Post by TheShadow on Dec 20, 2009 11:22:15 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com
Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross
If their Santa Clara stadium deal falls through, the San Francisco 49ers have identified a Bay Area Plan B: Oakland.
The Oakland Coliseum, Niners President Jed York said in an interview Friday, "has the location and the infrastructure. It's right on a freeway, and it has BART access."
As for San Francisco and its envisioned stadium site at the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard? It has none of those things, York pointed out.
"At this point, Oakland just makes more sense," York said before jetting off with the team for today's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sharing a stadium with the Raiders - either in Oakland or Santa Clara - is "something that we would be open to exploring," York said. However, he added, no talks are in the works.
The NFL has quietly been pushing the idea of both local teams playing in one stadium, preferably a plush new one somewhere. York says that while the Niners would consider Oakland as a possible home, the Raiders would never play in San Francisco - at least not under current boss Al Davis.
Raiders CEO Amy Trask declined to get into any dissing of the San Francisco stadium site, but made it clear that the Raiders are "keeping an open mind" about a shared stadium - especially if it's in Oakland.
York "is right about (the Coliseum) being close to BART and the freeways," she said. "It also has infrastructure, and Amtrak right next door."
York's comments come on the heels of a busy week for the 49ers, including the launching of a campaign to gain voter approval for the Santa Clara stadium with a mailer featuring the endorsement of 52 city bigwigs.
Last week also saw the sale of Cedar Fair, owner of the Great America theme park next to the proposed stadium site, to Apollo Global Management. That could complicate stadium talks - or it could be the first step in the 49ers taking over Great America.
If it all falls apart in Santa Clara, however, York said the 49ers want to stay around here. The team has no interest in Los Angeles, contrary to recent speculation, he said.
"The Bay Area is our home," York said.
Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross
If their Santa Clara stadium deal falls through, the San Francisco 49ers have identified a Bay Area Plan B: Oakland.
The Oakland Coliseum, Niners President Jed York said in an interview Friday, "has the location and the infrastructure. It's right on a freeway, and it has BART access."
As for San Francisco and its envisioned stadium site at the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard? It has none of those things, York pointed out.
"At this point, Oakland just makes more sense," York said before jetting off with the team for today's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sharing a stadium with the Raiders - either in Oakland or Santa Clara - is "something that we would be open to exploring," York said. However, he added, no talks are in the works.
The NFL has quietly been pushing the idea of both local teams playing in one stadium, preferably a plush new one somewhere. York says that while the Niners would consider Oakland as a possible home, the Raiders would never play in San Francisco - at least not under current boss Al Davis.
Raiders CEO Amy Trask declined to get into any dissing of the San Francisco stadium site, but made it clear that the Raiders are "keeping an open mind" about a shared stadium - especially if it's in Oakland.
York "is right about (the Coliseum) being close to BART and the freeways," she said. "It also has infrastructure, and Amtrak right next door."
York's comments come on the heels of a busy week for the 49ers, including the launching of a campaign to gain voter approval for the Santa Clara stadium with a mailer featuring the endorsement of 52 city bigwigs.
Last week also saw the sale of Cedar Fair, owner of the Great America theme park next to the proposed stadium site, to Apollo Global Management. That could complicate stadium talks - or it could be the first step in the 49ers taking over Great America.
If it all falls apart in Santa Clara, however, York said the 49ers want to stay around here. The team has no interest in Los Angeles, contrary to recent speculation, he said.
"The Bay Area is our home," York said.