(OAKLAND, CA) The Oakland Panthers, a new Indoor Football League Franchise, will join the Indoor Football League (IFL) and play seven home games at the Oakland Arena in the Spring of 2020. The team is founded by Professional Football legend and Oak- land-native Marshawn Lynch, along with Roy Choi, an entertainment and gaming entrepreneur.
Team co-owner Marshawn Lynch said, “I believe the power of football has the ability to transform a community and the families who live there. I’ve seen it and lived it. I’m ex- cited that Da’ Town will get another team to call its own. I attended some Indoor Football games last year and had a good ass time. The games have lots of fluidity and tickets are priced so that the entire family can check it out.”
Lynch added, “I was blessed with my time and journey making it to the league but there are more ways of getting there than the route I took, so its hella important to me, to keep finding opportunities for players to pursue their dreams of getting to that next level and I know the Panthers and this league can help with that.”
Naming the team as the Oakland Panthers is no accident. The Oakland community has a long history with the name. It references the Bay Area indigenous cougar and the recent blockbuster superhero film (directed by Oakland native Ryan Coogler). It also pays trib- ute to Oakland’s history of activism with the groundbreaking social action of the Black Panther movement of the ‘60s.
Co-founder Roy Choi, already the owner of two IFL franchises, adds, “Oakland and the Bay Area embody activism, work ethic, passion, and loyalty. Those qualities are repre- sented by the Panther name and by my co-founder Marshawn Lynch. While I am obvi- ously impressed by his on-field performance, it is his community work that is the most inspiring. There is no one better than Marshawn to lead such a community-oriented sports.
Courtesy of the Tucson Sugar Skulls Media Department.
