With the Oakland Raiders being approved to relocate to Las Vegas, is signing Marshawn Lynch enough to appease Oakland fans?
March 27th will go down as a day in infamy for Raiders fans in Oakland. I was there in Phoenix to witness the announcement that 31 owners voted to approve Mark Davis, and the Raiders, move to Las Vegas.
However, that move will not happen for a few years, and the team is still the Oakland Raiders until then; enter superstar and Oakland native Marshawn Lynch.
Marshawn Lynch is slated to return from Haiti. Expected to be today. He’ll have a new contract & #Raiders uniform https://t.co/raSehQh4ky
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2017
With the Lynch signing it’s obvious that the Raiders are trying to appease local fans. The question is, will this “olive branch” be enough to sooth the burn that many Bay Area fans feel right now?
Marshawn Lynch, true Son of Oakland!
A little back story here, Lynch is a true “Son of Oakland”. Lynch went to high school at Oakland Tech and that institutiom has some famous alumni such as MLB Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson, Frank Oz, the voice of Yoda, Clint Eastwood, and the Pointer Sisters, just to name a few.
At Oakland Tech, Lynch was not just a football star but also held the 200m record in track as well. Add in basketball and wrestling, Lynch was a four sport All-Star, and was also voted the San Francisco East Bay Player of the Year in 2003.
Marshawn then attended the University of California Berkeley. He was a Golden Bear for three years, while at Cal Lynch helped the Golden Bears to three winning seasons, and never finished lower than 25 in the AP polls. To this day, Marshawn still holds the record for most 100 yard rushing games in Golden Bear history at 17.
Then there is Fam1stFamilyFoundation. A non-profit organization co-founded by Lynch to help improve the lives, education, and self esteem of children in Oakland. Marshawn has true roots in Oakland, and he has always given back to his native city.
Is Marshawn signing with the Raiders a fantastic Public Relations move?
To answer the question above, yes and no. As a “Son of Oakland” myself, I can say this is the best move the Raiders can do in lieu of staying. I look at it as a two year “blow out party” where fans in Oakland get a real chance to see a Super Bowl victory parade. However, even that will not be enough to console many when the moving vans arrive, and the party changes venues.
I lived through 1982 as a Raider fan, and I will live through 2020 as a Raider fan. But just like in 1982, there will be a few who wont keep being a fan. I say this to those fans, and all Raiders fans. Enjoy these next couple of years in Oakland with Beast Mode, because its going to be lit. If the team has to move, at least leave Oakland with some great memories at the very end.
I feel that the next two years are possibly going to be the greatest in Oakland Raiders history.
For Oakland’s sake, I hope I am right.
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