There has been a lot of speculation on where our beloved team will play next season, of all the rumors I think that London is by far the best bet for the team.

I know it’s probably not a popular opinion, but I think for the “franchise” it makes the most sense. The Raiders are a “Historic Franchise” with the key word being “Historic” we haven’t done anything recently to garner much worldly attention. Not only have we not won any championships, we’ve been forever absent from playoff contention, and haven't had much “home grown” talent to speak of in the last 30 years. All of this has rendered the Raiders down to a small market team even though their home is in one of the biggest sports markets in the world in the Bay Area.

The Raiders are leaving Oakland and the Bay Area there's no denying that. They have committed to moving to Vegas thus turning their back to their home. I get that they want to stay and try to “win one more for Oakland” but honestly, that's just not going to happen. So why kill yourself to try and stay in the Bay Area for another year. They don’t want to play at O.Co anymore and I totally get that. But if they don’t stay there right where they have been for the last 30 years then why stay in the Bay Area at all? As fans, I think those of us that will remain loyal to the team WILL remain loyal to the team and those that won't are not going to be saved because the Raiders played 1 last lousy season in the Bay.

Vegas isn’t ready yet, and UNLV is an outdoor stadium. The NFL will not be scheduling games for fans and players to watch/play games in 100-degree heat at 10 am every Sunday, it’s just not gonna happen. London at least puts the Raiders in an International spotlight. 8 games for the whole world to get to know the Silver and Black. Europe misses football, NFL Europe may not have been the most fun to watch but it captured a lot of fans, fans that now flock to those few London games every year to watch their new favorite sport! Vegas being the international hotspot that it is will likely attract those European fans as that fall in love. With enough international and domestic attention on the team, they’ll sell more tickets, sell more merch, and build a bigger brand than the Raiders have ever been. Which should help finally recruit some top talent in free agency, and entice homegrown talent to stay and grow with the team.

Just my 2 cents as a lifelong fan who wants to see his team reach the top of the ladder.