49ers - quest for a new stadium

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I find it rather ironic that Candlestick Park was built as a baseball-only facility, then was expanded to include the 49ers for football - who are now its *only* tenants. Kind of the reverse of what happened at Angel Stadium (which, thank God, became baseball-only once again, after the LA Rams left).

Anyway, my question to all you 49ers fans is, are you in agreement that your team needs a new place to play? From what I hear, Candlestick is falling way the hell apart. And of course it has not been easy for the team to find a new place either - they seem to have trouble trying to bend an ear at Santa Clara, for example.

So I got to thinking, how about sharing a stadium? The Jets and Giants have done all right in this regard; if they can share Giants Stadium - and, as of 2010, the new Meadowlands - how about the 49ers? I was thinking they could share space with the Raiders in Oakland, although this would probably only work if the A's got Cisco Field built - having more than two teams share a stadium would get tricky real fast (although in 1975, all four New York teams - Mets/Yankees, and Jets/Giants - were playing at Shea).

So how about this: The 49ers temporarily relocate to Oakland and share the Coliseum with the Raiders. Then they tear Candlestick Park down and build a new stadium right where it used to be, which they could move back into when complete.

Or, depending on the current state of the Coliseum (which is probably not good, it being a cookie cutter and all), the Raiders and 49ers might simply decide to permanently share a new stadium. But then the question becomes, where should that stadium be?

 

[tomalak301]

Candlestick just can't sustain itself and in this new generation of new stadiums, one of the most storied franchises in NFL history needs a new stadium. That, and traffic to get to Candlestick sucks.

There have been talks last week about sharing a stadium with the Raiders. That might be a viable option, but the only problem with that is your pretty much sleeping in the same bed as Al Davis. Who knows what will happen if that happens. Kinda like the A's stadium being just ruined when the Raiders came back. It's kind of like selling your soul to the devil and I hope that doesn't happen.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think a joint Raiders/49ers stadium would be a good idea. Candlestick obviously needs to be replaced, and I'm sure the Oakland Coliseum isn't far behind (why else do you think the A's are in such a hurry to get outta there? ). Like I said, the Jets and Giants manage to share a stadium just fine and have done it for years, so why not here too?

 

[1001001]

Candlestick is a shit hole. It's got a bad layout for football, and there nothing around it at all. They certainly need to do something.

 

[Mallory]

Personally, I'd rather see the 49ers find a way to stay in San Francisco and not share a stadium with the Raiders.

 

[RevDMV]

That would be the best.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, the Giants built a new facility without taxpayer money and the economy of the area has been hit twice since they've started this process.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Personally, I'd rather see the 49ers find a way to stay in San Francisco and not share a stadium with the Raiders.

Maybe they can do both.

And I believe the 49ers' new stadium plan provides for it being largely self financed: Linky

Private investment: 42.6%
Funding from naming rights, corporate sponsorship, concessions, etc.: 38.7%
Santa Clara city investment in stadium: 18.7%

If Oakland shares the stadium, they can get in on the financing too. I doubt there'd be a huge tax impact.

The Jets and Giants have proven that a shared stadium works. I think it would work here too. It would certainly be easier to sell the concept of a shared stadium, rather than individual ones, in today's economy. And the Raiders could always build their own stadium later on, if things improve.

 

[1001001]

That would be the best.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, the Giants built a new facility without taxpayer money and the economy of the area has been hit twice since they've started this process.

Yeah, Pac Bell Park (or whatever it's called now) is a perfect example of how to build a ball park. Small, designed for baseball, close to transportation and other activities. It's a great place (except that garish Coke bottle).

Candlestick is none of those things. Out in the middle of BF Egypt, nothing around it, not built for the sport it hosts, hard to get to, etc. etc.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It would also solve the problem of *where* to build these stadiums. They could do it like this:

- 49ers temporarily move into the Oakland Coliseum. Candlestick is demolished.

- New joint 49ers/Raiders stadium is built where Candlestick used to be. Both teams move into it.

- Oakland Coliseum is demolished, and A's build Cisco Field where *it* used to be. (Only thing is, where would the A's play in the meantime?)


Addendum: I never realized just how butt-ugly the Coliseum is as well. Especially with that Mount Davis piece of shit.

 

[TheMurph]

I think they should have their own stadium and not have to share with the Raiders.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think they should have their own stadium and not have to share with the Raiders.

Perhaps, but in the current climate, they may not be able to afford it.

That being said, TheMurph...I'm afraid that the stadium named after you also needs to be replaced.

 

[tomalak301]

I think they should have their own stadium and not have to share with the Raiders.

Perhaps, but in the current climate, they may not be able to afford it.

That being said, TheMurph...I'm afraid that the stadium named after you also needs to be replaced.

Regarding San Deigo, I've been hearing a lot of chatter (Through a friend who is a Charger Fan) that the Chargers are threatening to move to LA.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

the Chargers are threatening to move to LA.

Yeah, but they'd have to build a new place there too...since the LA Memorial Coliseum is hardly suitable for a modern NFL team, and it can't be heavily renovated since it's a landmark.

 

[trekkerguy]

The 49'ers... I'm trying to remember who that... oooooh!



But seriously, sharing with the Raiders is the worst idea ever.
Do you no how many homicides in the name of "Raider Nation"
there would be? So many dead Niner fans would suck IMO.

I think they'll end up renovating.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think they'll end up renovating.

Renovating what? Candlestick? That would never work. It's too old and decrepit. Plus it's just the wrong shape. It was never meant for football in the first place. They should bulldoze it to the ground and build a new place.

Same goes for the Oakland Coliseum. Hope the A's manage to get Cisco Field built so they can get the fuck out of there.

 

[the_wildcard]

Sharing a stadium with the Raiders would be an insult to both teams, lol. Plus, there is no way I'd go to stadium that's going to be played upon by a worse team (sorry Raiders fans, but it's true).

Nor should the 49ers have to relocate to a wannabe 'city' of Santa Clara. Remember, a couple of blocks of offices don't make an area a 'city'.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

But seriously, sharing with the Raiders is the worst idea ever.
Do you no how many homicides in the name of "Raider Nation"
there would be?

Probably somewhere between zero and absolutely none.

seriously though, this whole Raiders/49ers bloodshed rivalry is way overblown. It's not like they're at each other's throats or anything. I mean, they're not even in the same conference. In the end, who really cares?

There are things we can accept as axioms:

- Candlestick sucks, and cannot be renovated
- Oakland Coliseum sucks, and cannot be renovated
- In this economy, there's no way the Raiders and 49ers could get separate stadiums built

Therefore, the logical alternative is for them to share one stadium.

Like I keep saying: The Jets and Giants have shared a stadium for decades in New York. They will continue to do so. It's worked out just fine so far. Nobody has been killed, no fights breaking out, none of that crap. (Didn't happen when the Mets and Yankees briefly shared Shea, either.) If they can get away with sharing a stadium, there's no reason the Bay Area teams can't as well.

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^^
Sharing a stadium works ok in soccer in many European cities too, where the fans of the two clubs really hate each other - for example Rome, Milan, Athens, Munich, Moscow.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Exactly! And if *European soccer teams* can pull this off, you know that sharing a new stadium between the Raiders and 49ers would be childsplay compared to that.

I think it would even help the A's get their new ballpark built, assuming they would be up for a temporary sharing of AT&T Park with the Giants: the Coliseum could be razed, and the A's build their new park where it used to be, while the Raiders and 49ers temporarily share Candlestick while building a new joint stadium.