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The Oakland Raiders had their final game in Oakland, California, on December 15, 2019. For 59 years, fans in Oakland were among the loudest in the NFL. They earned the nickname "The Black Hole" for being rowdy, dressed up in costumes, and passionate. When the Raiders moved to Las Vegas, it understandably meant a singe of heartbreak pierced through the fanbase.
Why did the Raiders leave their home of 59 years to play in Las Vegas? It has a lot to do with money and funding, as well as the fact that the field was shared by a baseball diamond.
Why did the Raiders leave Oakland?
Their old stadium needed renovation and funding
The biggest reason the Raiders had to leave was that their old stadium was in dire need of repairs. They shared the Oakland Coliseum with the Oakland Athletics in what was the last shared stadium in sports. Unfortunately, there were issues with sewer backups and flooding that would be expensive to repair.
The Raiders tried for ten years to get funding from the NFL to help them with the repairs. In 2009 they signed a short-term extension to see what they could do to stay. The Raiders were willing to fork over $200 million and were hoping the NFL would pitch in with an additional $300 million.
The catch was that the remaining $300 million would have to come at the expense of the taxpayers of Oakland. Raiders fans are diehards fans. But their attendance numbers were the fourth lowest in the league in 2019. The mayor and a majority of citizens weren't fans of the idea of having their taxes increased to save their football team.
Las Vegas made them an offer they couldn't refuse
The Raiders had proposed plans to move to Los Angeles before the Los Angeles Rams did. The NFL shut them down, however, and preferred to find a way to keep them in Oakland. But when Las Vegas offered $700 million to the Raiders to build a new stadium, it was a wrap.
The NFL approved the Raiders' move on March 27, 2017. The franchise subsequently chose to stay in Oakland until the stadium in Vegas was ready. In their final three seasons at Oakland, there wasn't much for the fans to celebrate.
The Raiders went out on a whimper
The 2018 season finale was thought to be Oakland's last home game before they moved. The Raiders won the game and the celebration was extraordinary. Things changed in 2019 when the Raiders stayed for one final season as the new stadium wasn't ready yet. The home finale of their final season was met with boos from fans as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Week 1 of this season was the first time fans were allowed in a Las Vegas home game. Fans have raved about the new stadium since.
