Scott McKibben Coliseum JPA Ouster Puts Oakland Sports In Larry Reid, Nate Miley’s Hands
ONN – Scott McKibben Coliseum JPA Ouster Puts Oakland Sports In Larry Reid, Nate Miley’s Hands
Atlanta – In the wake of Scott McKibben’s ouster as Coliseum JPA Executive Director, Larry Reid and Nate Miley, the Oakland District 7 Councilmember and Alameda County Board of Supervisors District Four members are the designated contacts regarding the business of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority.
Reid and Miley are regarded friends, but from a pure sports business perspective having them as the points of outreach basically says that Oakland Sports are dead. These are two very busy elected officials, and not committed exclusively to the management of the business of the Oakland Coliseum Complex.
This situation, in and of itself, adds to a large and growing list of occurences that, together, sound the death bell for Oakland Sports. Let’s review:
Oakland fails to aggressively retain the Golden State Warriors as then-Oakland Mayor Jean Quan allowed herself to be out-hustled in the new arena race by the late San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf failed to maintain the promise of land that Mayor Quan made to the Oakland Raiders. Then Schaaf failed to immediately act by filing an injunction to block any relocation action the Raiders might make the moment she got wind that the Silver and Black were working behind her back. (That date was May 19th, 2015 and during the NFL Spring League Meeting.)
Oakland fails to make a plan for the economic development future of sports. That fact, just as the U.S. Supreme Court opens the door for sports betting nationwide. The Oakland Coliseum, to this day, still lacks any plan for the future. And Scott McKibben’s forced resignation just pushed back that plan timetable even more.
Oakland fails to maintain what this blogger created in 1999 from scratch: the Oakland-Alameda County Sports Commission. An organization designed to promote the use of thes many sports event-ready venues that Oakland has.
Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker evokes a little known law to force Scott McKibben out and for doing something in a so-called RingCentral Naming Rights Deal $50,000 kickback that he says he didn’t do. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Moreover, given that Ms. Parker was in the Coliseum JPA Box to watch the 2019 NBA Finals Game 4 with Mr. McKibben, and with a large group including me, shouldn’t she have told him she had some issue with the RingCentral Naming Rights Deal before Game 4?
Oakland is in trouble. Starting this fall and continuing when the Raiders leave Oakland for Las Vegas, the name “Oakland” will not be uttered on national television, save for when the A’s play baseball, and media types talk about the past history of the Raiders and the Warriors.
Basically, what it adds up to is that the people in charge seem to be just OK with the rest of the nation thinking Oakland’s a loser city. Personally, that view makes me sick.
Avoiding that is one reason why I formed what will be Oakland’s only bid to host an NFL Super Bowl Game. And, as the Oakland Tribune said in 2000, I did it single-handedly. I hate being associated with people in Oakland who don’t want to win. I hope I’m not the only one who holds that view.
First step: get someone to replace Scott right now, and not next month.
Then, let’s all work. Larry and Nate can’t do that thing where they leave it to themselves. In fact, this whole deal is way too politicized.
Stay tuned.
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