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I'm 35 years old now, but when the Raiders left for LA in the early 80's, I was absolutely heartbroken and crushed. I cried like a little baby. My beloved Raiders were no longer in my backyard. When you have something that you love and care about so much just yanked away from you, it's tough to recover. It was the ultimate punch in the gut. It was a major blow to Oakland and its surrounding East Bay communities. I learned to cope with the move to LA eventually, and supported them with the same love and passion as I still do today. Extremely greatful that they are home (in Oakland) again though, and are negotiating a long-term lease extension to remain in Oaktown long after 2010.
The original move to LA was all over the addition of luxury box suites in the Coliseum. There WERE NO problems with lack of sellouts or fan support (especially during the 70's and very early 80's). Al Davis saw the future, and there was going to be A LOT of $$$ to be made with the addition of new luxury box suites. The city of Oakland and Alameda County Coliseum Commision balked at Davis' overtures, which eventually led him to move the team to LA. They then agreed to Davis' request, but it was too late. He had already commited to LA. And we all know how that run ended too.
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