The Oakland Raiders have played in Los Angeles before and based on the way things are going for trying to get a new stadium in the Bay Area, it looks as if the franchise may be moving South in California once again.
According to the Sporting News, the city of Oakland likely won't be able to afford to keep the Raiders and with the NFL looking to move a team to Los Angeles, the franchise is a natural fit. The report says that there is a possibility a stadium deal could get done, as the lease for the O.co Coliseum is up after the season and Mark Davis said a short-term lease is not an option. The team would like to build a new stadium and facility, but the tax payers in the most recent plan would have to put in $300 million and that may be too much. The Vikings were in a similar situation and while they got the deal done, it might be tougher in Oakland.
The San Francisco 49ers are getting ready to open a $1.3 billion stadium and the Raiders are going to want to get a similar stadium, but it might not be in Oakland. The Dolphins have been looked at as a possible option to move after issues arose with getting improvements to their stadium and Jerry Jones fueled the fire when he said that two teams could end up in LA. Oakland is also going to lose the Warriors to San Francisco with their new arena and the Oakland move could be a big hit.
The team is dealing with plenty of issues at the old stadium, including flooding and plumbing problems and they would like to upgrade the venue. The Raiders have a classic style stadium that is shared with the Athletics and after years of trying to get a new stadium and upgrades, it may finally be time to do so, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported that hazmat crews needed to be brought in to help the cleanup after a sewage pipe bursted during a baseball game.
The game between the Mariners and Athletics took place in mid-June and following that, the teams had to use the Raiders clubhouse, as a pipe clogged and spewed sewage all over the clubhouses for the two teams. The Coliseum itself had numerous problems after that and workers needed to come in and repair everything that was damaged, replacing various carpets and other equipment while also installing some new carpets. Hazmat crews were brought in originally to help with the damage and the original damage came after a pipe was clogged and forces an overflow.
The stadium is nearly 50 years old now and for years players have been complaining and pitcher AJ Griffin said after the game that everyone should realize that a new stadium is needed in Oakland. Even in the NFL it's an issue, as many players have complained about how the team shares with the Athletics, forcing the first to stay on during the first part of the NFL season. During a six day home stand officials said over 170,000 fans came and that is why the pipes had issues.
The Mariners and Athletics needed to use the same lockers after the 10-2 win by Oakland on Sunday, as there was a backup of sewage that spilled out into the clubhouse level of the stadium. The two teams needed to move up to the Oakland Raiders locker room to shower and dress and it brought up questions about the old stadium, which has done some upgrades but is still behind many in the league.
The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that leak issues are a problem all the time, as the field is below sea level and so is the clubhouse. A's team president Michael Crowley said that it is clear that new upgrades are needed and many players as well as M's manager Eric Wedge skipped showers. Wedge had his office covered in liquid and he had his post-game conference in the hallway instead. The Mariners won two of three and then will play the Angels, while the A's are heading out to play the Rangers.
According to SI.com, the San Jose City Council has voted to sue the MLB to allow the A's to move into the city, something that they have wanted to do for years, but since the league and the San Francisco Giants have territory rights, they can block the move, which they have for a number of years. A's owner Lew Wolff has repeatedly said that he would like to move the team and now the players have joined in loudly after the sewage issues came up over the weekend.
