Former Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask isn’t only among the most respected football people out there, she’s in the know when it comes to what’s happening around the National Football League.
So her recent comments regarding the potential of the Oakland Raiders relocating to Southern California shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt.
I believe that the site of the Oakland Coliseum is an absolutely stupendous site for a sports facility. It’s a marvelous, marvelous site, Trask said on a local radio station in Northern California on Monday. “But man, it is only 32 miles from Santa Clara. That’s a lot of infrastructure in a very, very small region.”
This is an angle that hasn’t been covered a whole lot recently. When the 49ers built Levi’s Stadium, it became the first NFL venue built in the state of California since San Diego Stadium (now Qualcomm) was built back in 1967. To have two new stadiums just a few dozen miles from one another in this political climate is far-fetched.
Trask continued:
So while I know that the fans will fill both the 49ers and Raiders stadiums — should there be another one up there — I do think there’s serious, serious concerns — at least from my perspective there are — as to whether the marketplace can support two football stadiums.”
Outside of the Raiders actually being able to work with officials in Oakland, that has to be the biggest issue here. Not that the Raiders are the stepsister of the Bay Area. It’s more about market presence. And in reality, building a brand new stadium in the nation’s second-largest media market has to be more attractive for the powers to be within the Raiders organization than building one within driving distance of Levi’s.
Trask finished with an ominous prediction for those who want the Raiders to stay in their home market in Northern California.
So I think it is a significant possibility that this team relocates.”
We already know the back story here. In partnership with the San Diego Chargers, the Raiders are potentially looking to build a new stadium just south of downtown Los Angeles. The teams released a joint statement in regards to the plan, which indicates that they plan to move forward if something cannot be worked out in their home markets.
In addition to this, a recent report from the San Francisco Chronicle indicates that talks between the Raiders and city of Oakland could end within a month if no significant progress is made.
If Trask’s stance is any indication, those within the NFL’s power elite may actually believe that the Raiders relocating to Southern California is growing increasingly likely.
Photo: Dailycal.org