Raiders: Comparing Mark Davis’ first decade as owner vs Al Davis
Starting the Comparison
Comparing a young Al in his prime to an older Mark might not be fair. A more accurate metric might be age. Mark was 57 years old in his first full season as owner. When Al Davis was 57 years old, the ten seasons that followed (1986-1995) saw a mediocre 83-76 record (.522) with just 3 playoff appearances (2-3 record) and no Super Bowls.
So looking solely at the 10 seasons after turning 57 years old, Al’s Raiders averaged just 1.8 more wins per season than Mark’s Raiders.
Off the field, Mark Davis has shined. While Al Davis was the brand, Mark Davis is the protector of the brand, which he successfully does. His father’s slogans became locker room mantras and marketing campaigns. But credit to Mark Davis for seamlessly moving all that history, most of the fans, the same logo, uniform, and colors to a new city – something other teams have failed to do.
Mark Davis understands the Raiders better than anyone else. He’s not some random non-sports tycoon looking for a hobby. He bleeds Silver and Black like the fans. That’s exactly the type of owner many fans dream of, but rarely get.
The best proof of this was in February 2022, when Mark Davis told Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter that “My dad said I’d never be a good owner of this team because I was too close to the players…the most valuable asset the Raiders have is it’s alumni, it’s the people who spread their blood, sweat and tears to build this building…and they’re some of my best friends.”
Better proof is the fact that every player to ever wear a Raiders uniform has their name on a brick outside the brand-new stadium. Mark Davis knew the brand was strong enough to survive crossing state lines, but it’s his continuous effort to sustain and evolve that’s most impressive.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders had the biggest year-over-year value increase of any NFL franchise when it jumped 49% to $5.1 billion this past summer. A long way from their $2.1 billion worth in 2016 while playing in Oakland. While there are a lot of moving pieces in a massive relocation like that, Mark Davis deserves all the credit for taking the organization to the next level.