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December 16, 2008

Goodell starts Raiders stadium ball rolling

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Sunday that he's working on a "long-term" plan to help the Oakland Raiders get a new stadium:

"It's clear, and I think everyone accepts it, that something has to get done here with a new stadium at some point. And I've had a chance to talk to some of the leadership here about how we can help in that process. ... If you look at where our stadium situation is, San Diego is trying to address a stadium situation, San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders. So collectively, we have to try to address these matters on a statewide level as well in our local communities."

Goodell also added that having the Raiders share a new stadium with the San Francisco 49ers, a la the New York Jets and Giants, would be (duh) "complicated."

No details, in other words, which means we're still at the trial-balloon phase of any Raiders stadium push. Still, it makes you wonder: If the Raiders are going to get their own stadium, why can't the A's just stay put at the Coliseum and knock down Mount Davis once the Raiders are gone?

COMMENTS

Why can't the A's stay at the Coliseum? Because the Raiders will never get a new stadium. Al Davis doesn't have the money or collateral to finance a billion dollar NFL stadium on his own and no city in the Bay Area will fund such an endeavor during good times let alone the current financial apocalypse. Particularly when Oakland is STILL paying for Mount Davis. The Raiders will either resign a new lease to be in the Coliseum for the foreseeable future or will get themselves shipped into that new stadium in LA before the Niners do.

Posted by Dan on December 16, 2008 01:04 PM

Al Davis will be dead within the next few years, and his heirs will not want to be part of this dirty business. They will sell the Raiders to Red McCombs, who will move the Raiders to San Antonio to play in the Alamodome for a few to several years with the club being renamed the San Antonio Sombreros or the San Antonio Troopers. And taxpayers in the San Antonio region with the help of Texas state government will help finance another new Texas Taj Mahal that is on a par with the new retractable domed stadiums in both Houston and Dallas. Think of it as infrastructure stimulus for the folks in Alamo country...

Posted by George on December 16, 2008 09:24 PM

Would the NFL allow the Raiders to move to San Antonio?

Since the NFL is such a television oriented league, it's hard to imagine them moving a team out of the 6th largest (or even 20th if you want to consider Sacramento) to go to #37 San Antonio.

http://www.lostremote.com/2007/08/23/new-nielsen-dma-rankings-released/

Posted by Jonathan on December 17, 2008 09:57 AM

While the Raiders are in the 6th biggest market, if I'm not mistaken they also have one of, if not the highest blackout rates in the NFL over the last 15 years. And they often have to buy their own seats to avoid games that aren't blacked out. And that was happening when the team was good, lately it's been worse.

Posted by Dan on December 17, 2008 01:30 PM

I don't know what to say except that the Raiders will likely be in either Las Vegas or Utah as soon as the final whistle is blown in this year's pro bowl. In the Al Davis point of view, something has to be done now and moving the team is the only way to do it.

Posted by Jessy S. on December 18, 2008 02:46 AM

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