It’s not exactly a secret that the owner of the Oakland Raiders, Mark Davis, has been considering moving the team to another city for quite some time. While the option of Los Angeles always remains in the air, maybe moving to San Antonio, a city with only one professional team, is the more likely scenario.
Davis was in San Antonio recently, although he tried to downplay the reason for him being there.
I was in San Antonio to honor Cliff Branch on his induction into the PVILCA [Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association] Hall of Fame. Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros is a friend, and Henry suggested I take the opportunity to meet with some of the city officials while we were in town. I have nothing further to discuss on the topic.
Another thing Davis was able to squeeze into his busy schedule while in Texas? Meet with San Antonio Spurs owner Red McCombs. Remember, the Raiders lease runs out at the end of this season, so if there won’t be anything football-worthy to talk about, which just might be the case, speculation of moving the franchise is simply going to take over very quickly.
According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, the meeting with McCombs wasn’t just a friendly experience for Davis, who was using the trip also as a scouting opportunity.
Billionaire B.J. ‘Red’ McCombs believes Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis’ visit to San Antonio last month was a sincere effort to gauge whether it’s a viable NFL market and that he returned to the Bay Area with a favorable impression of the city and its leaders. McCombs said he believes there is a ‘definite possibility there may be a relocation’ and that ‘it’s a myth that San Antonio is a bargaining chip.’ Davis’ relationship with Cisneros also gives San Antonio an advantage should the Raiders decide to leave California, McCombs said.
San Antonio has 1.4 million residents and over 2.2 million in its Metro area. It is the second largest city in Texas and the fastest growing among the top 10 most populated US Cities. Aside from the Spurs, the city doesn’t have much to offer in terms of professional sports, so the Raiders becoming another Texas team might mean big business.
| Club | League | Founded | Venue (capacity) | Attendance | Titles | Championship years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTSA Roadrunners | Division I (NCAA) football | 2011 | Alamodome (65,000) | 35,521 | 0 | |
| San Antonio Spurs | National Basketball Association | 1967 | AT&T Center (18,580) | 18,431 | 5 | 1999, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2013-14 |
| San Antonio Stars | WNBA | 1997 | AT&T Center (18,580) | 7,850 | 0 | |
| San Antonio Talons | Arena Football League | 2000 | Alamodome (65,000) | 7,715 | 2 | 2003, 2007 |
| San Antonio Scorpions | North American Soccer League | 2010 | Toyota Field (8,300) | 7,074 | 0 | |
| San Antonio Rampage | American Hockey League | 2002 | AT&T Center (16,000) | 6,505 | 0 |