The likelihood that the Oakland Raiders are destined to anywhere but Oakland in the near future is a reality that is all too near.
There are many deal makers or breakers in the mix and Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf continues to be seen as a potential deal breakers as she continues to stand strong in her position that the possibility of a newly developed stadium in her town will not be predicated on using taxpayer money as a means to an end. Oakland Raiders’ owner Mark Davis continues to repeat that his top priority is to remain albeit he does need financial help to realize his top preference.
Davis has funding in place including some help from the NFL but the shortfall- half the total required- has been projected at anywhere between $350 and $400 million. The reality is that the light at the end of that tunnel is nowhere to be seen.
The city of Oakland and Alameda County have dug their feet in and appear to be willing to let the team go which is an about-face to earlier, on the record, statements that they would “fight like hell” to keep them.
This posturing and back and forth between the Raider Organization and the multitude of Bay Area entities has been part of the negotiation landscape for years. Davis is at the point where enough is enough and its time, and rightfully so, to seriously entertain other very enticing deals that would take his Raiders elsewhere.
On of the tougher questions to answer is where exactly the league truly stands on the situation.. in a recent article the other owners have seemingly decided the day has come to reveal their petty, childish, and vindictive side.
One looming deal includes a stadium built in Carson, California. In this scenario the Raiders and Chargers would together own and share the property. As an interesting side note a feature of the Carson stadium would be a “tower” structure reaching a 115-120 foot tall surrounded in glass that would be tweaked with a team-specific theme depending on who’s playing at the time. There has been some talk of a lightning bolt show and a large flame of honor to represent the Chargers and Raiders respectively.
Some sources say that Mark Davis has decided to relent on a tower with a flame- said to be an honor to his late father- because, “many in the league… were not pleased” with it.
This appears to be on example of a group of owners overtly chipping away at Mark Davis and getting him to make more concessions in light of his unwillingness to do an Oakland Stadium deal. They seem to almost revel in holding Davis’ fate inn their hands, are at least heavily influencing his options.
Al Davis and his son are two different people in two very different places in time. But is th Son destined to harbinger the sins of the father. Is there so much built-up animosity carried over by current owners- who ran the league alongside the Elder Davis- seeking retribution in the son?
Al Davis, by some accounts, achieved a lot more for the league than many of these seemingly cantankerous owners that still remain today. Very early on Al Davis was instrumental in merging the AFL with the NFL. Little known to many fans he was a strong outward supporter of civil rights and was known to insist his team would not travel to any opposing team’s city where local hotels enforced any type of segregation. He also hired the league’s first black coach and the league’s first female CEO.
It’s hard to point a finger with any evidentiary type proof that would hold up in a say a court of law but as we know the proof is many times in the pudding. It would appear to many that a good chunk of owners may indeed be continually helping themselves to second serving.
There are many deal makers or breakers in the mix and Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf continues to be seen as a potential deal breakers as she continues to stand strong in her position that the possibility of a newly developed stadium in her town will not be predicated on using taxpayer money as a means to an end. Oakland Raiders’ owner Mark Davis continues to repeat that his top priority is to remain albeit he does need financial help to realize his top preference.
Davis has funding in place including some help from the NFL but the shortfall- half the total required- has been projected at anywhere between $350 and $400 million. The reality is that the light at the end of that tunnel is nowhere to be seen.
The city of Oakland and Alameda County have dug their feet in and appear to be willing to let the team go which is an about-face to earlier, on the record, statements that they would “fight like hell” to keep them.
This posturing and back and forth between the Raider Organization and the multitude of Bay Area entities has been part of the negotiation landscape for years. Davis is at the point where enough is enough and its time, and rightfully so, to seriously entertain other very enticing deals that would take his Raiders elsewhere.
On of the tougher questions to answer is where exactly the league truly stands on the situation.. in a recent article the other owners have seemingly decided the day has come to reveal their petty, childish, and vindictive side.
One looming deal includes a stadium built in Carson, California. In this scenario the Raiders and Chargers would together own and share the property. As an interesting side note a feature of the Carson stadium would be a “tower” structure reaching a 115-120 foot tall surrounded in glass that would be tweaked with a team-specific theme depending on who’s playing at the time. There has been some talk of a lightning bolt show and a large flame of honor to represent the Chargers and Raiders respectively.
Some sources say that Mark Davis has decided to relent on a tower with a flame- said to be an honor to his late father- because, “many in the league… were not pleased” with it.
This appears to be on example of a group of owners overtly chipping away at Mark Davis and getting him to make more concessions in light of his unwillingness to do an Oakland Stadium deal. They seem to almost revel in holding Davis’ fate inn their hands, are at least heavily influencing his options.
Al Davis and his son are two different people in two very different places in time. But is th Son destined to harbinger the sins of the father. Is there so much built-up animosity carried over by current owners- who ran the league alongside the Elder Davis- seeking retribution in the son?
Al Davis, by some accounts, achieved a lot more for the league than many of these seemingly cantankerous owners that still remain today. Very early on Al Davis was instrumental in merging the AFL with the NFL. Little known to many fans he was a strong outward supporter of civil rights and was known to insist his team would not travel to any opposing team’s city where local hotels enforced any type of segregation. He also hired the league’s first black coach and the league’s first female CEO.
It’s hard to point a finger with any evidentiary type proof that would hold up in a say a court of law but as we know the proof is many times in the pudding. It would appear to many that a good chunk of owners may indeed be continually helping themselves to second serving.