There is a lot of controversy surrounding the Oakland Raiders, without relating to the success the team is having this season. The Raiders find themselves at 4-1, but the organization is dealing with inner turmoil regarding their location.
It is no secret that the organization is debating the relocation of the franchise to Las Vegas, Nevada. The owners seem to be on board with the idea and are in the process or receiving approval.
A major stepping-stone was accomplished on Tuesday, via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Manfred said Oakland mayor's preference is baseball. So A's over Raiders.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) October 11, 2016
Currently, the Raiders share the Coliseum with the Oakland Athletics, as the only remaining NFL/MLB combination to both use the same field.
With the mayor’s preference to keep the Athletics in Oakland, it shines a light on the scenario regarding the Raiders.
The Raiders are currently tied atop the AFC West, with the Denver Broncos. The team’s large fan base on the west coast doesn’t stop in California, as a large following does exist in Nevada.
With the situation in Oakland in turmoil, Nevada has taken a major step towards the relocation to their state, via Ian Cull of NBC Bay Area:
#BREAKING: #Raiders stadium deal in Las Vegas approved by Nevada Senate…now must be passed by Assembly, which reconvenes Thursday. #nvleg https://t.co/oMlA6AwvAx
— Ian Cull (@NBCian) October 12, 2016
The upcoming vote on Thursday could lay the base to an actual reasonable relocation for the Raiders. Although the relocation shouldn’t affect the production of the actual team, this situation pertains to the fan base and organization.
The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1994, after competing for 12 seasons in Los Angeles. The late Al Davis was unable to perform improvements to the stadium, which resulted in the initial move.
If the upcoming vote gets approved, it would mark the first official notice about the seriousness of the state to relocate the coveted NFL franchise.
