Raiders on Verge of First Ever Season Ticket Sell-out
The Oakland Raiders have spent the better part of the last decade as the poster boys for the cellar dwellers of the NFL. Questionable front office decisions, inconsistent coaching and awful draft choices had rendered the once-mighty Raiders the laughing stock of the league, but no longer.
On the back of a much-improved 2015 campaign and a productive offseason, Oakland is approaching the first season ticket sell-out in franchise history.
As it stands, the Raiders’ list of season ticket holders is just under 50 000. With a maximum capacity of 53 250, the Oakland Coliseum – one of the smallest stadiums in football, but one of the largest in baseball whenever the Oakland Athletics call it home – is set to start devising a waiting list any week now.
It’s great news for a team that will spend at least one more year in Oakland, with one-year options in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Earlier this week, rumblings recommenced regarding the Raiders’ possible move to Las Vegas, and a strong showing from the fans in 2016 should help allay those concerns.
What isn’t out of the question yet is the Raiders joining new California state brothers, the Los Angeles Rams, in their Inglewood home should the Chargers opt to stay in San Diego.
But the support in Oakland lies deep for the Raiders, and milestone moments like these are exactly what fans need to ensure their team doesn’t go anywhere. What is lost in this announcement is the fact that, over the past three seasons, season ticket membership has increased steadily even in the absence of on-field success.
The Raiders amassed only seven wins between the 2013 and 2014 seasons – the latter of which they started 0-10 – but season ticket holders grew from 30 000 to 37 000 over that time. A more promising 7-9 campaign last year increased that number to 42 200. And with very real hopes of challenging for the wide open AFC West this year, that waiting list will surely be in effect by this time next year.
