay in Oakland but the lack of progress on a new stadium doesn’t bode well for their future there.

On the other hand, a move is just as risky with Los Angeles experiencing their own problems with getting a stadium green-lit. Even the move to San Antonio wouldn’t be an upgrade straight away as the Alamodome is just as old as the O.co Coliseum and funding would need to be found for a new stadium.

I see the Raiders staying in Oakland for at least the 2015 season with the future of the franchise hinging on whether or not the City of Los Angeles really wants their convention centre to be on the proposed Farmers Field site.

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Do you want to see the Raiders stay in Oakland or are you excited for a potential NFL team in Los Angeles?

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