Where would the Raiders go?

I doubt the NFL wants to cannibalize the Houston market, but San Antonio would knock down the Alamodome and build another stadium there on the spot if they knew someone wanted to bring an NFL team there. SA and LV seem like the most obvious cities in the states to get a look after Los Angeles.

If the NFL wants to expand to different countries, which I find unnecessary, they should theoretically start with Canada and Mexico, but as someone said, Mexico is a violent mess right now, as great an opportunity as Mexico City might otherwise be. In terms of Canada, Toronto, Vancouver, and a Quebec team in Montreal or Quebec City all seem like decent options if the NFL decides to barge right on in and shove the CFL out of the way.

Smelly McUgly":ko1t8atp said:

I doubt the NFL wants to cannibalize the Houston market, but San Antonio would knock down the Alamodome and build another stadium there on the spot if they knew someone wanted to bring an NFL team there. SA and LV seem like the most obvious cities in the states to get a look after Los Angeles.

If the NFL wants to expand to different countries, which I find unnecessary, they should theoretically start with Canada and Mexico, but as someone said, Mexico is a violent mess right now, as great an opportunity as Mexico City might otherwise be. In terms of Canada, Toronto, Vancouver, and a Quebec team in Montreal or Quebec City all seem like decent options if the NFL decides to barge right on in and shove the CFL out of the way.

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The NFL would have some tricky business to negotiate if they put a team in Las Vegas. State law there prohibits betting on any in state team. It's also a very small market, one of the smallest in the nation. I know that San Antonio wants a football team very badly, and they were one of the places rumored to be a landing spot for the Saints prior to Hurricane Katrina and the re-commitment of the NFL to the Big Easy. But you're right, the league, especially Jerry Jones, would not want to dice up the Texas market.

IMO 32 teams is just about perfect. You'd have to expand all the way to 36 or 40 teams if you wanted to get to an optimum number and still keep in equitable for scheduling and playoff formatting. With the exception of LA, they have all the major markets covered. All this talk about expanding internationally is driven almost entirely by greed. NFL Europe failed miserably, yet the owners are insistent in their claim that people in that part of the world are hungry for American football. It's a curiosity with those folks over there, not bred into them by participation in the high schools and colleges like we have here in the States. No way will they buy all the hats and jerseys in the qualities we do, or watch games to the tune of 9-12 hours a week like we do.

Send the Cardinals back to St. Louis.

Send the Rams back to Los Angeles.

Send the Jaguars to Arizona.

Keep the Raiders in Oakland.

NINEster":wo1y7pjb said:

Send the Cardinals back to St. Louis.

Send the Rams back to Los Angeles.

Send the Jaguars to Arizona.

Keep the Raiders in Oakland.

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I agree..Never understood why the Cards/Rams left their cities to begin with but then again didn't the Cards come from Chicago before St.Louis?Imagine if they went back..Bears would lose half their fans lol..

I'd rather the Cards stay in Phoenix because it's closer to Seattle, unless they were to move the Jags to the NFC West. Otherwise, I'd be happy with that.

Believe me, The Raiders would do well here in L.A. People still wear Raider shit and plaster it all over the place.

Phoenix is not a football town. They don't have the hard core fans that grew up loving their team like we do and like fan bases in places like Denver and Green Bay. As one friend of mine put it, in Phoenix everybody is from somewhere else. But I don't see them moving anytime soon. Bidwell got what he wanted in the form of a top rate stadium.

St. Louis could very well end up back in LA. Their owner bought up enough prime real estate in So Cal in case he can't come to terms with St. Louis's pols.

Largent80":28013nle said:

Believe me, The Raiders would do well here in L.A. People still wear Raider shit and plaster it all over the place.

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Raiders should've never left, LA loved that team.

TriCHawk":22bdygw3 said:

Maybe they can work out a deal to share that new stadium in Santa Clara?

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Levis Stadium was actually built with 2 home locker rooms (3 total) in order to host a second home team. The 49ers have approached the Raiders on it on several occasions but Tommy Boy (Mark Davis) isn't interested. My take? Major inferiority complex.

He may even have to sell the team because when his mother dies he'll owe more inheritance tax than he can afford to pay. All Davis was never an extremely rich man.

The smartest play would probably be for them to play at Levis on an interim basis, which is why I think he won't do that and end up in the sewage ridden Coliseum for a few more decades.

Marvin49":1bxiy5id said:

TriCHawk":1bxiy5id said:

Maybe they can work out a deal to share that new stadium in Santa Clara?

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Levis Stadium was actually built with 2 home locker rooms (3 total) in order to host a second home team. The 49ers have approached the Raiders on it on several occasions but Tommy Boy (Mark Davis) isn't interested. My take? Major inferiority complex.

He may even have to sell the team because when his mother dies he'll owe more inheritance tax than he can afford to pay. All Davis was never an extremely rich man.

The smartest play would probably be for them to play at Levis on an interim basis, which is why I think he won't do that and end up in the sewage ridden Coliseum for a few more decades.

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The Raiders are going to go somewhere. They are leasing the Oakland Mausoleum on a year-to-year basis and Davis has been quoted recently as saying he's getting impatient with Oakland officials, but they're having trouble with financing as it just isn't penciling out for them. Last thing I read indicated that there was a $500M shortfall of what had to be made up from private financing. There isn't as much money in the Oakland slums as there is in the south bay. But the Chargers might beat them to LA as they, too, are leasing their digs on a year-to-year basis.

The team I can't figure out is the Chargers. With San Diego's year round weather climate and various other attractions, a Jerry Jones-style stadium would attract Super Bowls, Final Fours, College NC games, NYD bowl games. If an NFL quality stadium can't be justified in that location, with a team already in place, I can't see how it could be justified anywhere else in the country.

RiverDog":3taafv0s said:

Marvin49":3taafv0s said:

TriCHawk":3taafv0s said:

Maybe they can work out a deal to share that new stadium in Santa Clara?

Click to expand...

Levis Stadium was actually built with 2 home locker rooms (3 total) in order to host a second home team. The 49ers have approached the Raiders on it on several occasions but Tommy Boy (Mark Davis) isn't interested. My take? Major inferiority complex.

He may even have to sell the team because when his mother dies he'll owe more inheritance tax than he can afford to pay. All Davis was never an extremely rich man.

The smartest play would probably be for them to play at Levis on an interim basis, which is why I think he won't do that and end up in the sewage ridden Coliseum for a few more decades.

Click to expand...

The Raiders are going to go somewhere. They are leasing the Oakland Mausoleum on a year-to-year basis and Davis has been quoted recently as saying he's getting impatient with Oakland officials, but they're having trouble with financing as it just isn't penciling out for them. Last thing I read indicated that there was a $500M shortfall of what had to be made up from private financing. There isn't as much money in the Oakland slums as there is in the south bay. But the Chargers might beat them to LA as they, too, are leasing their digs on a year-to-year basis.

The team I can't figure out is the Chargers. With San Diego's year round weather climate and various other attractions, a Jerry Jones-style stadium would attract Super Bowls, Final Fours, College NC games, NYD bowl games. If an NFL quality stadium can't be justified in that location, with a team already in place, I can't see how it could be justified anywhere else in the country.

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Good post and I agree - the Raiders are going somewhere, however one aspect is that Mark Davis owns only 47% of the team, so unless the minority ownership groups decide to sell, there is not much he can do if he still wants to own control of the team.

The LA Threat is an interesting one, whereas I don't believe a team will move to LA unless one of the stadium groups (Roski or Anshutz) gains control of a team. I believe the NFL likes having LA as an open market for leverage for other cities to get stadium deals. Hell, look what happened with your Seahawks in the late 1990s, and what is currently going on with San Diego, Oakland, and St Louis.

To answer the OPs question, where are they going to go? It appears they are stuck in Oakland for the time being.

RiverDog":2eae3l5o said:

Marvin49":2eae3l5o said:

TriCHawk":2eae3l5o said:

Maybe they can work out a deal to share that new stadium in Santa Clara?

Click to expand...

Levis Stadium was actually built with 2 home locker rooms (3 total) in order to host a second home team. The 49ers have approached the Raiders on it on several occasions but Tommy Boy (Mark Davis) isn't interested. My take? Major inferiority complex.

He may even have to sell the team because when his mother dies he'll owe more inheritance tax than he can afford to pay. All Davis was never an extremely rich man.

The smartest play would probably be for them to play at Levis on an interim basis, which is why I think he won't do that and end up in the sewage ridden Coliseum for a few more decades.

Click to expand...

The Raiders are going to go somewhere. They are leasing the Oakland Mausoleum on a year-to-year basis and Davis has been quoted recently as saying he's getting impatient with Oakland officials, but they're having trouble with financing as it just isn't penciling out for them. Last thing I read indicated that there was a $500M shortfall of what had to be made up from private financing. There isn't as much money in the Oakland slums as there is in the south bay. But the Chargers might beat them to LA as they, too, are leasing their digs on a year-to-year basis.

The team I can't figure out is the Chargers. With San Diego's year round weather climate and various other attractions, a Jerry Jones-style stadium would attract Super Bowls, Final Fours, College NC games, NYD bowl games. If an NFL quality stadium can't be justified in that location, with a team already in place, I can't see how it could be justified anywhere else in the country.

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Yes, but its really an empty threat. He has nowhere to go.

As for SD, all I can say is that Levis Stadium is something of a miracle. Its nearly impossible to get a stadium built in California. Levis is the first pro football stadium built here in nearly 50 years. Theres a reason for that. I think Tommy Boy needs to get over his ego and look into sharing Levis on an interim basis. I say that as Niner fan who DOES NOT want the Raiders in that building, but its the only thing that makes sense...which is why he won't do it.

RiverDog":1cbkbpfe said:

IMO once the league gets one, perhaps two teams into the LA area, they'll start looking to expand internationally. We of all people should not wish to have a franchise in Portland because it hurts Seattle as it cuts into our market. The league would be creating two small markets out of one mid sized one.

Same goes for Orlando. Florida already has an over saturated market with 3 teams in the state. CFB and NASCAR compete with the NFL like no other area of the country. The new stadium in Orlando doesn't hardly look to be to NFL standards as the price tag, less than $250M when the costs of new NFL stadiums, even ones without roofs, are approaching $1B. Heck, our place, which is 12 years old, cost over $400M.

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RiverDog, I think you missed what was actually said about the Orlando Stadium. No one is proposing it would be the new home of the Raiders. The Stadium renovation (really, a re-construction) intends to be a possibility to offer a neutral site location for Pre-Season games only. If you watch Pre-Season, notice the empty stands. The idea of pre-season games in select neutral sites might not be such a bad idea. So, no need to state a case against. I actually posted the whole thing somewhat as a joke. But, they really are renovating (reconstructing) that old stadium for specific purposes. By next year, it will host 3 college bowl games among the expanded use plans. (It was also the stadium used in the filming of "The Water Boy." So, there you go ... it would be futile to suggest it's not up to standards. )

Marvin49":3hne8k3e said:

Yes, but its really an empty threat. He has nowhere to go.

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Could they re-construct Alcatraz into a Football Venue?

TeamoftheCentury":11q0o7dy said:

Could they re-construct Alcatraz into a Football Venue?

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Not to derail making fun of 'em, but I think having an NFL stadium on Alcatraz would actually be pretty damned awesome.

RolandDeschain":7tbca9cq said:

TeamoftheCentury":7tbca9cq said:

Could they re-construct Alcatraz into a Football Venue?

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Not to derail making fun of 'em, but I think having an NFL stadium on Alcatraz would actually be pretty damned awesome.

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The transportation and logistics would be a nightmare though. :sarcasm_on: I do think as some point the Rams will move back to Los Angeles .

MizzouHawkGal":t8l29n69 said:

RolandDeschain":t8l29n69 said:

TeamoftheCentury":t8l29n69 said:

Could they re-construct Alcatraz into a Football Venue?

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Not to derail making fun of 'em, but I think having an NFL stadium on Alcatraz would actually be pretty damned awesome.

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The transportation and logistics would be a nightmare though. :sarcasm_on: I do think as some point the Rams will move back to Los Angeles .

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Keep in mind their fans would be eligible for a one-way ticket.

RolandDeschain":2gz5ed28 said:

TeamoftheCentury":2gz5ed28 said:

Could they re-construct Alcatraz into a Football Venue?

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Not to derail making fun of 'em, but I think having an NFL stadium on Alcatraz would actually be pretty damned awesome.

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:229031_cheers:

TeamoftheCentury":1rgdh1wa said:

RiverDog, I think you missed what was actually said about the Orlando Stadium. No one is proposing it would be the new home of the Raiders. The Stadium renovation (really, a re-construction) intends to be a possibility to offer a neutral site location for Pre-Season games only. If you watch Pre-Season, notice the empty stands. The idea of pre-season games in select neutral sites might not be such a bad idea. So, no need to state a case against. I actually posted the whole thing somewhat as a joke. But, they really are renovating (reconstructing) that old stadium for specific purposes. By next year, it will host 3 college bowl games among the expanded use plans. (It was also the stadium used in the filming of "The Water Boy." So, there you go ... it would be futile to suggest it's not up to standards. )

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You see a lot of empty seats, but in most cases, those are seats that the team has already fleeced the fans for. Season tickets come with the requirement that they buy those seats for the two home preseason games. It's one of the reasons I dropped my season tickets 20 years ago, because I couldn't give away those preseason game tickets. Selling 60,000 seats at a neutral stadium without the benefit of the season ticket holder's requirement to buy at lest 3/4 of them would be a monumental challenge for any area, let alone the Orlando-Tampa area where there are a thousand places to spend your money other than go watch a glorified football scrimmage.

candyman4881":3i2tubeo said:

Good post and I agree - the Raiders are going somewhere, however one aspect is that Mark Davis owns only 47% of the team, so unless the minority ownership groups decide to sell, there is not much he can do if he still wants to own control of the team.

The LA Threat is an interesting one, whereas I don't believe a team will move to LA unless one of the stadium groups (Roski or Anshutz) gains control of a team. I believe the NFL likes having LA as an open market for leverage for other cities to get stadium deals. Hell, look what happened with your Seahawks in the late 1990s, and what is currently going on with San Diego, Oakland, and St Louis.

To answer the OPs question, where are they going to go? It appears they are stuck in Oakland for the time being.

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Very true. LA has been used as a threat for the past two plus decades, and indeed, it was the biggest single reason for the passage of the referendum that built our venue back in the mid 90's. Minnesota was the most recent victim of the league's use of the LA hammer. It's a lot more viable threat than moving to Portland.

But the league will return to LA some day, whether it be the Raiders, the Chargers, the Rams, or some other team. It's amazing that they've gone this long without a team.