By: Burke De Boer Sports Editor
In the eyes of St. Louis, Stan Kroenke is a worm of the lowliest caliber, who swept their Rams away following the allure of Los Angeles. Mark Davis and Alex Spanos look toward relocation as well, and fans of the Raiders and Chargers may need to prepare to join St. Louis in grieving.
Kroenke, owner of the Rams, moved his team out of St. Louis this year. Spanos wants his Chargers to leave San Diego and Davis has been courting the Raiders to a variety of cities. Most deals fell through but a recent proposal from Las Vegas is gaining significant traction.
The perpetually 7-9 Rams could have been playoff contenders in St. Louis. Regular demolition jobs of top opponents like Seattle, Arizona and Denver showcased their talent. The problem was that Los Angeles became a wide-open football market with the fall of USC. All Kroenke had to figure out was how to get there. The surest way to get out of town was to put out a paltry product and alienate local fans.
It worked for Clay Bennett, Robert Irsay and now Kroenke. It may work for Spanos, who spent this offseason refusing to give the third-overall pick the terms and payment top-draft-picks expect.
Unfortunately the tragedy in Oakland is not Mark Davis’ fault.
Oakland’s decrepit O.co Coliseum has the lowest capacity in the NFL. The Raiders need new ground but Davis is not one of the league’s billionaire owners. Packing a thin wallet, he can almost justify the notion of stadium subsidies. After all, a sports team is a massive part of a city’s identity and economy. The argument of owners is that teams are essentially public goods.
The taxpayers of Alameda County aren’t having it.
Various outsiders are open to helping Davis with the expensive art of stadium construction. Though the most recent is Las Vegas, other contenders were nominated in recent years.
The Raiders tried to join the Rams and the Chargers in Los Angeles. They lived in L.A. once before, but like any Hell’s Angel, they came roaring back to Oakland. San Diego has been considered if Spanos succeeds in relocating the Chargers, or the west coast could be abandoned altogether for San Antonio.
Nothing beats Texas football.
What makes this all a bummer is that for the first time, since the Jon Gruden days, the Raiders are on the come-up. With Jack Del Rio as head coach and Derek Carr under center, they’re likely to make the playoffs this year. The people of Oakland, who have watched the Raiders gurgle with mediocrity for a decade and a half, now face the prospect of seeing the rebuilding era pay dividends to another community.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu
