Raiders And 49ers Need to Share Stadium
The San Antonio Raiders? No, it's not happening.
Mark Davis confirmed on Tuesday that he met with San Antonio officials with one report saying Davis met to discuss the possibility of the Raiders relocating to the Alamo City.
Get ready, Raiders fans—you'll hear plenty of talks in the coming weeks about Davis meeting with potential suitors because the Raiders' lease with Oakland expires after the season.
Los Angeles? Check. Portland? Maybe?
The main reason the Raiders won't be moving to San Antonio is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones has a lot of influence in the NFL and he would not support any team moving to San Antonio.
"What I will say is San Antonio is very important to the Dallas Cowboys," Jones told the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. "We have the exact same percentage of fans in San Antonio as we do in Plano, Texas, about 98 percent."
Any move would have to get the approval of 24 of the 32 NFL owners and Jones would campaign like hell to prevent the Silver and Black from relocating to Texas.
The solution is for Mark Davis to put aside his ego and call 49ers CEO Jed York. The deal should've been worked out years ago and it's in the best interest for the Raiders to explore that possibility instead of moving the team.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in mid-July suggested that the Raiders could share Levi Stadium with the 49ers.
"They have to make that determination, whether they're in a new stadium in Oakland or whether they feel that it's best to join this stadium," Goodell said according to BayAreaSportsGuy.com. "We're working on that, and that's one of the decisions they'll have to make."
Goodell's comments suggest that it's a situation that the league wants to get figured out sooner than later and Goodell is the right guy to convince York that a shared stadium is beneficial for both parties.
I'm sure York wouldn't mind Davis paying off some of the NFL's $200 million loan that the 49ers received for stadium funding.
"BUT LEVI STADIUM HAS RED SEATS AND I WANT MY OWN STADIUM!!!"
I don't care what the seats look like. Raider fans would be thrilled that the team is remaining in the Bay Area and if you fill that place up, you won't notice the red seats.
"BUT IT'S MY STADIUM!!!"
49er fans—it's still your stadium. You're not losing any home games. They're not going to tear down the new 49ers Hall of Fame. The only difference is when you're on the road, the Raiders will be using the stadium. It has NO impact on your team.
The Giants and Jets share a stadium because it didn't make sense to build two stadiums for teams in the same area and it's the same deal with the Raiders and 49ers.
The Raiders belong in the Bay Area, and sharing with the 49ers may be their best bet.
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