According to Matier & Ross, Mark Davis and the NFL held a meeting last week with East Bay pols to talk new stadium. Apparently things got off on the wrong foot when Oakland Mayor Jean Quan showed up late.
People at the meeting – none of whom would speak on the record, because the session was supposed to be private – say their efforts to convince the NFL that there’s still hope in the East Bay weren’t boosted by the tardy entrance of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan.
‘She arrived 20 minutes late,’ said our attendee. ‘he apologized, saying she was held up by a phone call.’
M & R also pointed out the elephant in the room, the lack of funds on either side, and the political reality surrounding the potential for public funds.
And while no one said it at the meeting, everyone knows the chances of voters helping out with a new stadium deal – while they are still paying off $20 million a year for the 1990s renovation of the old one – are slim to none.
Ah, maybe the pols can keep repeating the “no vote needed” mantra. Because that’s helpful.
I don’t know if Mark Davis and Lew Wolff have ever talked about their respective stadium issues. They both live in LA, so they could have lunch without Bay Area gadflies noticing if they wanted to. Even if they haven’t, Davis is doing Wolff a favor by forcing the issue with Oakland and Alameda County. By getting the public side to start moving, we’re finally seeing their level of commitment to the Raiders, and downstream to the A’s. As far as Mayor Quan goes, it’s at best token effort, which is what we’ve come to expect.
newballpark.org 
re: M & R also pointed out the elephant in the room, the lack of funds on either side,
…that’s one big elephant. Quoting Glenn Dickey: If you don’t have a financing plan, you don’t have a plan.
I have a financing plan: sell both teams to Chinese investors
or perhaps some middle eastern prince, like the various soccer teams in Europe
@bob234 – Why sell to the Chinese when there are perfectly good American groups willing to severely overpay for a team? Besides, what do the Chinese know about American football?
At least the sheikhs have a real interest in soccer. Qatar bought the 2022 World Cup.
@Bob – why stop there? Sell Oakland to the Chinese altogether. They’ll solve the crime, sports, and all the city’s problems in fell swoop!
This isn’t good for my Raiders. I’m actually pulling for Oakland to make something happen for the Silver and Black. They want to stay in town and the city appears to want to make something happen (since they’ve already made investments for them at the Coli). I guess it’s safe to say the reckoning is indeed coming for the Raiders.
The A’s and the prospect for an Oakland ballpark? 100% not happening in Da Town (based on financial realities, not biases)! But I guess we’ve known that reality for a long while now..
The Raiders have had the leverage to force the stadium issue on Oakland all along. Once the Raiders began to use it, Oakland could no longer continue to play their stadium nonsense with the NFL. Since the Raiders have a temporary stadium option in Santa Clara, the NFL may want for the team to stay in the Bay Area at least in the short-term. The NFL probably wants for either the Chargers or Rams, with their respective urgent stadium issues, first crack at a new stadium in Los Angeles. If Oakland does not come up with an agreeable new facility for the Raiders, the NFL will likely allow the Raiders to move to LA as the second team.
@Tony D.- Yeap
Sad it took the Raiders dealing with Quan and the numbskulls running Oakland for the rest of the world to clue in to what the A’s and their fans have been dealing with for 2 decades. But nice to see it’s finally getting some play. The more dire and absurd the Raiders situation gets, the more justified the A’s will seem and the more likely they’ll be granted what they’ve always wanted, a get out of jail free card.
somehow, save oakland sports, baseball oakland and all the other “pro oakland” groups will have Quan’s back. The call she was on was with Don Knauss, he wants to buy the A’s, Raiders and Warriors and build new venues for each with his own money, you see.
.
What an absolute joke this has become.
What if the Raiders do move to L.A.? I can see Oakland then making a play for the A’s, but they still will not have any financing for them either. This situation has been so convoluted for so many years that I am not even sure what I want to see happening anymore, being a fan of both teams. Wolfe isn’t worried about where the A’s will play next year. I’d like to see what he has in mind if the Coliseum is not available. He has got to have it out with Selig, friend or not. No friendship is worth this BS. If SJ is a no go, Selig needs to let him know. I am not even sure about SJ anymore. The proposal is a little on the small side, capacity wise. Isn’t there some space out by the foothills of Fremont? I know everyone would want it by the freeway, but a stadium by the foothills would be sweet. Just tired of all of this.
Just enjoy the rest of the A’s season no matter what happens in the off season with the Raiders/A’s stadium situation. I have a feeling the A’s will be in the World Series or have a deep playoff run this year. Outside of a couple of middle relievers this team is the best all around A’s team I have seen in years.
Quan is totally clueless on Development (and Redevelopment)issues (like most “Community Activist” types on important items, outside the narrow scope of their interests). Any local “Leader” who does not have their head so far up their A** would know that there is one team that MAY want to remain in Oakland (it is possible Davis is bluffing, and wants to move to LA). But if he wants to stay, Oakland should thank God for that, because the Raiders are the team that gives the most recognition to the City Nationally (despite the fact the A’s are the BEST team). Right now, if I am Davis (and more importantly, the NFL), I have to ask how committed Quan is to keeping the team in Oakland (particularly after we saw what Mayor Johnson did in Sacramento), if some phone call is more important than the Raiders? Beyond this, if I am the NFL, I have to question which team, between the Raiders and Chargers, do I think has the better chance of getting a Stadium built locally? They also know that the value of LA as a threat to Cities and States (like we saw with the Vikings)is diminishing (as it is with Seattle for the NBA & NHL). Why? 1: Because most of the teams big and small (from the Vikings & Falcons to Tulane and the Earthquakes) have their situations settled (or are on their way (like the Red Wings and De Paul). 2: More importantly, because people from the Left & Right alike are tired of funding New or Upgraded Sports Facilities (although of course, the reasoning and approaches are different). I suspect it will be the Raiders heading for either the LA Coliseum or Rose Bowl, until a New LA Stadium gets built, with Seattle getting expansion teams, and the A’s? They will wait until Hamlet (oops Selig) leaves office, but they too will not be in Oakland five years from now.
It’s really not surprising that Quan was not in a hurry to meet with the Raiders and the NFL. Mark Davis and the NFL want a very large public contribution and Oakland simply can’t offer any contribution. Ask the public to raise taxes to pay for a stadium when the city has so many actual problems? Yes, that’ll work.
Agree with you Jeffrey–whole thing is FUBAR’d. Its become a game of chess–with Oakland doing stall tactic’s to avoid the obvious–which is they have no money to give to any sports teams beyond the $20M annually they are on the hook for Mt. Davis. My sense is that with the buyout of TR (bs won’t push back) that even SJ may not make financial sense at this point. So LW is content to basically sit and allow it to fester–shows how inept bs has been. A’s, a playoff team, are being held captive in a city that cant afford them, may not have a place for them to play, and its all due to a commish that couldn’t find a solution in the best interests of baseball.
GoA’s: Yes, it’s all fun to watch firsthand what happens when a chief executive (Selig) needs to make a decision and decides, well, to not make it. Faced with a decision to make since the two teams (Giants and A’s) cannot and will not come to any agreement, Selig just ignores the whole thing, like an infection left untreated in hopes it will just go away on its own. The days of the status quo in Oakland will end eventually, with the stadium deteriorating further and both tenants growing increasingly dissatisfied. At least the NFL looks ready to force Oakland to either make a move or admit that it can’t and step aside. Bud just sits around waiting and waiting for years for what has been described on this blog as an “Oakland miracle” that is in no hurry to ever arrive.
GoA’s we are in a chess game, and welcome to the end game. There are only so many scenarios that can happen. 1: Raiders go to Santa Rosa, until a New Stadium is built on the Coliseum site, A’s get kicked out, and move to either to a temporary site (until San Jose is ready), or out of the Bay Area. 2: Raiders go to LA, and the A’s remain at the Coliseum until San Jose or another site is ready. 3: Both teams remain at the site in 2014. I think it is extremely unlikely both the Raiders & A’s remain, but it is possible. Everyone involved knows this what was going to eventually happen, even “Gov. “Moonbeams” Brown, and Selig (which is why he did nothing for all this time( well maybe not EVERYONE gets it, right Jean Quan?)). The nightmare scenario for Selig would be this: Scenario 1 happens, coupled with the A’s winning the World Series. Where you see a Championship Team get worse treatment than even the Montreal Expos. Basically, Selig looks even more weak and pathetic than ever
Wow, I don’t where Mattier and Ross are getting their “sources” but most of what is in this article is flat out untrue. The idea that there is no potential investors or possible fiance planing ideas for a new football stadium at the Coliseum site is false. The Raiders and the City/County are going over fiance ideas and have some possible investors already lined up. In case anybody is wondering, no they are not dependent on tax payer money either as the primary source of funding.
I know someone who is close to these negotiations between the team and the city/country for a possible new football stadium. I can’t go into detailed names or plans just yet but to say this is far from dead and has a very good chance of happening. Alot of information will be released to the public in the next month and a half or so.
Oakland was caught off guard by Mark Davis request to build the new stadium right on the existing coliseum footprint but it is not a deal breaker. Like some of you, I think Lew Wolf and Mark Davis may have talked and introduced this strategy to speed this process up in getting new homes for the A’s and Raiders.
There will be a meeting at Ricky’s Sports Bar in San Leandro Wednesday Night discussing where this process is at. A representative from the Raiders and the City/County are likely to attend. http://www.saveoaklandsports.org/site/?p=1509
@A’sRaidersSharksFan – No offense, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The NFL wants its pound of flesh from every city, Oakland included. That always means some taxpayer money.
@A’sRaidersSharks…Question for you–if I am going to “invest” in a project I need to get some sort of return on my investment. Now maybe a “return” that is acceptable to me is development rights somewhere in Oakland or in the CC parking lot but that is alot of development rights for investing $500-$700M. Banks are also investors and the odds of getting a bank to support any stadium projects in Oakland is pretty darn low—look how challenging it was for the ‘9ers and they have a project that is making them mega dollars.
GoA’s, your questions concerning a return on this possible investment in this project are off coarse valid but we would have to ask these investors themselves the potential they see in this possible vision. At the moment there is interest. There is the possibility that the investment could come not only from state and national investors but also foreign as well. It also likely that the investment could cover other potential projects in Oakland and not just at the Coliseum site. Mayor Quan for instance just recently secured Chinese Investment in the Oakland Waterfront Project. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/04/11/chinese-developer-to-relaunch-oakland-waterfront-project/
I am not saying this a done deal or total slam dunk, its just not dead as some think or would like to believe. Oakland would love to keep all 3 teams but they have to be realistic at this point. They have a good shot at keeping the Raiders. IMHO 50% chance of keeping the Warriors if things fall apart in San Francisco. Most likely no chance of keeping the A’s. Alot of interesting things could unfold the next couple months.
Fair enough, Marine Layer. I think we will get some answers soon in regards to the A’s and Raiders Stadium woos.
It is a funny thing that even the optimistic A’s/Raiders/Sharks Fan from Save Oakland Sports, admits that we are in the end game, and Oakland cannot keep the A’s. That might actually be considered moving towards reality, if their information is real. The biggest problem with what he said is this: “A representative from the Raiders and the City/County are likely to attend.” At Rickey’s Sports Bar? If I am a representative of the Raiders, and am involved in negotiations, the last thing, I want to do is give away info to the City and (or) the NFL that could cost me $$$$$ and (or) a deal (either Oakland or LA). The old Navy motto “Loose Lips Sink Ships” applies (particularly at a bar).
If Oakland can get Chinese investors to pay for stadiums, all the power to them. But reading between the lines in A’sRaidersSharksFans posts kind of tells me that Oakland cannot and will not spend any tax dollars on stadiums. So the city has to plot this “Hail Mary” pass strategy to try to find funding to keep the team(s).
@ARSF,
The Raiders decision to build on the current Coli site could also be to utilize/incorporate the existing Mt. Davis in a new stadium. Could save the Raiders, Oakland $200-300 million, vs building entirely new in the south lot (IMHO).
David, I am not a member of Save Oakland Sports. I was just referencing a meeting that will be held at Ricky’s Sports Bar this Wednesday Night based on link I provided. I don’t know for sure who will be able to make it. I have also believed for the last few years that the A’s chances of staying in Oakland longterm are very slim, with a move to San Jose likely to happen. Like I said before, we will find in the next couple of months how the chips will fall.
Your right Tony, existing infrastructure at the Coliseum site could be used to save money if they decide to build it there. PJK, some form of taxes or funding from the city/county will be required. How much and in what form will have to be agreed upon. It won’t be simple but I don’t think it will be entirely impossible either. I guess will have to agree to disagree. Wishing luck to the A’s and Raiders in their new stadium hopes.
A’s/Raiders/Sharks fan, I certainly do not have any insight into what is happening, but if I am Davis I am not accepting a 58,000 Seat Stadium at the Coliseum (particularly when the 49ers are getting a Palace in Santa Clara). I still think this is Davis playing the “Plausible Deniability” Game, knowing it will not work in Oakland, so when he petitions the NFL to move to LA, it will be easier (not to mention the prospect of fewer people at the Coliseum this year if there s a lame duck team).
The AEG Farmers Field deal at LA is evidently history – since AEG is in the process of being sold. Now the NFL is looking at a site at the Dodgers stadium parking lot, with Jacksonville and St Louis as prime candidates as tennants. Jacksonville could be definitely in play (signing Tebow would be a no-brainer for that team for improving attendance, yet they have avoided that) The NFL, one would believe,would prefer that the Raiders remain in Oakland, and that Jacksonville and/or St Louis move to LA instead.
David, I am pretty sure Mark Davis is going over all his options. But he has said his first choice and priority is to get something done at the Coliseum Site in Oakland.
As for LA I am not sure they would be ready to host an NFL team right away anyway. The Old LA Coliseum is not in very good shape nor ready to have a professional team play in it. I don’t think the NFL views it as suitable venue anymore, not even temporarily. I think there is litigation issues surrounding the Rose Bowl and no professional team can use it at this time. I am not sure LA has a suitable venue for a pro team to be ready in time for next season.
As for the new LA football stadiums proposals, the AEG downtown plan appears to be dead at the moment. Ed Roski’s new stadium plan has him only offering land with any potential owners having to pay for the stadium and everything else. Both plans I believe require any potential owner to give up some controlling interest in the ownership of a team. This doesn’t sound like a very good deal for Mark Davis.
Another factor in all of this is the fate of the Chargers. Unlike the Raiders there is really nothing keeping them in San Diego. If push came to shove the Raiders could temporarily pay rent in Santa Clara to the 49ers as leverage until Oakland gets something done. The Chargers have no such option in San Diego. If a new stadium gets built in Oakland. The Chargers could be LA bound fairly quickly. With the Chargers in LA, the leverage of moving to LA is gone a least for any AFC Team.
It appears Duffer has already posted some of the things I mentioned in my post while I was typing it, cool. I also agree the NFL has a preference for teams like the Jags, Chargers or Rams in LA before the Raiders.
Field looks AWESOME tonight! Go A’s!
There are rich people on the BA but many will not invest in Oakland. Until Quan shows that she can raise 1B overnight, all this is just talk.
Mark Davis can’t go to LA unless he can show the NFL that Oakland is not a viable option. Have we heard of that before?
ARSF, there is no litigation issue at the Rose Bowl.
Dan, I was thinking of this http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/11/rose-bowl-neighbors-threaten-lawsuit-over-nfl-plans.html
I will admit I have not look at this issue in several months, it may or may not have resolved. But even if a pro team was able to play the Rose Bowl, there has to be new LA stadium plan in place which doesn’t seem to be the case right now with fallout of the AEG plan and the limitations of the Roski plan.
While the discussion of the bigger picture is a more salient point, what is in the article (regarding being late to the meeting) is laughable in a sad way (if true). In business there are certain things you do. One of them, when you are a first party that is desperately hoping for/needing a second party’s cooperation, is to demonstrate your full commitment to the second party. This means, for instance, you are first to a meeting with the 2nd party. You have your best documents, presentations, gift for gab frontman ready as well as your big hitters/top signature authority in the room waiting….all ready to ‘wow’ the second party as much as possible. This is basic business and there is no exception to not being prepared/ready BEFORE party 2’s is ready/arrived (short of car accident, major illness, catastrophe).
JQ is already considered (fairly or unfairly) an un-serious leader. She just continued to impress that onto the 2nd party this. It’s amazing that a Mayor and her staff don’t know what this non business grad knows. Wow….
@TW
You are right on the money, some would say (Oakland-only people), if it was not JQ, people would not be making light of it. They may say if this was the mayor of San Jose, or San Francisco, you may not even bring it up. Being from Oakland I defiantly understand how it fills, the town gets picked on all the time, sometimes unfairly, but honestly we as a group would not fill that way, if there was not some truth to it. Fact is people are late for things, it happens, and can happen to anyone, but this seems to happen to JQ, more than most, and adds to the overall negative perception, of Oakland in general, and its political leaders specifically. JQ, at best seems over her head, I sure hope the roomers of Mr. Boxer running for mayor of Oakland are true, but with Oakland’s luck the A’s Warriors, and Raiders will all be gone before he takes office.
My bad, I forgot Mr. Boxer is actually working to help the Warriors in San Francisco, with piers 30/32 project. We’ll let me revise that statement. With Oakland’s luck the A’s and Raiders will have left, before he can take office. Only in Oakland would you have to pull for a mayoral canadate, that’s already working against your interest.
Ultimately, the NFL would likely want for two teams to play in Los Angeles. The first NFL team to be approved to move there would most certainly be playing temporarily for a few seasons at the Rose Bowl. The LA Coliseum appears to have been ruled out. That said, the NFL would approve the teams with the most urgent stadium issues such as either the Rams or Chargers, to be given the first OK to move to LA. Under no circumstances would the NFL allow for two NFL teams to be playing at temporary stadiums. Of course, the Rose Bowl Authority would most certainly object to that arrangement, as well.
As for the Raiders, Mark Davis seems to want for his Raiders to remain in Oakland, if a suitable new or mostly new stadium deal can be worked out. At the same time, the Raiders have the very viable option to play at the new Santa Clara stadium on a temporary basis as tenants of the 49ers.
Knowing this, I believe the NFL would likely much prefer for the Raiders to continue to stay in the Bay Area, at least for the shout-term to give more time to allow for the Raiders and Oakland to possibly work out a new stadium deal.
If in due time a new Oakland stadium does not get approved, then the Raiders would likely be given approval to move to LA as the second team in what by then would be a completed new LA football stadium. Finally, there is also one remote possibile option for the Raiders to have a successful long-term stadium sharing arrangement at Santa Clara, if a new Oakland stadium fails to get done. Either way, the Raiders as of now have the leverage and wiggle room on the new stadium issue and will use it to their advantage.
The reality of the matter is liberals love people like Quan ( particularly if they DO NOT have her as Mayor), because since she is an Asian-American Woman, they can actually feel good, that “Diversity Is Working.” Does that mean it is working well for taxpayers and ( or) sports fans in Oakland? That is a different issue, and the answer is quite different. Meaning that unless Boxer is gay ( I have no idea what his sexual preference is), he will be discouraged to run against Quan ( Oakland be damned).
As far as on time attendance is concerned, the leader of anything ( company, municipality, etc), is expected to be held to a higher standard then say 1st Grade kids (oops, I forgot that Children are taught to be on time, and seated before class starts). In the real world ( not the never, never land of Quan), bad attendance is taken as a reflection of the individual’s character, and is judged accordingly. The sad thing is, her attitude is whatever, I will be re-elected so I can do what I want, and she is probably right.
@David Brown
I don’t know man; sounds like you’re playing the political landscape a little wide. I am sure a headeral sexual white male can win the mayor’s race in Oakland. For the benefit of anyone who would like to see the A’s stay in Oakland (especially if they can’t get San Jose), they would want Boxer to run, and win, chances are already slim enough, but he has a politically connected family, and that family, is connected to a lot of big liberal money, Walter Hass is not coming through the door anytime soon, but there are a lot of do-gooder types, that would like to see the A’s remain in Oakland. I am sure Boxer, or someone he knows, is intuch with them. Hay all I have is hope, so I will hope in till the A’s play there last game in Oakland, and then I will hope like hell that it’s San Jose, and not some other part of the country they go to.
dolich was on knbr maybe an hour ago and said the usual pro oakland talking points when the hosts when on why the a’s don’t or can’t draw fans even though they’re 6.5 games up and look like a lock to make the playoffs.
he brought up how the current ownership has pushed the fanbase away so nobody shows up. how the city of oakland has plenty of sites available to build a park? really what are these sites he talks about? coliseum parking lot or somewhere near the waterfront like howard terminal? those are the ONLY sites that i think have been talked about even by the pro oakland side.
I wish someone asks Dolich why Vivek Ranadivé chose to invest 1B in Sacto and he is from the bay area. Now he has to fly from SJ to Sac for all home games.
Maybe Dolich will say that LW has pushed all rich people up north, LOL
Why are they doing this? Smh
Lets Go A’s, I guess according to Dolich, A’s ownership is responsible for the cesspool earlier this year and Mount Davis? Their biggest problem is being too nice to the Lodge. Here is the reality of the matter:,The last time the A’s had a New Stadium built specifically for them was in 1914 while in Philadelphia. I know the age of Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field, but the Red Sox got their upgrades, and the Cubs are getting theirs, while the A’s are at the mercy of The Giants, Raiders & Selig. I have been of the opinion, that the A’s time is quickly coming ( and if the Raiders stay in Oakland, or San Jose wins its suit ( or Selig folds up like an accordian) that process begins in 2014). I also think a Championship this year, might also be a key to unlocking their freedom from the Coliseum.
David, Shibe Park actually opened in 1909. So it’s already been 105 years since the A’s last got a new stadium to call their own.
re: how the city of oakland has plenty of sites available to build a park? r
…and MLB, 4.5 years after forming a committee to look at the A’s East Bay bsllpark options, has designated which of this long list of sites as THE place for a new ballpark? Well, the committee hasn’t designated any site because it can’t find one. Andy “Let’s build another joint A’s-Raiders stadium” Dolich doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
I have no idea what Dolich is talking about, I am as pro-Oakland as it gets, and the only site in Oakland that is under site control, and we know we can build on is the Oakland coliseum, we know Wolff looked at it, and seemed interested, but Oakland did nothing about it, we are also told that MLB did not care for the site. The Only other site in Oakland that is being talked about is H.T., witch Oakland is nearing site control, but we have no idea, what lays beneath the site, with no EIP completed, I don’t think they have even started one, as a site itself it seems full of potential, we have also been told that MLB likes the site, ( who knows if that’s true or not), It’s also a safe assumption, that it will cost a lot to develop the site (if it can be built on), I know Dolich has a lot more information than I do , and he has held key position in the A’s, and 49ers organizations, but weather its fare or not I really wonder about the guy.
“The last time the A’s had a New Stadium built specifically for them was in 1914 while in Philadelphia.”
No one, outside of the current SJ situation, has stopped the A’s from building their own stadium all these years. No one owes them a new stadium.
^^^^^^^^^^^Is that you Kawakami?
re: No one owes them a new stadium.
And the A’s aren’t asking anyone to build them a new stadium – unlike the Raiders and the NFL, who obviously want public money. The A’s owners merely want to build a stadium, privately, in a place where it makes financial sense – about 30 miles south of where they are now. And for this – their unwillingness to lose piles of money building in Oakland – the A’s owners are demonized.
@Tim
Good point, no one owes the A’s a stadium, but it’s also true that no one owes Oakland a free stadium either. You know the way this stadium game is played MLB is not going to simply build a stadium in Oakland, because it like the view from H.T. (again if we can even build there), Oakland will have to do something to make that happen, as well as the A’s, and at this current moment the A’s don’t want to do anything, well at least not in Oakland. It could also be said that the A’s want to build a stadium, but they are current being stopped from doing that (in San Jose), so it’s really not nearly fare to simply say no one is stopping them, when they are being stopped from doing so, in the one place they would like to build the most.
re: Good point, no one owes the A’s a stadium, but it’s also true that no one owes Oakland a free stadium either.
..amen
dolich also mentioned how he doesn’t believe the current ownership will be selling anytime soon even if it means they’re stuck at the coliseum. basically thinks the a’s are making a ton of money and that they’ll be content on continuing to cash the checks mlb sends them in terms of revenue sharing.
believe he likened it to cohan when he owned the w’s, that he thinks the a’s fan base or those oakland only a’s fans hate wolff just as much as w’s fans hated cohan but the reason cohan didn’t sell the team was because of the money he was making off the w’s and as we saw the longer he held the team the more he eventually got when he sold it off.
the hosts on the station questioned why the a’s ownership didn’t help spruce up the place like the midgets did when they got new ownership in 93. really can the a’s owners spend money to help liven up the place up? aren’t there new flat screen tvs thru out the concourses? was that paid by wolff or the city of oakland? really i’ve asked this before but what honestly can be done to make the coliseum more friendly? the midgets got dugouts and created “bleachers” at the stick for their improvements to the park. if anything the only thing i’ve heard that is being close to something renovated is the scoreboard though i’ve heard for the past year or two that the scoreboards were going to be changed yet nothing has happened. is that the a’s owners’ fault that we still have the same scoreboards since the coliseum renovation done in the mid 90s?
“No one, outside of the current SJ situation, has stopped the A’s from building their own stadium all these years. No one owes them a new stadium.”
@Tim, Yes, that may be true. However, if the A’s are willing to foot 100 Percent of the bill for a new ballpark, they should be allowed to build their ballpark on the site of their own choosing within the Bay Area market. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The Raiders only need Oakland to come up with 300M for a new stadium. It breaks down like this:
Raiders-300M
NFL-200M
Oakland- 300M
Therefore, the city only needs to find a private 300M investment to keep the Raiders put at the Coliseum site. This is a good deal for the city and they can find private investors at that price. Now if they needed 500M-1B like the 49ers then that would be “pie in the sky”.
For Mark Davis, he gets his stadium where the heart of his fan base is…the East Bay without losing controlling share of his team as would be the case in LA.
The NFL does not want the Raiders to leave the Bay Area period. They can always shack up with the 49ers as that was what the NFL wanted originally anyways.
The Chargers will be the AFC team to move to LA as they control the TV market there as is and would be able to get fans because of it.
As for the A’s, this San Jose lawsuit will pave the way…..The A’s need out of Oakland in the worst way.
Sid: I read that the NFL does not want to lose San Diego as a potential Super Bowl site. I think there was a new proposal recently to build a stadium by the San Diego Convention Center. I’d say the leading candidates to go to LA are still the Raiders and the Rams. The same two teams that were there before…
here is min’s concept for their new stadium.
IF San Diego is unable to help deliver a new stadium, they will lose the Chargers. There doesn’t seem to be significant progress between them at this time and I don’t think the Chargers will wait much longer. I think the NFL has already told SD that will not be hosting anymore Super Bowls without a new stadium. I think the NFL would accept LA as a alternative to hosing Super Bowls in Southern California if they manage to build a new stadium. Sid, I agree with your rough fiance breakdown for a New Raider Stadium, especially if they use existing infrastructure at the Coliseum Site as Tony mentioned.
Help me out- is the 200M from the NFL a “gift”. If not than you can’t just exclude this and call it free money
Sid, where do come up with 200 million from the NFL??? I thought there was no G4 or whatever type of funding available from the league for a second new stadium in the Bay Area. I would love for you to be right but I just don’t see it.