Oakland Raiders: 3 Bold Predictions For Mark Davis’ Tenure As Owner
Jan 10, 2012; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis at press conference to announce his hiring of Reggie McKenzie (not pictured) as Oakland Raiders general manager at the Oakland Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
When I say that there will never be another owner who will love the Oakland Raiders as much as Al Davis did, I will generally garner agreement. While the same standard can’t be applied to his son Mark Davis, the Raider Nation has confidence in him as an owner.
To analyse the future prospects of Davis’ tenure as owner is extremely difficult given the short history, and the relative mystery associated with the guy. To analyze the future one must always consider the past, but in this case I will take the philosophy that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. At least not too far, I hope.
1. Raiders will become a perennial powerhouse again in the next 3 years:
Most football analysts agree that the Silver and Black are headed in the right direction. With the arrival of general manager Reggie McKenzie, the personnel side of the organization is generally thought to be in good hands.
The gross negligence and mismanagement of the last decade dealt Davis and McKenzie a bad hand. With good decision making over the past two years, the Raiders are now in stable condition. Next year, the projected salary cap space is over $60 million.
With that much cap space, a young core of players starting to come into their own and a good coaching staff–it’s almost a no-brainer to say the Raiders are headed for success. The reality of the modern day NFL guarantees no one success, but the fundamental building blocks of this Raiders team is being laid out in hard work and good character.
Nov 18, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; General view of the O.co Coliseum during the playing of the national anthem with a United States flag on the field as part of Salute to Service month before the NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
2. The Raiders get a new stadium in the next 7 years:
The deterioration of the O.co Coliseum has been of note recently, with the highly ridiculed overflowing of the locker rooms with sewage during an Oakland A’s game. With the Raiders considered to have one of the worst stadiums in the NFL, Davis realizes that he needs a new building in the near future.
In my opinion, the Raiders should have shared Levi’s Stadium with the San Francisco 49ers, no matter how repulsive that sounds to either fan base. With the failure of local governments in California, resources are indeed scarce.
For a team to play eight regular season and two preseason games in a billion dollar stadium is a ridiculous misappropriation of resources. Sharing a venue made too much sense, and that may as well have been the reason for inaction. That ship may have sailed unless the NFL steps in and plays the role that it should have in the beginning.
With 47 percent of the shares, Mark Davis holds enough power in the boardroom to run the day-to-day operations of the team.
Recently, reports surfaced indicating the Raiders were considering a 50,000 seat stadium at the current location, but were only willing to fork out $250 million of the $800 million required for such a stadium. This is not a good situation for the Raiders. A 50,000 seat stadium is terribly small and is downright insulting to the fan base, not to mention the lack of foresight considering the Raiders filled the 63,000 capacity O.co coliseum in their heyday.
My instincts tell me the ownership and the NFL realize that Oakland needs a new building, and I predict they find a way to get it done in the next seven years.
3. Raider Nation will add a new member as in new Ownership.
Sometimes when you love something, you have to let it go; to set it free.
Given the financial limitations of the Davis family, it saddens me to say the Raiders would be better off under someone else’s guidance. The Bay Area is blessed with immense wealth, due in large part to the capitalistic exploits of the great tech industry. Is there a Raiders sympathizer amongst these wealthy leaders of industry?
The recent example of the Sacramento Kings should give us all hope. The Kings fans needed a miracle to save their team from relocating–in stepped a group of buyers, and a mayor who never gave up hope. Sound like a Hollywood script? It may one day be such.
The Raiders need an owner not just to get a new stadium but to keep the team in the Bay Area. For that to happen, the capital has to come from the Bay Area.
I can’t see the Davis family holding on to the Raiders for too much longer, without holding it back. What happens in the future with the Raiders ownership? The jury is still out. But I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
For the Raider Nation, somewhere in that equation lies aspirations for a fourth championship. If it happens under Mark Davis or not, will determine the future lore of this once feared and respected franchise.
A franchise that boasts greats like Howie Long, Jack Tatum, Lester Hayes, and Ted Hendricks to name a few. A franchise that boasts participation in games like ”Ghost to the Post”, ”Tuck Rule Game”, ”Heidi Game”, ”Sea of Hands” to name a few.