Report: Spurs concerned about possibility of NFL team in San Antonio

The company led by Spurs owner Peter Holt opposes the idea of the Raiders relocating to San Antonio, according to a report from Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News.

The company, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, owns the Spurs, the San Antonio Stars of the WNBA and the San Antonio Rampage, a minor league hockey team.

According to an SS&E shareholder, the company is concerned that the Spurs' finances could be negatively affected by the introduction of an NFL team.

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The shareholder, Charlie Amato, described why it would make more sense for the Raiders to move to San Antonio if SS&E were to have a controlling interest in the franchise.

Amato said if the SS&E controlled the Raiders, it would ensure the football club would be well run by a management team that has proven marketing success in a challenging environment. A template would be available in the form of Tom Benson's ownership in New Orleans of the NFL's Saints and the NBA's Pelicans.

“We have developed a successful culture under the leadership of Peter Holt and have 20- to 25-year employees who have the ability to manage both franchises and help lower the overall cost of running an NFL team,” Amato said.

“(The Spurs' control) would make it more affordable and more appealing to the San Antonio market. ... We are blessed with a great ownership group in which we park our egos at the door when we have our meetings, and Peter never abuses (us) by shoving things down our throats. I have been in other minority situations with other groups where it was a nightmare.”

A Spurs-controlled NFL team would also ensure the football club would be culturally compatible with the NBA power, Amato said.

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After Oakland owner Mark Davis met with San Antonio officials earlier this month, councilman Joe Krier said the city needed to ensure adding an NFL franchise would not hurt the Spurs.

With the Raiders' lease at their current stadium, the 47-year-old O.co Coliseum, set to expire at the end of the upcoming NFL season, there has been speculation that the Raiders are merely using San Antonio to create bargaining power.

But some are taking the Raiders' interest seriously. Billionaire B.J. Red McCombs, who met with Davis last month in San Antonio, gave a glowing review of Davis's trip to the city and said “it's a myth that San Antonio is a bargaining chip,” according to the Express-News. 

In June, the Spurs won their fifth NBA championship.

- Chris Johnson