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The Oakland Sports Forum is a debate....

Sports, not just professional, but amateur sports, have played a major role in defining Oakland for the World.  Iconic moments like "The Sea of Hands" , "Joe Rudi's catch", "Crisps' walk-off single", "Sleepy Floyd's record", "The Immaculate Reception," and A's, Raiders, and Warriors championship teams in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1983, and 1989,  "Moneyball", and Andre Ward's 2004 Olympics Gold Medal in Boxing, to name just some of the many memories, have served to mark Oakland's place in American Culture. 

 

And that can't happen without people like Al Davis, Mark Davis, Bob Nahas, Franklin Mueli, George Vukasin, Mary Warren, Charley Finley, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, Coco Crisp, Lew Wolff, Billy Bean, Gene Upshaw, Bill King, Ezra Rapport, Elihu Harris, Raymond Chester, Dave Casper, and organizations like African American Ethnic Sports Hall Of Fame, Save Oakland Sports, and and many others. 

 

All of this has resulted in the real, untold story of how Oakland residents and businesses like hotels, restaurants, shops, law firms, and workers like contractors, muscians, ushers, and vendors, have all benefited directly or indirectly from Oakland's sports business activity.

 

The Mayor of Oakland has always played a central role in Oakland's sports history: from Lionel Wilson defying Al Davis, to Elihu Harris bringing the Raiders back to Oakland, to Mayor Jean Quan and Coliseum City.  Regardless of your view of any of these leaders, their role in Oakland sports is unquestioned.  

 

And that leads us to the first Oakland Sports Forum.  What kind of "sports economic development policy" will each candidate have? What's their view on not just working to retain our teams, but build our base?  Does one or more of them object to Oakland's sports history?  Why?   All of those questions, and more, have never been the focus of one Oakland Mayor's Race debate.  Until now.

Great Moments in Oakland Sports History.

Below are videos of some of the many moments that have come to define sports in Oakland. 

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