SAN FRANCISCO –- The Raiders are playing the Houston Texans in Mexico City. On Monday Night Football.
And, for the second time in three seasons, the Silver and Black have given up a regular-season home game to play outside the United States.
That certainly helps the team’s international cache. They had a huge following during a 2014 trip to London, and sport a massive Hispanic fan base that will cheer them on during the Nov. 21 contest at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.
It doesn’t help a local season-ticket base that will pay for two preseason games and lose a home game that counts.
Despite some disappointment from local fans over losing another date to cheer their Raiders in person, owner Mark Davis had no trepidation about taking one of his dates off the schedule.
“None whatsoever,” Davis said on Friday. “I’ve always believed in Mexico City, the Raiders’ Hispanic fan base and how large it is. Playing there makes all the sense in the world.”
The Raiders technically don’t have a home right now, though a short-term lease extension with O.co Coliseum is in the works. That stadium doesn’t have the revenue streams most other NFL venues feature, and Azteca Stadium’s max NFL capacity hovers around 87,000, so it could provide a windfall for the team in addition to expanding a permanent fan base south of the border.
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“We’re honored to again take part in the (NFL’s) international series,” Davis said. “...We’re really excited about it. We’re looking at this as a home game.”
There are some logistic issues that come with it. The Raiders won’t stay in Mexico City for a full week as they did for the 2014 London game, which makes sense for a few reasons. Nonstop flights from San Francisco to Mexico City are 4-and-a-half hours long and the game will be played in the Central time zone.
Mexico City stands 7,382 feet up, meaning the team could come late to avoid issues with altitude.
“The only thing that concerns us is the altitude,” Davis said. “When we go into Denver, we only go the day before to keep the players adjusted. I would believe the team wouldn’t go in as early as the team contingent.”
The Mexico City game also doesn’t come with a guaranteed bye week. The NFL doesn’t give byes that late in the season anyway, meaning the Raiders will play the week after playing the Texans.
