The following Op-Ed was submitted by Dr. Death on 10/27/2015…
I’m sure by now most who have been keeping up with the NFL relocation process know that there are town hall meetings being conducted by the NFL in each respective home market that is in danger of losing their respective teams.
Tuesday is for St. Louis, Wednesday for San Diego and Thursday for Oakland. First and foremost, as an Oakland Raider fan, I urge those that want to keep the Raiders in Oakland to attend if you are able. With that being said, I question the NFL and their intent of conducting these town hall meetings. Whats the point? You mean to tell me fans showing up after being told a week ago about the town hall meetings are going to have any sway in the relocation process? Why didn’t the NFL conduct these town hall meetings months ago?
The NFL possibly relocating a team or teams back to Los Angeles has been going on for years and has picked up steam over the last 24 months, yet the NFL only gives their season ticket holders and other fans just a week to make it to these meetings? The NFL expects fans to make the trip to Oakland for our “valuable” input on Thursday, and then come back on Sunday.
Many fans like myself drive from over an hour away. I know the NFL dominates the sports culture in America but at least have some consideration for your fans that have families and work 9-5 jobs or go to school.
As for the town hall meeting itself… how can it be effective? The only one way for this to be effective is if every one who is responsible for getting a stadium project completed in Oakland is present. This includes Raiders’ owner Mark Davis, president Marc Badain, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff, President of Alameda County board of super visors Scott Haggerty, and NFL point man Eric Grubman. If any of the names listed above don’t show up, this town hall meeting is a waste of our time. I may or may not have the opportunity to ask questions but I’ve come up with a few questions that we should have answered:
For Mayor Libby Schaff and the city of Oakland:
The Oakland Raiders have stated they want 3 things from the city of Oakland and county of Alameda:
1. Land made available
2. Infrastructure paid for
3. The remaining debt on the remodeling of the coliseum in the 1995 deal paid for
Is the city of Oakland in a position to offer those three things to the Raiders? These three items are not new, the city has been aware of these three since at least last November.
Also Mayor, if the Raiders were to give you an offer today, would they know where on the coliseum property is available to them? Mark Davis was interviewed on Sunday by Vinny Bonsignore of the LA Daily News and Mark stated they have land purchased in Carson. Has he attempted to purchase land in Oakland or does he want that given to him for free?
Oakland Raiders Owner Mark Davis,
You have stated “you know what you don’t know.” Shouldn’t that apply to building a stadium? Last I checked, president Marc Badain, who is in charge of the Raiders Stadium project, doesn’t have any previous experience on delivering on a project of this size and complexity. So why not bring in some one from the out side who has? Mark Davis, you brought in Carmen Policy to help you with a possible stadium in Carson. Who did you bring in to help to get a stadium in Oakland? You said “Your number one choice is to stay in Oakland.” Enough with the words. Lets see actions.
The city of Oakland has provided 3 developers in the last 3 years to help build a stadium the first was Forest city, the second Colony Capital, and the third is recently exited Floyd Kephart’s New City. What is the status of the Raiders offering their own developer? Has Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders reached out to any of the over 100 fortune 500 companies in the bay area? Why is it that the Warriors, Giants, and 49ers can take initiative in the bay area to build their respective new stadiums but Mark Davis has to wait on the city of Oakland to present him a fourth option? Last I checked when I want to build my own house I don’t go to the city of Oakland and ask them to cut me a check.
For once in the history of this proud franchise can the Raiders take a leader ship role and find a way to build a stadium with out expecting a hand out?
– Dr. Death
