Oakland Raiders, Coliseum JPA Lease Negotiations Continue: An Update

Oakland Raiders, Coliseum JPA Lease Negotiations Continue: An Update The Oakland Raiders and the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority are continuing negotiations toward a new lease at the sports complex. The Coliseum “JPA”, as it's called, held a special closed session meeting on the lease terms on Monday. The basic outcome of that gathering was that the JPA will continue talks with the Raiders and the good news is the lease term is not the sticking point; who pays for additional staffing is. Basically, I'm told Oakland Raiders Owner Mark Davis and President Marc Badain want additional staffing at the Coliseum, mainly in the area of security, but they want the JPA to pay for it. That said, it looks like we could see a lease that's longer than for one year. Moreover, the talks between parties, while tough, are not adversarial. No one on the JPA is trying to squeeze the Raiders under the idea that they have no place to go. All of the JPA Board Members want to work out a deal that not only makes money for the Raiders, but for the JPA and the public, too. So, that's where things are to date. I expect this will be wrapped up in another three or four weeks. Stay tuned.

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#SuperBowlCity For Super Bowl 50 SF Is Huge #SB50

San Francisco's version of Super Bowl City is just plain huge! Set in Justin Herman Plaza, the series of structures stretches a mile from one end to the other at its longest point. The idea that was created in Oakland as Jack London's NFL Village, is to have a central place, where people could hear concerts and get NFL gear. It has now morphed into this city within a city - a pop-up place for the Super Bowl.

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NFL Network Home At #SuperBowlCity Super Bowl 50 SF #SB50

This perch will be the NFL Network home at Super Bowl City in San Francisco. From on high, the NFL Network folks will be able to see everyone and everything. I hope they are not scared of heights!

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#SuperBowlCity SF Going Up For Super Bowl 50 #SB50

Justin Herman Plaza is the scene for the construction of Super Bowl City. The idea for Super Bowl City really started with my Super Bowl Oakland Bid, and something called Jack London's NFL Playland. The idea was to have something that caused people to come to Oakland and not be in San Francisco. Now, the Super Bowl City concert is required as part of the bid for each Super Bowl Host City. The San Francisco version will be Oppenheimer to the public January 31st.

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Cam Newton Overcame Racism, Changed American Culture, On Way To Super Bowl 50 #SB50

Cam Newton Overcame Racism, Changed American Culture, On WayTo Super Bowl 50 When Cam Newton was drafted number one in the 2011 NFL Draft by the previously 2 and 14 Carolina Panthers, the media (including myself, who asked the first two questions), wondered what he thought about what one person called “the naysayers”. One reporter said “Are you at all concerned about what the naysayers say?” Cam said “No,” then paused and said “They are going to be there, and that's OK. I know I have a job to do.” In overcoming racism and focusing on his work, and just being himself, Cam Newton has managed to change American Culture. You have to understand that even though Cam Newton won wherever he went, including the National Championship while he was at Auburn, the press focused on the negatives, and in particular an alleged theft he was cleared of, and something beyond his control in how he was recruited. The desire to and act of painting Cam with the typical set of negative black male stereotypes was so powerful among the mainstream media, that the articles and comments made about Newton were complete examples of criminal levels of character defamation. There was the USA Today article trying to make the argument that Newton was not ready for the NFL, by comparing him to every black quarterback in history who did not do well, and then mentioning that Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, who the mainstream media wanted to be picked ahead of Newton, played in a “Pro Style” offense, when in point of fact Gabbert played in a college spread offense. If it wasn't that, it was The NFL's Mike Mayock saying that Newton didn't have the heart it took to be an NFL quarterback. Yep, Mayock questioned Newton's heart. Fortunately, Cam Newton had a nice bubble in the Carolina Panthers and they placed him in a nice crucible from which to grow. And boy, did he. But the real improvement came in 2015, when Panthers Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula and Head Coach Ron Rivera made the decision to open up the offense and have Cam throw from the pocket. In January of 2015, I said that Newton could be the next Peyton Manning. In 2015, he proved it, and now he's facing him in Super Bowl 50. And along the ride that has been the 2015 NFL Season, Newton has changed the minds of Americans who disliked his dancing after scoring touchdowns, and his generally playful and happy-go-lucky way. But something happened: with each win, people also saw the same Newton give footballs to joyful kids in the stands. Toward the end of the NFL Season, there were far more people in support of his dancing than not – they realized that Cam Newton was a good person, having a good time, doing his job very well, and trying to share his happiness with as many people as he could, and kids in particular. As many say they want Peyton Manning to ride out into the sunset with a Super Bowl 50 win, and I'm among them, I also want to see Cam Newton win. Cam Newton's gone through much of the same crap as many black men have and his success is our success – and if you think about it, America's too. Stay tuned.

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Carolina Panthers Over Denver Broncos In Super Bowl 50 #SB50

Carolina Panthers Over Denver Broncos In Super Bowl 50 #SB50 The Carolina Panthers will beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. The reason is the team speed of the Panthers - it's unlike anything the Broncos have faced this season. Indeed, the Panthers are even faster than the Seahawks of two years ago. Give that, we could see a Super Bowl 50 blow out. One way the Broncos could win is by putting the game in the hands of Peyton Manning and allowing him to throw from a five-wide receiver set. Stay tuned.

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