Trying to quantify what a pro sports franchise means to a city is tricky. You can assign a dollar value to lost revenues or financial impact, but what about the emotional impact? Is there any impact beyond loyal sports fans left behind? Perhaps that’s not something that affects an entire city but the neighborhood that the departing team called home now has to fill a void, both literally and figuratively, which could bring about major change.

Specifically, Central East Oakland, which now has to deal with the dubious honor of being dumped by the NFL’s Raiders not once but twice. After leaving for and returning from Los Angeles, the Raiders are off to Las Vegas in 2020, officially leaving behind the Oakland Coliseum and the place they’ve called home for most of their existence. The NBA’s Golden State Warriors, who play at an arena next door, are also leaving for new digs across the bay in a couple years, leaving MLB’s Athletics as the only remaining pro team in town.

Locals had hoped the Raiders would stay in town but that would have required millions in taxpayer money set aside to build a new stadium, which the city was unwilling to do. There was, however, some discussion of finding other ways to build the team a new home, which could have created a lot of jobs and opportunities. Community activist Ray Bobbitt bemoans the lost opportunities there and echoes the concerns of many locals that the property is now primed for tech companies to move in and gentrify the area. 

Mayor Libby Schaaf takes a different approach, saying Oakland will probably save a lot of money now that it doesn’t have to put up millions supporting the team on game days or providing services like security that cost taxpayers. Plus, she envisions an entertainment complex at the stadium site that could create good jobs without running off residents.

Whatever happens, it’s clear that loss of the Raiders (and Warriors) is going to force this neighborhood to pivot into a new identity. It’s no longer going to be the place where people come all times of the year for entertainment. It’s going to be a place where the locals make it what it is.