San Antonio officials yesterday confirmed that Raiders Owner Mark Davis and "two top lieutenants met" recently with several city execs to "discuss the potential of moving" the team from Oakland, according to a front-page piece by Baugh & Orsborn of the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS. Davis on the weekend of July 18 "met with the officials," including former San Antonio mayors Henry Cisneros and Julian Castro. San Antonio "has often been used as a bargaining chip for pro sports franchises trying to negotiate better deals in their own respective cities, but sources have characterized Davis' interest in San Antonio to be at least somewhat more serious." He is "clearly perturbed with his current situation in Oakland," where the team's lease at O.co Coliseum expires after the '14 season. Cisneros, who "led the charge to build the Alamodome when he was mayor, has been described by sources as the architect of the meeting." His son-in-law is Raiders Dir of Corporate Sponsorship Sales Brad Badger. However, Cisneros "tempered the significance of the meetings." He said that over the years, he had "become friends with Davis, who was already coming to San Antonio for an event." Cisneros said that he "wanted to take the opportunity to make a pitch to Davis in case he decides to relocate the team." Sources said that Davis and his associates "spent two or three days" in San Antonio, "visiting the Alamodome and other places." Baugh & Orsborn report the Alamodome "would be a temporary home at best" for the Raiders, and if the team relocates, Davis "is expected to seek a new stadium within a few years." Though San Antonio "ranks 36th in the country's top television markets, the Raiders have a significant Hispanic fan base and Davis apparently believes his team would do well in South Texas" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS- NEWS, 7/30).
DIVING INSIDE THE TALKS: San Antonio Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Richard Perez, who was involved in some of the discussions with Davis, said Davis was "very appreciative that San Antonio brought together such a group" to talk about potentially providing a new home for the team. Davis also met with San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley, who said talks involved "the possible use of the Alamodome for future NFL games and potential relocation" of the team. However, Sculley added talks "are in a very preliminary stage" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/29). Davis yesterday said of the trip, Davis said, "Former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros is a friend, and Henry suggested I take the opportunity to meet with some city officials while I was in town. I have nothing further to discuss on the topic" (Mult., 7/29).
SETTING THE TONE: YAHOO SPORTS' Frank Schwab wrote it is "fair to wonder if this is a bluff by Davis, a move to put some heat on Oakland officials to get a new stadium." It is "worth noting that the meeting happened about a week-and-a-half ago, and the story was leaked to a San Antonio newspaper." If the Raiders "were really just engaging in a public staredown, using San Antonio as a bargaining chip, part of that process is actually making the meeting public" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/29). SPORTS ON EARTH's Mike Tanier wrote the Raiders "are not moving to San Antonio," as they "are just getting some leverage on upcoming stadium rebuild." Since late Raiders Owner Al Davis moved the Raiders to L.A. for a few years and "declared himself sovereign king of Los Angeles for years afterward, Mark Davis can’t seriously threaten to go there" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 7/29). ESPN's Adam Caplan said of the relocation threat, "I don’t think it’s that serious yet. But if (Davis) doesn’t have an answer when this lease is done, let’s say in late December, November, ... I think something could be very, very serious with San Antonio” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/30).
NOT A REALISTIC POSSIBILITY: CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto noted San Antonio hosting an NFL team is "not doable for a bunch of different reasons," including the fact the Alamodome is not "NFL ready." There has been "no indication that San Antonio wants to fund an expansion of the stadium," and there "really isn't a big enough corporate base to house what the Raiders need." He added San Antonio currently is Cowboys and Texans' territory. Ratto: "If you go in there, you're the third-most popular team even though you're the team in town. I think it's a desperate attempt by Mark Davis to say, 'Hey, we could go somewhere'" ("Yahoo Sports Talk Live," CSN Bay Area, 7/29). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted if Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and Texans Owner Bob McNair "do not want another in the state of Texas, it would be very difficult for this to happen at all" ("Inside Training Camp Live," NFL Network, 7/29).
JERRY'S WORLD ORDER: Jones yesterday said he thought people were "joking with me" when he heard about the Raiders relocation rumors. He called San Antonio "a great city and a great sports town." Jones: "I am very pleased that we have the fan base that we have down there and the percentage of fans we have (in San Antonio). I think it is 97, 98, 99 percent Cowboys fans in the area. But it doesn't surprise me at all. I know that there were those kind of rumors regarding the Saints" (NFL.com, 7/29). Jones added, "My interest in San Antonio is because how important it is to the Cowboys, and our history of having our training camp there and the fact that we’ve got such a tremendous fan base in San Antonio." In Ft. Worth, Charean Williams notes NFL rules "require 24 of 32 owners approve move of a team, and Jones likely wouldn’t let the Raiders move to Texas without a fight" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/30). More Jones: "San Antonio is very important to the Dallas Cowboys. We have the exact same percentage of fans in San Antonio as we do in Plano, Texas -- about 98 percent. It would be difficult for them to make headway. I'll make sure of that. That would be very difficult" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 7/29).
DON'T FORGET ABOUT OAKLAND: In S.F., Matier & Ross report planners for a new, largely privately financed Raiders stadium "are considering ... a retractable or transparent roof." Sources said that given the $900M-1.2B cost of a new stadium, planners are "aiming for a building that can host not just sporting events but also concerts, conventions and other functions that require dry weather." However, sources said that planners "are still trying to determine if they could attract enough such events to justify the added cost" -- anywhere from $100-200M or more. The Raiders "would prefer an open-air stadium with natural turf" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/30).
