Last Dive Bar 🏟

I was in the building during those negotiations, so I know firsthand what actually transpired. The City of Oakland wanted to use a developer the NFL refused to approve. That same developer expected a 25% ownership stake in the Raiders without contributing a single dollar of capital to the project. Let that sink in. We had architectural renderings and plans to build a new stadium on the existing Coliseum site. In fact, it was our preferred location because of the existing infrastructure and ingress/egress advantages. All we asked was for the city and county to help fund the necessary infrastructure improvements. As a last resort, we even offered John Fisher an ownership stake in the Raiders to help get a deal across the finish line. He declined. We subsequently purchased land in Carson, contingent upon NFL approval, but the Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles effectively eliminated that option. Las Vegas became a legitimate opportunity largely because of Napoleon McCallum’s longstanding relationship with Sheldon Adelson. Adelson also wanted a significant ownership stake in exchange for his financial involvement. Ultimately, negotiations broke down over ownership, and the Raiders moved forward without having to give or sell him a stake in the team. Now, here’s where the irony becomes absolutely fucking spectacular. Ray is a fucking dumbshit, and there’s a reason the Warriors packed their bags and left Oakland. The City of Oakland repeatedly undermined opportunities to retain its professional sports franchises while protecting the interests of John Fisher, the same asshole who stood in the way of the Warriors building an arena in Oakland and the Raiders developing a new stadium at the Coliseum. And what did Oakland get for its loyalty? The Warriors left, The Raiders left, & Fisher, the very guy Oakland had been politically and financially cozying up to, ultimately took the Athletics to Las Vegas for a better opportunity. Three professional franchises gone, and the one ownership group Oakland bent over backward to accommodate delivered the final kick in the teeth. You genuinely couldn’t write a better story about political incompetence, misplaced loyalty, and the consequences of spectacularly shitty leadership. Oakland didn’t just lose three teams. Its leadership helped create the very circumstances that drove them away.