Report: Raiders choose San Francisco Giants' stadium for 2019 home, but obstacles remain
The Oakland Raiders have reportedly chosen to go from sharing a stadium with Oakland’s baseball team to … sharing a stadium with San Francisco’s baseball team.
Scheduled to move to Las Vegas ahead of the 2020 season, the Raiders have decided to use Oracle Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants previously known as AT&T Park, as their home stadium for 2019, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The news was first reported by NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai.
The #Raiders have made their choice. The #49ers and the NFL have to approve this for it to be final, and that has not happened yet. https://t.co/nk2SKnETyw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 4, 2019
There are still some major hoops the Raiders will have to jump through before they can begin figuring out tickets, though. The team will need approval from both the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers, as the latter holds territorial rights that could stonewall the Raiders from their intended home.
The #49ers would have to waive their territorial rights for the Raiders to play next season in San Francisco. Sources tell me the 49ers have not signed off on this. Also, the NFL would have to approve the move, and that has not occurred, either, according to the sources. https://t.co/8SkP08ryCj
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) February 4, 2019
That would be an interesting decision for the 49ers, as their own Levi’s Stadium was considered a strong possibility for the Raiders’ 2019 stadium. With the city of Oakland aggressively looking to do the Raiders no favor in the midst of an acrimonious divorce, the Raiders have basically been looking for any stadium that will have them.
Playing at a baseball stadium probably isn’t what Raiders fans were looking for, but hey, at least the team won’t have to fly in from London every other game.
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