Post by TheShadow on Nov 6, 2005 11:32:58 GMT -5
www.contracostatimes.com/
NEIL HAYES: TIMES COLUMNIST
The discontinuation of costly PSLs and the PSL fees attached to single-game tickets will make Raiders football less cost prohibitive. That alone, however, won't ensure that home games will be sold out and TV blackouts avoided.
The team's first order of business now that it's back in charge of marketing and ticket distribution should be finding a way to make the game experience more inclusive to the corporate community and those who don't consider themselves card-carrying members of the Raider Nation.
The team has long cultivated the image of the Raiders vs. the world and that contributes to the feeling of unease felt by casual fans. Numerous suburban parents -- including Raiders fans -- have told me they would never take their kids to a game. Much has been done during the past decade to police fans. The atmosphere has improved, but the perception clearly remains.
Those beefy guys with beer bellies wearing polka-dotted dresses and pig snouts don't define Redskins fans any more than those beefy guys with beer bellies wearing dog masks and throwing bones don't define all Browns fans.
When people think of Raiders fans, however, they think of spikes protruding through shoulder pads and silver-and-black striped faces. That's a stereotype, obviously, but there's no disputing that that is the perception.
This is not intended to be a knock on Raiders fans. The best fans are passionate, and Raiders fans have passion oozing out of every painted pore. The problem is fans who lack such passion feel uncomfortable among the zealots.
We've heard it all before. People claim there is too much crude behavior and too many creepy costumes for the Coliseum to be family-friendly (unless it's the Addams family) or a place where corporate executives can entertain clients.
These common complaints always produce a firestorm of counterpoints from fans who argue that the Coliseum is no worse on game days then other NFL stadiums and that the kids who do come aren't scarred for life.
They're both right. But arguing the reality is pointless because the perception is indisputable. Casual fans often feel intimidated, fans of opposing teams fear being targeted and CEOs are reluctant to link their corporate image with the Raiders' unruly image.
That's what needs to change because winning is no longer a cure-all. There's no reason to believe a franchise that has gone 80-87 since 1995 will suddenly revert to the level of success it enjoyed in the '60s and '70s.
Remember, even when the Raiders were riding high, winning three straight division titles and advancing to the Super Bowl, there were still blackouts.
They need to broaden their fan base. The Raiders need to reach out to help fill empty seats and convince corporate partners to buy air time during radio broadcasts and lease the luxury suites that are currently blinking vacancy.
Reaching out means making a commitment to fans who have made a commitment to buying season tickets. Why city and county officials agreed to abolish PSLs without the Raiders extending their lease is a mystery. It seems only fair. Eliminating PSLs is a huge concession, especially with a $152 million debt to pay and the only way to pay it being through an increased share of parking, concessions and money saved by turning marketing and ticket distribution back to the team.
There's no guarantee those revenues will continue after 2011, when the team's lease expires, which means Oakland remains the Raiders home -- for now.
Al Davis said at Wednesday's news conference that the team has five years to make this work, which implies that he has other options if it doesn't. But what options are there, really? Where could the Raiders possibly go?
As much the NFL wants to take advantage of Los Angeles' huge TV market, and as much as officials there might want a franchise, would they really want to broker a deal with Davis given his litigious history and the lingering ill will regarding the Raiders' departure?
What's left? New Orleans? San Antonio? Omaha?
If the Chargers move to Anaheim or L.A., Davis could relocate to San Diego. The Raiders are a big draw there, but the lawlessness that has become commonplace when they visit San Diego creates the same image problems they have in Oakland.
If the Raiders can't make it here, they can't make it anywhere. But they're going to have to work at this. Printing tickets and opening the turnstiles isn't good enough, even if the team were to revert to its winning ways.
Eliminating PSLs will make tickets more affordable, but that alone isn't enough. They need to remake their image. They need to change the perception that home games are rated "R" for mature audiences only. It's the only way they will make this work, and they have to make it work because there's no place else to go and nobody left to sue.