If the city of Oakland doesn't want to pay for a new stadium for the NFL's Raiders, another city appears ready to adopt the Silver and Black.
According to multiple reports, a group of NFL fans in Oregon has petitioned Gov. John Kitzhaber through change.org to bring an NFL team to the city of Portland.
The petition states: "Bringing an NFL team to Oregon would dramatically increase the footprint of this state, bring tax revenue, create jobs and create a multi-use venue that would increase tourism. Portland is the nation's largest metropolitan area that is served by only one of the Big Three Major League sports organizations.
"While there is typically a significant public cost to building an NFL stadium, the state of Oregon should actively pursue feasibility studies, projections and explore the possibilities. The study should explore the possibilities of a new NFL stadium-centric development surrounded by ancillary mixed-use development designed to bring multiple benefits to Portland and surrounding areas, including economic, real estate, retail, tourism, entertainment, sports, recreation, cultural and community pride benefits. The signees of this petition support further exploration of this."
The petition already has received more than 1,500 signatures.
According to q.usatoday.com, the petition, while not naming a specific franchise to target, but the website for the petition, nfltoportland.com, asks the question, "The Oregon Raiders?"
CBSSports.com reported that Raiders owner Mark Davis acknowledged that the team might be forced to relocate if it doesn't get a new stadium in Oakland.
The Raiders are the only team in the NFL that still shares a stadium with a Major League Baseball team. Q.usatoday.com reported that the Raiders lease with the O.co Coliseum expires after the 2014 season.
"I don't want to call it a last-ditch effort, but it does seem to be the last chance that Oakland is going to get," Davis said. "We can't continue to play in that stadium, with the baseball field and all of that stuff."
NFL Network reporter Albert Breer aided Portland's cause, tweeting, "Portland is a bigger TV market than Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Indy, Baltimore, San Diego, Nashville, KC, Milwaukee, Cincy, NOLA, Jax, Buffalo."
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