Raiders going to sleaziest city in U.S., Sin City, where they belong



... and take crybaby John Madden with you 

Great news out of the NFL today. The whiniest, nastiest, meanest, lowliest and most worthless franchise in the NFL is moving to the sleaziest city in the U.S. -- although I truly feel for the Raiders' fans.

Yes, tne NFL approved the move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas, Sin City, with that name very appropriate for the franchise.

My bias

Okay, I am biased. This goes back to the 1970s when the Steelers battled a nasty Oakland team that cried and cried and cried when they lost.

Their coach, John Madden, is still whining that the Immaculate Reception that gave the Steelers a last second victory over his despicable team was illegal. This is 45 years later, and he is still moaning that Jack Tatum never touched the pass that somehow mysteriously flew backwards 12 yards into the hands of Franco Harris, who promptly sprinted into the end zone with it.

Give it up, man!

My advice to the Raiders: Take that whiny 80-year-old to Sin City with you, or even better, find a burial plot for him to rest among the other sinners.

I feel for Raiders' fans

Okay, I am writing this in jest. I actually feel for the Raiders' fans. They finally have a good team that they could cheer for, and now this. They will likely boycott the team the next year or two that they spend in Oakland, which can be demoralizing for any team.

They have an outstanding QB in Derek Carr, and if he stayed healthy last season, they, not the Steelers, may have been playing New England for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The Raiders have been in California for 58 years, and 45 of those have been in Oakland. That is what makes this so sad.

To Nevada?

Let's be clear. Nevada is a poor state. Forget about the glitz of Las Vegas. The owners of the big money places in Vegas live elsewhere.

Who is going to make up their base?

According to the Las Vegas Sun, in 2013, 23 percent of the children in Nevada lived in poverty. The people who work in the businesses in the city are waitresses and in other low-paying jobs in the casinos and hotels.

The Sun wrote in 2015, "Nevada ranks 47th among states in overall child well-being, up one spot from last year. The study found that Nevada ranks 43rd in family and community development indicators, like children living in high-poverty areas; 46th in health statistics, like low birthweight babies; 46th in economic well-being, including parents lacking secure employment; and 50th in educational achievement, including 69% of Nevada’s children not attending pre-school."

In addition, the state has only 2.9 million people, while Oakland itself has more than 400,000.

So, they move from the wealthiest state in the union to one of the poorest?

Transient population

The Las Vegas area is not really a place to build a fan base. According to CBS Local Sports columnist Jason Keidel, "And how many people actually live and work in Vegas? It’s the most transient place west of Grand Central [Station]."

The blame goes to owner Mark Davis, son of the late iconic but eccentric former coach and owner by the name of Al Davis. According to Keidel, Davis knew that this decision was going to fuel anger toward his team. "For his part, at least Mark Davis put this all on him, and implored the media and masses to leave the players and coaches alone," Keidel wrote, questioning the wisdom of the move. "Where’s this frothing call for football in Las Vegas? The only reason we’re even talking about this is because one man (Mark Davis) wanted to move there, not because it was a natural fit for 50 years. In fact, Vegas was the most toxic spot in sports for the last 60 years. Now we’re suddenly supposed to believe it’s some utopia?"

NFL and gambling

The NFL has been fortunate to avoid gambling scandals in recent years, but what kind of message does this send to the rest of America?

It is the only state in the U.S. that legalizes prostitution, and many people just do not like or think highly of Vegas. "Few red-blood Americans have visited Las Vegas," he said.

So, I hope that the Raiders go broke in their new domed stadium which will be about half-filled after the first year.

Between now and then, I feel for the coaches, the players, and most important, the loyal fans.

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