Comments on: Oakland struggles to afford an NFL team

By: rchapstick

rchapstick — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 19:41:44 +0000

First, everyone seems to make the mistake in assuming Mark Davis owns the team. He does not. His mother, Carol Davis, owns controlling interest the team and Mark is just the owners’ representative.

When Mrs. Davis passes, Mark is going to owe some major inheritance taxes, and as he appears to have no other sources of wealth, this could likely drive him to sell.

The two competing stadium project in LA both seem to have it as a precondition that a moving franchise must sell a significant, if not controlling, stake of the team. So a move to LA likely means a sale.

Mark’s only chance of keeping the team would appear to be to move to Santa Clara, and to leverage his future ownership stake to pay the taxes. For all we know, he may or may not be interested in owning the Raiders once his mother passes.

By: cfrylopez

cfrylopez — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:37:38 +0000

Of course I am bias, but the article really didn’t examine how much $ is made by parking, BART, the AirPort, business like the Moose Lodge makes $ during Raiders games. The AirPort Business Association wants the teams to stAy so there must be a business advantage to having the Raiders, A’s & Warriors in the area. We all know that Oakland and the Raiders used a bad business model in 1994-95 when the Raiders returned. The Raiders & Don Perta( I believe Oakland City Council President at the time) made the business model. This time Oakland hired JMI the company that did the business model & development for the Cowboys, Colts and Brooklyn Net stadiums. Oakland has the unique resource of having BART, The AirPort and Train Rail next to the stadiums and 750 acres of redevelopment land. And Oakland has always underutilized this resource. If it is done right a lot of people believe it can make the city & the teams lots of $. The article has a little anti-Oakland sentiment.
According Quan and City Administrator Deanna Santana assert that despite the city’s reputation for lofty, failed financial recovery ideas, this time they have a strong five-year plan, based on projections that reflect what the economy has done in the past, instead of projections about the future. And the city has an $83 million general fund reserve, of which $30 million is available for things like police services and roads repairs.
“Businesses, city leaders say in Oakland, economy is rebounding”
http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/12/18/businesses-city-leaders-say-in-oakland-economy-is-rebounding/
This was the first year Oakland has balanced its budget in years and probably one of the only major cities in California to balance its budget. More anti-Raider and anti-Oakland propaganda.

By: war27

war27 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:08:47 +0000

What ever happened with the rumors of the Raiders moving to San Antonio TX or even Vegas for that matter?

By: sagatti

sagatti — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:43:55 +0000

Please come back to LA so I can watch my BRONCOS spank you here at home like used to in the 80′s…..

By: peoplesrepublic0fdabayarea

peoplesrepublic0fdabayarea — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:12:54 +0000

relegate them to the CFL

By: tdk24

tdk24 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:09:44 +0000

Forcing a team to sell if it’s going to go to L.A. is complete BS. I bet if Mark wanted to move there, he could sue the NFL and win.

By: jrcthree

jrcthree — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:44:52 +0000

Here’s what I suggest: instead of going to Santa Clara, just have the 49ers play at the oCo for couple of years sharing with the Raiders while they wait to renovate the Candlestick Park. When the 49ers’s stadium is ready, have the Raiders move to the Candlestick Park while they wait for their oCo to finish their renovation project.

Then, they both have their own home.

By: bayarea510

bayarea510 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:11:25 +0000

All the Raiders need to do is put a competitive team on the field. Guess what, the Raiders sold out every game last year going 8-8. If you put a competitive team out there the fans will come. Moving to LA isn’t going to help the Raiders if they continue to suck on the field.

To be honest I wouldn’t care if the Raiders and 49ers shared. The two fan bases would never come in contact with eachother so really who cares? The Giants and Jet fans handle it just fine, so why can’t the 49ers and Raiders do it too?

By: thepragmaticcowboy

thepragmaticcowboy — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:01:00 +0000

“…the San Francisco 49ers’ forthcoming stadium in Santa Clara, which actually is roughly equidistant from the two cities, at the bottom of the Bay.”

They’re building a stadium underwater? SWEET!

By: deathspiralx

deathspiralx — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 18:43:08 +0000

Common sense says the simplest solution is to share with the 49ers.

By: cliverush

cliverush — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:53:14 +0000

The solution for keeping the team in Oakland is not public money but private equity. The amount of money in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley is greater than numerous other NFL markets. A Pirate style theme park along side the stadium could help offset cost. Going to the state with your hand out is not going to work.

By: psilenttype

psilenttype — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:26:35 +0000

Didn’t the Raiders already miss their chance to share the stadium with the Niners?

The Niners have sold a bunch of the luxury suites which means the if the raiders decide to join they’ll really be treated like step kids

By: radrntn

radrntn — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:05:47 +0000

So I guess based on your blog, what you are really saying is San Francisco could not afford top keep the 49ers. as well.

My only question is will they be called the Santa Clara 49ers or the San Jose 49ers?

By: metalhead65

metalhead65 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:00:30 +0000

nobody but florio and the league office cares about there not being a team in l.a. they had 2 chances to support a team and wouldn’t so screw screw them!

By: thejohnsmith1122

thejohnsmith1122 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:07:27 +0000

“Amid lots of financial discourse that we don’t understand is some stuff that we do. A $32 million budget deficit in 2011 was closed by laying off 200 police officers, leaving in place the annual $17.3 million contribution to the operation of the O.co Coliseum, where the Raiders and A’s play.”

This is poor argument or point. Name one NFL city that did not have to layoff or make budget cuts elsewhere. Also, I’m sure although the Raiders aren’t selling out, they’re helping bring in more than the $17.3 million the city “contributes” in taxes, sales, tourism, so in the end it’s a win for the city anyways.

NFL cities has to look at it in the long run. This team or any other team, will bring in revenue that outweighs the cost of helping them build the new stadium.

“mumakata says:
Dec 20, 2012 10:32 AM
Oakland laid off 200 cops because of money problems, but makes the payment to keep an NFL team? Nice priorities, Oakland. What’s a little crime increase when you get to keep a sub-par NFL team?”

I bet they would’ve had to lay off a few more if it wasn’t for the other millions of dollars the Raiders bring in to the city.

By: raider8er

raider8er — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:01:19 +0000

I am a fan, Bay Area native and work in the community.
Raiders, call the Niners and share the new stadium till you rebuild your own!

By: filthymcnasty1

filthymcnasty1 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:56:37 +0000

The Oakland Colosseum area is perfect for a stadium if you enjoy East St. Louis and Watts.

By: jimmymcnultysbottleofjameson

jimmymcnultysbottleofjameson — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:52:53 +0000

Even Too Short knows Oakland can’t handle this team.

By: xx4zu1

xx4zu1 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:49:37 +0000

When you are laying off lay enforcement to keep playing a game in your city something is seriously wrong with your priorities. One is a game the other is life and death, especially in a town that has a history of violent crimes.

By: phatbuddha57

phatbuddha57 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:43:40 +0000

just come back to LA please we need a team and you need a fresh start bring back the LA RAIDERS!!!!

By: mumakata

mumakata — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:32:44 +0000

Oakland laid off 200 cops because of money problems, but makes the payment to keep an NFL team? Nice priorities, Oakland. What’s a little crime increase when you get to keep a sub-par NFL team?

By: flash1283

flash1283 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:31:43 +0000

Who cares!! Its the Raiders, dismantle the team.
Then we wont have to see there typical white trash looking fans walking around in some faded out Tim Brown jersey!

By: rafterman11

rafterman11 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:27:44 +0000

Like it or not, admit it or not, the NFL not having a team in LA, one of the largest cities in the world, IS a black eye for the league.

If a regional sport like hockey can survive in LA (and even win a championship), it is ridiculous that the NFL can’t even keep a team there.

By: randyschwimmer7

randyschwimmer7 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:26:22 +0000

I don’t understand why the city of Oakland, or the NFL for that matter would bother putting the money up for a team that doesn’t sell out every week, and has not had a winning season for over 10 years. If they were selling out every home game no matter what, then I could see the profit in it for the owner and the city. Until that starts happening, they will be playing on a baseball field.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:23:08 +0000

The Oakland Coliseum is the perfect area for a stadium. Freeway access, parking, a BART line, and adequate seating. No other option in the Bay Area or L.A has the infrastructure that the current location has.

It is also a mecca to fans, even though it is a fifty year old dump. I only go to games every couple of years because they are expensive and long trips. I live in Oregon at least eight hours away from the Raiders. Every time I make my beloved trip to the Coliseum, I fall in love with the Raiders all over again when I see the mural of Canseco and McGwire on the ceiling of the Coliseum South Entrance. The first sight of the shield logo on the grass is equally breathtaking. I don’t want to lose that feeling at a new stadium. I also don’t want to lose the sheer tradition that overwhelms you in the coliseum. People forget that this is where the Raiders became the Raiders.

To me, it makes sense that the Raiders spur the historical precedent and stay in their current location. They can pool from the league’s stadium allocation ($200M) and redesign the stadium for football only, once the A’s leave. Take care of the field conditions (no more giant diamond) and maybe add some seats over the dugouts and suddenly the two biggest fan complaints are gone.

By: eatitfanboy

eatitfanboy — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:20:04 +0000

I don’t know what’s harder to believe, that people are still trotting out the “the NFL has already failed twice in LA, they’ll fail again” argument, or the amount of people that agreed with it.

All you do when you make that argument is admit that you have no clue how different the landscape of professional football is today compared to 25 years ago.

If you make a list of what is important to franchise success in 2013, a strong, rabid, local fan base is no higher than #3. #1 is market size, #2 is a state of the art stadium with hundreds of luxury suites.

If a strong local fan base is all a team needs, why are the Raiders in trouble? Don’t they have that?

By: mogogo1

mogogo1 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:15:15 +0000

The only thing crazier than LA not having a team is how year after year the talk centers on how crazy it is that LA doesn’t have a team. Yet, no expansion team ever gets placed there, nobody moves there… If it’s such a no-brainer they can support a team why don’t they have one? And isn’t LA essentially just as broke as Oakland? The whole state is bankrupt.

By: rickeydynamite25

rickeydynamite25 — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:06:03 +0000

Delaying the inevitable,, just move back to L.A. already and get it over with. Sorry Oaktown family, but it’s just a matter of time. Now I’ll just sit back and count all the thumbs down I’ll get for this comment.

By: joetoronto

joetoronto — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:05:18 +0000

Before everybody and their brothers go crazy, you have to know that Al Davis spent every penny available every year, trying to win.

It didn’t always work out, but the man tried, which is more than you can say for owners like Clark Hunt.

This is the reason the Raiders net worth has been very low for many years.

Now that it’s being run like a business, those days are gone.

By: vermonator

vermonator — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:01:10 +0000

“A return to L.A., something we’ve heard in the past the NFL won’t be inclined to allow unless and until Mark Davis sells controlling interest in the team”.

I believe that is illegal in a free market society. A business owner and/or franchise holder has the right to do business and claim headquarters anywhere he or she wants… It’s called capitalism.

Davis won a previous lawsuit against the NFL decades ago for the same thing. The only real chance for a new Raider home of their own is in LA, like it or not and the NFL has no real authority over the matter.