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Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers May Share New Stadium?
July 21, 2011 by Dan Paryzch
Filed under Latest News, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers
The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers are just two of numerous teams hoping to land a new stadium to play in over the next few years. While it appears the 49ers are set to begin building the new stadium in Santa Barbara in 18 months, it seems like there’s a chance they may end up sharing a stadium with their Bay Area neighbors.
On Wednesday, Mike Rosenberg and Howard Mintz of MercuryNews.com discussed how the 49ers and Raiders have held talks over the last few years about the possibility of a joint stadium. Considering both teams are looking to build new stadiums, it seems highly unlikely the NFL will provide funding for two stadiums so close to each other–which is why a possible joint stadium makes sense.
From Rosenberg and Mintz’s article:
The proposed multibillion-dollar agreement between the NFL players and owners, which could be signed this week, not only returns players to practice facilities, but also will provide league financing for a reported three new stadiums, including the hub the 49ers say they are committed to build in Santa Clara starting in 18 months, a league source said.
But the near-certainty that the league will fund just one Bay Area stadium steps up the pressure on the 49ers and Raiders to join forces, escalating the prospect that two professional football teams could end up in Santa Clara. That won’t play well in Oakland, where officials on Wednesday unveiled plans for a two-team stadium next to the O.co Coliseum in hopes of luring both teams. The teams said Wednesday that they continue to discuss a joint stadium, as they have for years, but that there are no looming plans to move in together.
The most important factor with the new stadium is how much money the 49ers can get from the NFL. The article indicates how the team still needs about three-fourths of the money still to build the $987 million and the 49ers would only get anywhere from $125 to $140 million in funding from the NFL–so there’s still plenty of factors that need to be worked out first.
Of course, the NFL may be willing to provide more funding if there were two teams involved with the new stadium–which could end up being a key factor in the entire process.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych