African-American Group Files For NFL Expansion In Oakland

An African-American group has proposed what would be the first black-owned NFL team in the history of the league. The African-American Sports and Entertainment Committee will reportedly file for an expansion in Oakland, which has just lost the Raiders.

It is the second time that the city of Oakland has lost it’s team, after the Raiders moved to LA in 1982. They returned in 1994 until 2019, but will now play in Nevada as the Las Vegas Raiders.

The group intends to build a privately financed stadium on the Oakland Coliseum site. 

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“It would just be such a historic opportunity, the NFL wanting to support the African-American community and an opportunity for economic equity,” committee member Ray Bobbitt said.

 “…this is an opportunity for an entire community to establish an economic vehicle for itself and be self-sustaining.”

In the current climate, a black-owned NFL team would be absolutely massive, and a game-changer. However, the NFL doesn’t just give expansions away. It would be a long road for Oakland to get back on the NFL map again.

The last time the NFL granted an expansion was in 2002, when the Houston Texans joined the league. The previous two expansions were given to the Cleveland Browns in 1999, and the Panthers and Jaguars joined the league together in 1995.

Read: Ravens Facing Enormous Pressure To Win Title In 2020

As well as that, an NFL expansion team comes at no small cost. It took $700 million to get the Houston Texans up and running in 2002. In 2020, it could take over $1 billion to establish an expansion team.

There will also no doubt be some pushback for a black-owned NFL team. If the first expansion in 18 years is granted, it will truly be historical.