Patience, Raiders fans

Relax Raiders fans, your beloved team is going nowhere, at least for now.
Last Tuesday’s landmark decision means that the St. Louis Rams will move to Los Angeles this year. The San Diego Chargers will likely join them soon, leaving the Raiders as the odd team out. The City of Los Angeles is unlikely  to host three teams.
Now that the move has been officially rejected, the Raiders can focus on better options, such as staying put and focusing on turning around a franchise that has endured 13 straight losing seasons.
But to keep the Raiders, Oakland needs a new stadium. During the past year, the Raiders have operated on a one-year lease at the Coliseum, after asking to move for years.
Their current stadium is the only NFL stadium that still houses the local MLB team and is by far the most disgusting, outdated stadium in either league. The baseball field is visible during football games, which is an eyesore for fans, and the overall structure of the stadium is so decrepit that it is past the point of renovation.
“Oakland has so much to offer the NFL and the Raiders, starting with its passionate fans,” Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf told the Mercury News. “We have one of the strongest markets in the league and one of the best sites for transit accessibility.”
To build a brand new stadium, Oakland needs the support of its residents and a great deal of cash. Once residents find out the money would come out of their taxes, support for a new stadium goes down considerably.
But what about Raiders owner Mark Davis? Shouldn’t he pay out of his own pocket?
That is exactly how Rams owner Stan Kroenke was able to secure 60 acres of land in LA to build his proposed $1.9 billion stadium.
Clearly Davis does not want to fork over the money and Oakland definitely does not want to raise taxes as city officials did not make a presentation to keep the team.
With both sides at such an impasse, it is upsetting that fans must go into each season uncertain if team will be in Oakland next year.
Now that LA is out of the question, staying put will gain an increased amount of momentum.
But this might be exactly what the city wanted. Proposing a stadium project now would not do anything since the team or city has no idea what they want to do.
Instead, fans should remain patient and watch the continued improvement of their Raiders team in Oakland.