Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

So long as the Raiders are in Oakland they’ll always be rumored to return to Los Angeles. If they ever do make the move back to SoCal’s brightest beacon then the same rumors will spark for a return to the Bay. Such is the nature of football’s most infamous franchise.

Of course now that there are two bids to build stadiums in L.A. the odds of the NFL reintroducing itself to the Los Angeles market are greater then they’ve been since the Raiders and Rams left SoCal.

We’ve already outlined all reasons why the Raiders are likely to remain in the Bay but there was one factor I didn’t consider – the all powerful lord of football. I’m speaking, of course, of Roger Goodell.

Over the course of the last year, when the L.A. stadium development deals have really gained momentum, Goodell has made sure to keep his most profitable and untapped market under thumb. The league office has done everything it can to ensure two stadiums will be built in L.A. and now they’re trying to really get things going by opening the door to get two teams into said stadiums.

Goodell recently unveiled his L.A. doctrine proclaiming open season on relocation to Los Angeles.

Any franchise interested in relocating there for the 2013 season must apply between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15 of that year, and prove it has exhausted all attempts to remain in its current location. No plans are yet in place if no teams apply for 2013.

So there you have it. Goodell has thrown down the gauntlet and any team wishing to make the move to L.A. must meet his approval. Something tells me this is step that would have been avoided if Al Davis were still around. No way is Davis going to do anything on the league’s terms. Up to his last days Davis was still claiming to have a piece of the L.A. market.

But that’s Goodell for you. He’s become the bully of the football world and there isn’t an owner with enough cojones to stand up to him. These days the NFL ownership club is comprised of a bunch of yes men eager to do Goodell’s bidding.

Davis on the other hand was still as defiant as ever. The Raiders were the only team to abstain from voting on the new CBA and they were the only team handing out bloated contracts on the eve of the lockout. You get the picture.

So in the grand scheme of things the Raiders moving to L.A. is still a possibility. The difference this time is that should Mark Davis make the move he’ll be doing so on the commissioner’s terms. No telling how much of his father’s nature rubbed off on Mark Davis. But if he’s learned anything for his dad it’s to do things your own way. This new age of the cookie cutter NFL owner is already tired a played out. Here’s hoping Mark Davis does what is best for the franchise and not the NFL. Even if that means bringing the Raiders back to Los Angeles.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

If you frequent JBB often enough then you know that I’m an L.A. Raiders fan. I’m a SoCal native that was fortunate enough to fall in love with football around the same time Al Davis brought the Raiders to Los Angeles. As heartbroken as I was to see the Silver and Black leave I knew they were going back to their rightful home so my support never waned.

In recent months it has become a popular topic to discuss the prospects of the Raiders returning to L.A. now that there are two bids in place to build stadiums. Of course that talk has recently increased now that AEG has its hands in the O.co Coliseum. With AEG fronting its own cash to construct a football stadium in the heart of Downtown L.A. it’s only natural to suspect that the Raiders making the move again is a very real possibility.

Even Mark Davis himself has fanned the flames by saying “Los Angeles is a possibility” given the Raiders’ desire to move into a new stadium.

As much as I’d love to see my Silver and Black back in L.A. even I know the odds of that are long.

First and foremost Mark Davis has said he’s not selling which means the Raiders will remain in the Davis family for decades barring sad set of circumstances. AEG is demanding a stake in any franchise that plays in their Downtown football complex. So you do the math on that.

Beyond the ownership issues, Roger Goodell himself has said he’d prefer not to relocate any NFL franchises instead hoping to expand the league. That would likely tie into the greedy desire of the owners to move to an 18-game season. In case last season’s lockout has been wiped from your memory the players shot that idea down so fast that it never even made it into one of the proposed CBAs drafted by the owners. As of now the 18-game schedule has been “tabled” to be discussed at a later date.

That leaves the Raiders in Oakland, where they belong, and my beloved City of Angels with potentially two empty football stadiums.

No matter the politics involved, getting football back to L.A. requires more than a great sports complex. It’s a start but it’s not going create enough momentum on its own to drag teams to the L.A. market. In case you haven’t noticed even teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and all their tarp-covered seats are turning a nice profit thanks to the NFL’s amazing revenue sharing program.

There really isn’t a lot of incentive for an owner to up root and move. Not to mention it’s not like L.A. is starved for another pro team. Quiet as kept L.A. is one of the great sports cities you’ll find in and California is perhaps the best state for sports in the entire country. Just look at how many pro teams are profitable in L.A. and statewide. With or without pro football Los Angeles and California as a whole has gotten along just fine. So too has the NFL. So if it ain’t broke…

Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Davis is nothing like his father. All you need to do is look at the fact that there is a G.M. running the show, an actual effort made to cut costs and a defensive minded head coach in place as evidence of that. Now if you want a better portrait of the difference between the two Davis then read this great piece penned by Monte Poole.

Among the many topics of which Poole picked Mark Davis’ brain on was that elephant in room known as Los Angeles – as in the Raiders returning to their one-time SoCal home. In recent months pro football retuning to L.A. has been a hot topic what with two bids in place to build stadiums and a list of teams as potential relocation bait to fill said stadiums.

Naturally the Raiders returning to L.A. is always on the table. Al Davis never kept that a secret going as far as to say “if they build a stadium all they’ve got to do is knock on my door”. For Al Davis it was about seeing the big picture. He pioneered the L.A. football market giving the Raiders an intimate connection to two separate communities in one state. Two communities so faithful that one (Oakland) welcomed the Raiders back with open arms and another (Los Angeles) that would gladly do the same.

While his father might have been eager to keep the door open for an L.A. return, Mark Davis has positioned himself in stark contrast on the topic. Not only does Mark Davis want to keep the Raiders in Oakland, he’s wants them to stay in the city proper. While he admires the Bay Area rival 49ers taking their act to Santa Clara for a new stadium, Davis sees his franchise staying right in the heart of Oakland. He also acknowledges the need to infuse more money into the operation though.

“Oakland is my preference, though. I see us as an urban team, being in a city. I want it to work here. I’d like to stay here.

“But we have to find a way to (generate more revenue). We need people buying season tickets. We’re in a deficit-spending situation, and we need to start getting our revenue up.”

Beyond the need to stir up more cash, Davis also knows his team needs a proper venue for all they want to do in the future. The time is long past due for the Raiders to move into a more modern stadium. Davis didn’t bite his tongue on that matter either.

“We have to do something. We’re opening the season on a Monday night, national TV, and we’ll be playing on dirt.”

With all due respect, it’s a major league infield Davis is referring to. That’s nothing like the dirt football field of Fontana High School in the 90’s. None the less this is the NFL and there is absolutely no excuse for a league so profitable to have players on a dirt field. I share Davis’ sentiment.

I also appreciate his desire to keep the Raiders in Oakland. In case you didn’t catch my FOHI reference in the previous paragraph, I’m a SoCal native that grew up as a fan of the L.A. Raiders. I’d love to see them return to Los Angeles but also know what they represent to the East Bay. Few fan bases have the type of close connection to their team like Raider Nation. At one point the Raiders were an absolute mirror of Oakland. There wasn’t a human being living in the Easy Bay during the 70’s that couldn’t find there counterpart on the Raiders roster. That is very important in sports. At times more important than winning and losing.

So Davis’ desire to keep the Raiders where they are is not lost on me. But would it be asking too much if maybe they at least played a preseason game or two in L.A. if and when a stadium gets built? Like many L.A. Raider fans we want football back in our city but only if it’s the silver and black brand we fell in love with.