Oakland Raiders: Lew Wolff’s Greed May Drive Raiders Out Of Bay Area
By Kevin Saito
Though neither the Oakland Raiders, nor elements within the local government are releasing details of the financial plan presented by Floyd Kephart – by virtue of a confidentiality agreement – a plan has indeed been presented. As of now, the city of Oakland has twenty days to review said plan and either give it a thumbs up, thumbs down, or ask to phone a friend before making a decision.
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And even though nobody outside the Raiders’ organization and Oakland city officials have seen, let alone read Kephart’s financing report thanks to that pesky confidentiality agreement, the plan has one major antagonist already – Oakland A’s co-owner Lew Wolff.
Speaking to the Contra Costa Times, Wolff said:
"“We have thoroughly investigated things. And there is no good way to put two brand-new venues at the Coliseum site. If the Raiders are going to be there, then I don’t know what will happen. We’ll have to sit down with Rob (Manfred) and see what to do.”"
If you don’t happen to have your Wolff to English dictionary handy, allow us to translate what he is, in essence, saying:
"“I want the pie. The whole pie. I refuse to share even a single slice with Mark Davis or anybody. And if you try to force me to give up a slice of my pie, I’m taking my ball and going home. So there.”"
Yeah, needless to say, Wolff’s sharing skills need some work.
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Kephart’s development plan, known as Coliseum City, calls for new venues to be built on the existing land the Coliseum currently occupies – one for the Raiders, one for the A’s. There is also plenty of land dedicated to parking, housing, retail and office space. The drab, dreary land the Coliseum currently occupies would be transformed into a lively, bustling, and revitalized area.
Should Coliseum City be constructed, it could very well be a win-win-win situation. The Raiders and A’s would both have the new stadiums they have been wanting for years – and they wouldn’t have to go to Southern California or San Jose to get them.
It could also be an increase of money flowing into the city of Oakland’s coffers as a lively “downtown” section of shops and restaurants would give people a reason to stay in the area rather than running from the Coliseum straight to the BART station and getting back to the San Francisco side of the Bay.
Coliseum City could be a destination rather than the place you hope to get out of before the sun goes down.
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But even though it could be advantageous for all involved, Wolff is having none of it. And it all boils down to one simple thing – Lew Wolff’s greed.
In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Wolff said:
"“I don’t want this fellow (Kephart) telling the A’s what to do. We have no desire to compete with the Raiders for PSLs (personal seat licenses) and sponsors. We just don’t see that.”"
Aside from the fact that all Kephart is doing is presenting a viable plan that would allow the Raiders and the A’s to finally ditch the only joint baseball/football stadium left in the NFL and MLB and give them shiny new homes – something they both desire greatly – he is not “telling what the A’s to do” in the least. He’s providing options that allow everybody to get something they wants.
What Wolff is more concerned with than these phantom demands made by Kephart, is his belief that he is going to have to compete with the Raiders for PSL’s and sponsors – in other words, sources of revenue. Wolff is more concerned with the gravy train drying up than anything.
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But given the fact that the A’s and Raiders have co-existed in the same stadium for decades now, the idea that they would suddenly be scrambling for sponsorship dollars is silly. At best. Both teams already have lucrative sponsorship deals with a number of different companies – and have for some time. They idea that they would suddenly be competing for those sponsorship dollars is somewhat ridiculous and completely disingenuous.
What Wolff wants is to be the only game in town – because in his mind, if the A’s are the only pro sports team in town, people will have no choice but to line up and throw their money at him. Right?
Of course, what Wolff fails to realize is that nothing will fill his coffers like a winning organization. A club that currently sits in the cellar of the AL West at 32-41 and is ten games out – well – people aren’t exactly beating down the doors to see them.
The 120-acre parcel of land the Coliseum currently sits on is more than large enough to house a new stadium for the Raiders, the A’s, as well as all of the housing and retail development that the project calls for. It’s not like the two stadiums will be built on top of one another.
Assuming that Kephart, the Raiders, and the city of Oakland/Alameda County can close the $400 million dollar gap, the only thing standing in the way of progress – and keeping the Raiders in town – is Lew Wolff’s intransigence. And his intransigence is fueled by his greed.
Because the A’s signed a ten-year lease to stay in the Coliseum – we can only assume because Wolff enjoys when the sewage backs up into the rat-infested locker rooms – they may hold the trump card in all of this. If Wolff remains intractable in his position to be a petulant, selfish little child and screw over Mark Davis and the Raiders, there may be nothing anybody can do about it.
Raider fans in the East Bay can only sit back and hope that Wolff comes to his senses and walks back his position. Otherwise, the Raiders will have no other choice but to head south.