Where Will the Raiders Go?

In major sports, each team’s home can be the difference between a win and a loss, fans cheering and making noise so loud you could hear it from a mile away.

  The Oakland Raiders have been in California for their entire existence, but that is subject to change. The Raiders have planned a move to Las Vegas ever since a loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2017 NFL playoffs. With their new stadium under construction and Alameda County suing the Raiders, the team has nowhere to go.

  The Oakland Raiders do not have a home field yet. Their new stadium will not be ready until 2020. However, Alameda County sued the Raiders due to their move to Las Vegas, claiming illegality. As a result of this conflict, the Raiders are not likely going to spend another year in the Coliseum, so they are scrambling to find a field for the Raiders’ 8 home games.

  The Raiders’ schedule for the 2019 season has them playing home games and they’re the “home” team for a game in London, England. The Raiders have negotiated with many cities to find venues they can call home.

  There has been talk about the Raiders spending one more year in Oakland and this seems to be the best option for fans. If it’s in Oakland, they could get a proper send off instead of their week 16 game against the Denver Broncos, where the Raiders owned the Broncos 27-14. This is not likely to happen after the lawsuit however.

  If this cannot be done, the Raiders have a plan to play in Sam Boyd Stadium, home to the Monster Energy Cup, the UNLV Rebels, and the anual Las Vegas bowl. This could be very convenient for the Raiders as they do not need to do much to move to their new stadium once it is built.

  There is still hope for the raiders playing their last game in the bay area. The Raiders organization has been talking to the people at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Formerly known as AT&T park, it it the home of the San Francisco Baseball Giants. There are issues with this. First, the Raiders need to get permission from the Giants and the San Francisco 49ers to play there. The Giants own the stadium and the 49ers have territorial rights. Due to this the 49ers can easily say no.

  If this does not pan out, there are plans for the Raiders to play in Tucson, Arizona and Birmingham, Alabama. Tucson offers Arizona Stadium, home of the University of Arizona Wildcats. Birmingham offers Legion Field, home of the Birmingham Iron, an Alliance of American Football team.

  Not only is there talk of the Raiders playing in one of these stadiums, but both of them during one season. Even though these venues are 1,500 miles apart, the Raiders are thinking of the two cities sharing their 7 home games. This plan could end up happening due to both stadiums agreeing to house the teams if all other options fall through.

  The Raiders need a to find a home stadium soon not only so they can find a place to train and practice, but also so that the teams visiting the Raiders will know to set up their trips and so fans know where to go to see their rivals or home team play. The Alameda County Coliseum should just let the Raiders play their final year in Oakland and properly send them off instead of the Raiders just randomly leaving.