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Doubt it they just needed a lovable loser franchise that would make it believable.
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Oakland will choose the Raiders over the A's.
Oakland will choose the Raiders over the A's.
as much as I hope you're right, if it came down to choosing the A's or the Raiders I don't see how the town cannot pick the A's since they simply play WAY more home games.
There's really not a scenario where the city would have to make a choice between the two.
It's just not an either-or type of deal for the city. Both franchises are tremendous assets and losing either would be a huge loss. The city wont be putting up serious capital for a new stadium regardless and land isn't an issue either so it's not like their's only enough $ or available space to build a stadium for one team, and a choice has to be made between the two. The only people with choices to make are Mark and Lew Wolff.What makes you say that?There's really not a scenario where the city would have to make a choice between the two.
"Early reports (that were never validated) stated that the Raiders would prefer that the new stadium be built exactly where the current one sits now. Of course, that would cause a little bit of an issue if the A's are still at the current site. Truth of the matter is, is that the new stadium would actually be built in Parking Lot B, parallel to where the current Coliseum sits. Technically, the current Coliseum could still be in use while the new stadium for the Raiders is constructed.
Behind-the-scenes, the A's have quietly conceded that they will never be able to build a new ballpark in SJ, and that there options will be one of the two sites (Howard Terminal or part of CC) offered by the City of Oakland. The Warriors on the other hand are being stubborn. Every road block imaginable has been put in their path to try and build an arena in S.F., and the amount of $$$ that they are spending to get nowhere is astounding. Their lease to play at Oracle Arena runs through 2017, and they are already speaking to the JPA (Joint Powers Authority) about the need to extend it. When all is said and done, it really appears if Oakland could easily retain all of its teams by default. We'll see how it all plays out. "
MARK DAVIS
The Raiders’ owner is the most guileless human being in this entire narrative. His motivation is simple. He is honest about exactly what he wants: A new stadium for his NFL team, built on the current Coliseum footprint. The Raiders would play elsewhere (probably the 49ers’ new Levis Stadium) while the new Raider facility is constructed. Davis has told Oakland officials he is not open to the idea of constructing a stadium or baseball park on one of the Coliseum parking lots because that would eliminate too many parking spaces. Davis wants fans to keep their sacred tailgate areas. (While still paying those costly parking fees.)
Of course, if Oakland would find a way to put together a new stadium on the current Coliseum footprint, that would necessitate demolition of the current stadium – and leave the A’s no place to play. That’s a problem. So is the fact that any realistic football stadium proposal leaves a funding gap of up to $500 million, as cited by Oakland city administrator Fred Blackwell. The theory is that such a gap could be covered by profits from construction of mixed-use buildings on the Coliseum property by a third-party developer – the so-called “Coliseum City” project. But in return, that developer might also want an ownership chunk of the Raiders, which Davis is loathe to surrender.
Unlike 49ers owner Jed York (or Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones), Davis does not want to drive his own stadium train by organizing the project up front and then checking off all the steps to see it through. He wants others to bring him a completed plan for a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Davis has set a deadline of mid-summer for Oakland to tell him whether a football stadium project is viable. If there’s no definitive answer by then, which is likely, does that mean he’ll start talking about a franchise move back to Los Angeles? Why wouldn’t he?