Oakland Raiders Season Tickets Soar As Team Contemplates Move

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Next year, Oakland Raiders season tickets are going up as much as 50 percent, all while the team is playing with the idea of leaving the Bay Area.

First, the team wants to move. Now, it's hiking the price of season tickets.

Many fans say the price increase is adding insult to injury. They say first you want to move, now you want to increase prices.

Season ticket holder Raymond Perez said, "This makes me angry. I don't want to pay for my season tickets."

Chris Dobbins has been a season ticket holder since 1995. "Oh great," Dobbins said. "These guys have been talking about Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. And now they're increasing ticket prices."

Most season ticket prices will go up by 50 percent. But the cheaper, upper level tickets, will go up even more.

Dobbins was paying $250 for each season. Now it's going up to $610, almost triple the amount.

Dobbins said, "I think a lot of us may say well this is coinciding with their move to Vegas. There are reports they don't have enough money so they're raising prices to fund the move."

Perez said he thinks Mark Davis is double dipping his fan base and trying to get his cake and eat it too. He said he thinks Davis is trying to get the money before there's a vote.

Perez, better known as Doctor Death, says the timing is interesting. The deadline to pay is March 3, right before the NFL owners vote on whether or not the Raiders can move.

"I don't want to give Mark Davis any more money until A) he's out of the NFL entirely or B) he commits to staying in Oakland," Perez said.

But some die-hard fans don't feel the same way.

Season ticket holder Greg "Griz" Jones said, "I welcome it because I want a brand new stadium. So bring it on, let's welcome this with open arms."

Jones is the founder of Forever Oakland and says the Raiders actually dropped the prices a few years ago. He says even with the price hike, they're still reasonable.

He says it's important to sell out the stadium and show the NFL the fan base has the money to support a new stadium.

"Want to continue to prove to the NFL, we're worthy of a brand new stadium. And ticket prices are going to rise. We welcome the challenge, bring on a new stadium," Jones said.