The Oakland A’s and Oakland Raiders have been sharing the same stadium for almost 30 years. And when the preseason rolls along for the Raiders, the Coliseum goes through changes as it’s converted from a baseball field to a football field. Then in September the process remains as both teams are in regular season mode. If the A’s were to make the playoffs, then the process continues into October.

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski apparently doesn’t like kicking off the infield dirt during games. I don’t blame him. But to openly say he roots against the A’s is kind of harsh.

I can understand him wanting the infield dirt gone as soon as possible, but to openly say he cheers against the A’s is tough. Janikowski must not realize that the success of the A’s is good for the community. And what’s good for the community is absolutely a big help to the Raiders. If the city of Oakland is excited for one successful team, that would influence them to come to the games. That may not necessarily translate to higher attendance rates for the Raiders, but a happy city leads to a lot more good for everyone.

I get it for the Janikowski. He’s been kicking off that same infield dirt for over a decade. It’s understandable that he wants it gone as soon as possible during the season. But the A’s are in the middle of something that could be special for the city of Oakland. Doesn’t he realize that?

And as one of the better kickers in the NFL, I’m pretty sure he’s mastered kicking off the infield dirt. No need to root against the A’s to succeed. All this has really done is just create bad PR and have hurt fans of both the Raiders and A’s. Janikowski just should not have said anything,

EDIT: 1:55PM

So is it a misquote or is he backtracking?