The transition to Las Vegas for the Raiders has already begun, but could football return to the city of Oakland one day?
The dust hasn’t even begun to settle on the Raiders’ old headquarters in Alameda. Nevertheless, as we all know, the NFL is a business first and foremost. The Bay Area is one of the largest densely populated areas in the country but it still lost its beloved Raiders. You can blame whoever you want, whether it’s team ownership, inept Oakland city management, or Las Vegas barons. Regardless of the reason, the team’s gone. Nonetheless, the San Francisco 49ers might not be the only Bay Area team for very long.
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Will Oakland have another NFL team?
SFGate.com recently published the letter of intent by The African-American Sports & Entertainment Committee.
“The African-American Sports & Entertainment Committee — an African-American business development group — is seeking to bring an NFL franchise back to Oakland, sending a letter of intent to file a formal application with the NFL on Tuesday. They hope to create the first African American-owned team in the sport.”
A potential expansion NFL team in Oakland that would be a “privately financed, developed, and operated endeavor.” As stated in the letter, it would be a major turning point in the NFL. Ray Bobbitt, an Oakland business owner, hopes to bring back an NFL team to the city, something that would help the local economy.
“A lot of people in that community have been impacted by the loss of two of our sports teams.”
It appears that what Bobbitt imagines goes beyond just simply an expansion NFL team. Rather, he plans to bring in a team that will help boost the city, its people, and truly build a community with an NFL team at its core. Bobbitt elaborated, “[With this partnership of owners], you have people that are community-minded — it’s not just a guy who just wants to make a bunch of money.”
What are your thoughts Raider Nation? More importantly, how would you Bay Area natives feel about a possible expansion team in Oakland?
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*Top Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press