RAIDERS RETURN TO OAKLAND : ISSUES AND ANSWERS : It’s Close to Being a Done Deal

Sorting through some of the questions raised by the Raiders’ decision on Friday: Q: Does this really mean the Raiders are going to move back to Oakland?

A: Everything certainly points to the Raiders playing the 1995 season in Oakland. However, Al Davis has previously announced the Raiders were moving first to Irwindale and later back to Oakland and ended up playing in Los Angeles. So, while it appears as if they are moving, wait until the first snap of the football before betting your house on it. Right now, you should only bet the car.

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Q: What still has to be done before the move is official?

A: First the Raiders have to get approval from the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. A final vote could be taken no sooner than July 11 by each body. Then the NFL is planning to meet July 14 in Chicago to discuss the move with Davis. He needs a three-fourths vote (23 of 30 club owners) to receive permission to move. If he receives permission, the NFL is likely to attach relocation fees in the millions of dollars that the Raiders would have to pay.

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Q: What happens if the league doesn’t allow the Raiders to move?

A: The Raiders will move anyway and fight it out in court. In the past, the league has been unsuccessful in stopping teams from moving. Those court losses have been expensive to the NFL and it might try to avoid putting itself in this kind of losing position.

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Q: How binding is the letter of intent Davis signed?

A: The agreement says the Raiders cannot enter into an agreement with anyone else. And, since the Raiders would need an agreement with someone else to play anywhere else, it is safe to assume that the agreement has some teeth.

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Q: When will Los Angeles get a team back?

A: The NFL will do everything in its power to get a team in Los Angeles by 1996 and a second team here by 1998, when the television contract comes up for renewal. Right now, the Arizona Cardinals have expressed some interest in coming to Los Angeles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings are possibilities. The Cleveland Browns were on a short list, but the city of Cleveland sweetened the team’s deal, making it more difficult for the Browns to leave.

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Q: Where will the team play?

A: In the short term, the Coliseum would be the most viable place. However, Hollywood Park could still build its stadium and there is word that Michael Eisner, Disney’s chairman, would like to build a stadium in Orange County. Another group may be headed by Michael Ovitz, chairman of Creative Artists Agency, and he would build in the Los Angeles area. The Rose Bowl would also explore the idea of playing host to an NFL team.

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Q: Which teams will be on television each Sunday?

A: In theory, Los Angeles will be getting the best national game every week as well as weekly doubleheaders by either NBC or Fox. It is possible that San Diego could look to designate Los Angeles as a secondary market, forcing every Charger road game into the area. However, the NFL and Chargers say that is unlikely.

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Q: Why would the Raiders leave Los Angeles?

A: Now, that’s a multimillion-dollar question. Davis has never really been comfortable in Los Angeles. Instead of the adulation and support he had in Oakland, he had to fight for fans, who in turn fought at games. In the end, the deal with Hollywood Park fell apart because Davis was fearful that the stadium would not be completed in time for the 1997 season and he couldn’t stomach playing three years at the Coliseum. If Davis had agreed to stay in Los Angeles when the deal was first proposed, the Hollywood Park stadium could have easily been built in time.