HOFMag on Big Al

Former ABC reporter Lesley Visser presents some insights into her relationship with Raider owner Al Davis at Hall of Fame Magazine

His fearlessness and maverick style were responsible for Davis taking over the team when he was only 33-years-old. The Raiders had gone 1-13 the year before; they went 10-4 when he took control. He readily employed the vertical game, the bump and run, the rebel in full voice. Three years later, he became the Commissioner of the AFL and was one of the driving forces between the historic merger of the two leagues, creating what we know today.

Though Davis is much despised among football fans around the country, the piece focuses on Davis' history as a patriarch for the league and his timely decision making.

The economics and the style of the NFL have changed in the past 10 years. The outlaw brand that Davis created is now polished and corporate, a league run by people with graduate degrees. When Davis signed on as General Manager in 1972, he received 10 percent of the team for only $18,000. The average today is near $900 million, but Forbes Magazine puts the Raiders at $736 million, 22 percent below the rest of the league.

All in all, a very good read. Check it out at HofMag.com