An airplane flies a banner over the stadium as the Denver Broncos face the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, November 6, 2016.
Oakland Raiders fan groups sent a message Sunday to Raiders’ owner Mark Davis when they handed out 10,000 signs and flew a banner over the Coliseum before the team’s game with the Denver Broncos.
The groups don’t want Davis to move the team to Las Vegas and they want to show Davis that other fans in Northern California do not want him to either.
SaveOaklandSports co-founder Jim Zelinski said:
“We’re absolutely not okay with it.”
SaveOaklandSports is one of the groups sponsoring Sunday’s message to Davis, along with the groups Stay in Oakland and the Oakland Raiders Booster Club. An airplane flew over the area between 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. and the groups handed out signs that say “Stay in Oakland.”
Zelinski argued that fans are the bedrock of every franchise and fans’ 44 years of loyalty should be repaid:
“We’ve done our part,” he said. As far as a fan base, “We have a great one here,” he said.
No final decision has been made on whether the Raiders leave Oakland, but steps have been taken in Las Vegas that might woo the team there.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill into law last month that would provide $750 million to build a stadium for the Raiders. The money would come from hotel tax revenue.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said that the final decision about where the Raiders play in the future will be made by the National Football League and its owners.
Last modified November 6, 2016 10:28 pm
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