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The Road to the SuperBowl: The NFL Playoffs (1 Viewer)

Scott Merryfield

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Plus, why not challenge the NFL in a case like that? You want a team to stay stagnated in an area that doesn't support its team?
Teams do not always move because of lack of fan support. Oakland fans have always supported the Raiders, and Modell moved the Browns despite Cleveland having one of the most loyal fan bases in the league. Owners hold cities hostage to get new stadiums built with other people's money, or to get the best lease arrangement possible. If the Raiders and Browns are willing to move, it can happen to any city, except maybe Green Bay (since the city owns the team).
Don't make Davis and Modell's motives out to be anything more than they were. They didn't give a damn about the fans, only about following the money. The same thing happened with the Colts, Oilers, Rams and Cardinals (although Bidwell wasn't bright enough to do it right).
 

Patrick_S

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What is Al Davis' day job ?
Kirk to more clearly answer your question, unlike the majority of NFL and pro sport team owners Davis has accumulated the majority of his wealth from his involvement in football.

He didn't make a lot of money in another business and then buy into a team but rather he simply worked his way up from scout, assistant coach, head coach and then into management/ownership.

I know he has also made some money in land investments but that came after he had already made it to the management/ownership level with the Raiders.

So while the game may have or may not have passed him by it is clear that regardless of his faults he really does know more about football then the majority of his peers. (Owners)
 

Scott Merryfield

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Kirk to more clearly answer your question, unlike the majority of NFL and pro sport team owners Davis has accumulated the majority of his wealth from his involvement in football.
Davis comes from a time when it was far less expensive to buy a professional sports team, so he was able to do this and then thrive financially due to the NFL's tremendous success. The Rooney family in Pittsburgh benefitted even more, since they have owned the Steelers since the 1930's. Of course, there were lots of hard times in the early years, since professional sports was not the financial success back then that it is now.

In today's sports economics, we will never see another owner that does not have another primary source of funds. Teams are too expensive to purchase.
 

Kirk Gunn

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Thanks guys - I didn't realize he had so much history with the Raiders ! Regardless of anyone's opinion, he undeniably knows how to play "the game".
 

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