N/S Raiders Officially Change Name To Las Vegas Raiders (1 Viewer)

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Oakland made a vague, long-term promise to Al Davis about a new, football-only stadium to lure him back in 1995 after he originally moved to L.A. in 1982. Some long-time Raiders fans and Oakland residents will probably admit the city played hard ball not coming across as negotiating in good faith to renew Raiders original lease in 1980, and treating the Raiders like a second-class tenant compared to the A's. (Similar mindset cost Baltimore and city of New York the Colts and Jets to other cities and states a few years later). Oakland has always carried a bit of an inferiority complex in terms of viewing itself as a rough, historically working-class city juxtaposed to glitz, glamour, larger, cosmopolitian, New Age-ish San Francisco. I mean in terms of knowledge, overall level of intelligence in its range, scope, Oakland residents have to be some of the smartest, most informed communities in this country. If one is acutely aware of Oakland's history regarding social issues, political issues over the past 50-60 years, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

But, like most West Coast cities, the overall mood for publicly-funded/subsidized stadiums is very negative, thermonuclear negative. Even 100% privately-funded stadiums have their enormous share of political infighting, squabbling. The Golden State Warriors didn't even bother to request to city or county leaders, or administrators, for a mostly, if not wholly-privately funded new arena, they surveyed a new site in SF several years ago, built it and relocated there to play starting this season in downtown SF area.

My own take is perhaps Oakland city or Alamedia County leaders probably meant well in their promise to build Al a new stadium over two and half decades ago, but didn't have a realistic working plan then and instead hoped for the best that new city and civic leaders would come along and eventually find a reasonable accommodation.

Except that never happened and likely a good chunk of any remaining hope, promise to find a solution for a new stadium or even share Levis Stadium with 49ers in Santa Clara ended when Al Davis passed away in 2011. Al didn't like the concept of sharing Levis Stadium with 49ers, but the last 1-2 years of his life, according to several close Raiders executives, he wasn't disliking as much the more the plans supporters explained to him the benefits. If 49ers had been willing to accept the Raiders as equal partners in revenue-sharing, or perhaps %60-40%, or 55-45% split, I think Al Davis would've agreed it was best chance at a new stadium he was ever going to receive and acquiesced. Now, how 49ers management and ownership would've responded or behaved on their end is where any possible agreement becomes tricky. And ultimately, it doesn't work anyway, long-term.

His son, Marc, was totally and completely opposed to any such plans and once his father died and he assumed full control, these discussions were quietly ended.
 
Also think I’m going. I feel like Raiders fans aren’t going to be very well represented in that stadium, it’ll just be visiting fans (really visitors in general).

I could see our game being early and/or primetime for that reason. We travel well, and we can certainly handle ourselves in a party city.
 
TheRealJRad said:
Also think I’m going. I feel like Raiders fans aren’t going to be very well represented in that stadium, it’ll just be visiting fans (really visitors in general).

I could see our game being early and/or primetime for that reason. We travel well, and we can certainly handle ourselves in a party city.
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I think the Raiders could move anywhere out west and it’ll work. They own that region.
I can see Saints/Raiders being the opening MNF.
 
The Raiders have something of a national fan base. I don"t think tickets will be cheap. And I think the atmosphere will be as rowdy as ever.
 
Saint Jack said:
I think the Raiders could move anywhere out west and it’ll work. They own that region.
I can see Saints/Raiders being the opening MNF.
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Well I more meant it as there will be more visiting fans than normal because of the location, not because the Raiders didn’t have a following. I phrased that poorly.
 
Thanks for the backgound. It's hard to tell the city and state's tax payers a billion dollar sports project is more important other issues, especialy when the owners are billionaires.
Saintman2884 said:
Oakland made a vague, long-term promise to Al Davis about a new, football-only stadium to lure him back in 1995 after he originally moved to L.A. in 1982. Some long-time Raiders fans and Oakland residents will probably admit the city played hard ball not coming across as negotiating in good faith to renew Raiders original lease in 1980, and treating the Raiders like a second-class tenant compared to the A's. (Similar mindset cost Baltimore and city of New York the Colts and Jets to other cities and states a few years later). Oakland has always carried a bit of an inferiority complex in terms of viewing itself as a rough, historically working-class city juxtaposed to glitz, glamour, larger, cosmopolitian, New Age-ish San Francisco. I mean in terms of knowledge, overall level of intelligence in its range, scope, Oakland residents have to be some of the smartest, most informed communities in this country. If one is acutely aware of Oakland's history regarding social issues, political issues over the past 50-60 years, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

But, like most West Coast cities, the overall mood for publicly-funded/subsidized stadiums is very negative, thermonuclear negative. Even 100% privately-funded stadiums have their enormous share of political infighting, squabbling. The Golden State Warriors didn't even bother to request to city or county leaders, or administrators, for a mostly, if not wholly-privately funded new arena, they surveyed a new site in SF several years ago, built it and relocated there to play starting this season in downtown SF area.

My own take is perhaps Oakland city or Alamedia County leaders probably meant well in their promise to build Al a new stadium over two and half decades ago, but didn't have a realistic working plan then and instead hoped for the best that new city and civic leaders would come along and eventually find a reasonable accommodation.

Except that never happened and likely a good chunk of any remaining hope, promise to find a solution for a new stadium or even share Levis Stadium with 49ers in Santa Clara ended when Al Davis passed away in 2011. Al didn't like the concept of sharing Levis Stadium with 49ers, but the last 1-2 years of his life, according to several close Raiders executives, he wasn't disliking as much the more the plans supporters explained to him the benefits. If 49ers had been willing to accept the Raiders as equal partners in revenue-sharing, or perhaps %60-40%, or 55-45% split, I think Al Davis would've agreed it was best chance at a new stadium he was ever going to receive and acquiesced. Now, how 49ers management and ownership would've responded or behaved on their end is where any possible agreement becomes tricky. And ultimately, it doesn't work anyway, long-term.

His son, Marc, was totally and completely opposed to any such plans and once his father died and he assumed full control, these discussions were quietly ended.
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