There is no There There, or Raiders

There is no There There, or Raiders

Gertrude Stein didn’t like Oakland, and apparently neither do the football Raiders.  For the second time since 1982, the team is leaving Oakland, that is, if 24 NFL owners give their OK and Oakland doesn’t come up with a Hail Mary of a stadium deal.  All things considered, color the Raiders black and silver and soon-to-be gone.

Where to?  Why, Las Vegas, of all places.  In other words, the NFL is likely to embrace a place called “Sin City.”  So much for the pretense of pro football being “family” entertainment or being on the up and up, for that matter.  Las Vegas exists for one reason, gambling (sorry, no “gaming” or other euphemism used here), and gamblers have been known to try and influence the outcome of sporting events.  Anyone out there remember the Black Sox?

Here’s where it gets really interesting.  Raiders’ owner Mark Davis wants a $1.9 billion football palace, with $750 million of it publicly financed.  Supposedly, casino owner Sheldon Adelson is set to kick in $650 million, with the remainder coming from the NFL and Davis (how big of him).  Davis may be on the hook for about $300 million.  You don’t think he’ll be shaking down fans with seat licenses, do you?  You don’t think having a casino owner involved in the project is cause for concern, do you?

A better question is, does the NFL?