Somewhere in between the time Bryce Harper signs with a team that isn’t the Giants and the conclusion of the Mueller investigation, the Raiders will announce they are playing in Oakland in 2019.
It’s the absolute worst possible scenario. Except for all the others.
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Regrets? Raiders owner Mark Davis has a few. Barring an epic collapse in talks between the team and the Coliseum Authority, he’ll essentially help finance a lawsuit against the Raiders (and the NFL) filed by the City of Oakland over their move to Las Vegas. And if there are unforeseen delays in the $1.9 billion stadium in Vegas, Davis will spend 2020 in Oakland as well.
A brief conversation with Davis Monday (he had no comment) only enhanced what I’ve thought pretty much since the day the Raiders rescinded their lease offer for 2019. As much as Davis hates the idea of playing in the city that is suing him, there simply are no other legitimate sites available and it’s the best thing for all concerned.
Throughout the process, Davis said the Raiders “explored their options” but it appears the only site they seriously considered was Oracle (formerly AT&T) Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.
The problem is the Giants and president Larry Baer were initially the only party on board, anticipating the possibility of a fat rent check.
The 49ers, who had territorial rights despite having vacated the city for Santa Clara in 2014, didn’t want to see those aerial shots of fans traversing the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in silver and black.
Local San Francisco politicians, who you can safely assume were getting an earful from their Oakland brethren across the bay, weren’t too keen on the idea either, citing traffic and security concerns for nine game days (including two preseason dates).
Other than Oakland taking one last bite out of the Raiders’ financial hide on the way out of town, nobody comes out of this looking good. Probably the only big smile comes from coach Jon Gruden, who wanted to avoid the weekly traveling circus and operate like a normal NFL franchise after a 4-12 season.
The Raiders look bumbling and inept. No surprise there. Other than Davis’ jackpot in Vegas, the team has struggled with its stadium situation for much of its existence under the late Al Davis, whether it be in Oakland or Los Angeles.
No shine on the Giants, either, considering they were willing to make a hugely unpopular move for the sake of a fat rent check.
As for the 49ers, they were included in the City of Oakland lawsuit, so in essence were on the same “team” as the Raiders. Yet they weren’t willing to put up with the Raiders inhabiting the city they deserted even for a single season before having the region to themselves in perpetuity.
Instead, the 49ers made it clear they didn’t want the Raiders in San Francisco, realizing that if Levi’s Stadium became a possibility, the rent check would belong to them and the city of Santa Clara.
That’s the way it goes in the sports business. It’s just a big, unsightly money grab in every direction.
Oakland officials can gloat about collecting cash from the Raiders while also suing them. Yet even if Oakland ends up getting even more money down the line from the antitrust suit, it will always be the city that lost its beloved NFL franchise not once, but twice.
The NFL doesn’t seem too worried about it, otherwise the league (and 49ers by extension) would have done more to help the Raiders find a 2019 home rather than simply letting them twist in the wind.
With that as a backdrop, the Raiders return to the Coliseum in 2019 was all but inevitable and easily the most workable solution when you consider the alternatives.
Set aside the ancient history of the Raiders playing at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park in their formative years. The Raiders are an East Bay team and always have been. Most anyone who grew up in Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, Castro Valley or Alameda understands that moving across the bay even for a single season is repulsive.
Beyond that, staying at the Coliseum avoids disruption of the season by staying put in front of a shrinking but passionate fan base that still cares and could still sell out the season. That was the pre-lawsuit plan, and a sound one, given their options.
Leaving the Bay Area for 2019 would mean a weekly trip, something the Raiders did in 1995. And while their collapse that season from 8-2 to 8-8 had a lot to do with injuries, it didn’t help that they trained in El Segundo and then flew to home games in Oakland in addition to their road schedule.
Davis had no interest in playing in Las Vegas until the new stadium was ready, so temporary upgrades to Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV were out of the question. San Diego’s vacated stadium was never seriously considered. The option of dividing their season into four-game blocks in London (for `home’ games) and in the states was only slightly more preposterous than the recent report of splitting the “home” season between Alabama (Birmingham) and Arizona (Tucson).
So the Raiders (assuming the Vegas stadium is completed for 2020) will be back where they belong for one final year with two preseason games and seven regular-season games (they’ll face the Chicago Bears as a “home” team in London) barring the unlikely event of one final playoff game at the Coliseum.
It would make for a nice story to say the Raiders are doing it for the fans, But since it’s almost March, it’s clear calling the Coliseum home has more to do with convenience and dwindling options accompanied by loudly ticking clock.
Regardless of how it happens, the hardcore fans will get what they deserved — nine more chances to raise a tailgate toast off 66th Avenue before saying goodbye forever.