The Raiders, as expected, have filed for permission to move to Las Vegas. The team’s current home, as expected, has issued a statement cloaked in political cover.
“It’s no surprise that the Raiders have filed for relocation,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said, via Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal. “Oakland welcomes the chance to show them and the NFL’s other owners why Oakland is the only home for the Raiders and always will be. Our winning team of the Lott Group, the County and my colleagues on the Oakland City Council has accomplished so much in the last few months. We’ve identified the mechanisms to responsibly finance public infrastructure improvements, we have in the Lott Group a private partner prepared to finance stadium construction, and we have an entitled site for a world-class NFL stadium and new development that enhances fan experience while invigorating East Oakland’s economy.
“But this isn’t all Oakland has to offer. Oakland’s Raiders stadium will be on the most transit-accessible site in the nation, in the sixth largest television market, and in one of the wealthiest and most innovative regions in the world. But above all else, Oakland has something no other city ever will -- a die-hard fan base that is loyal and true to the Raiders and wants to see them stay here in Oakland where they were founded. Only Oakland brings the Raiders and the NFL a competitive stadium proposal, along with legacy and loyalty.
“I look forward to the League giving our team a chance to compete.”
The problem is that Raiders owner Mark Davis has no desire to permit a competition to occur. And there currently aren’t, and likely won’t be, enough owners willing to block the move.
Oakland surely knows this. But they need to create the impression that they did all they could to keep the Raiders, even if there’s no way Oakland will ever be able to do enough.