by Gus Griffin
What do NFL fans and perpetually cheated upon wives have in common?
They both ALWAYS take the cheaters back. The cheaters know this, and thus there really is no reason for them to change.
The two latest examples are in Oakland and Washington.
In Oakland, the city has filed a federal lawsuit against the Raiders, who will be moving to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. The city’s principal claim is anti-trust and collusion of the other NFL owners, who are entitled to millions in relocation fees, once they approved the move. Meanwhile, the city of Oakland is left with the last of the “dinosaur” multi-use facilities, the Oakland Alameda Coliseum, in which the baseball team is in the process of trying to leave as well. Add to this the fact that the NBA champion Warriors, in the midst of one of the greatest runs in league history, will be moving to San Francisco, and it is easy to understand the collective trauma of Oakland sports fans. An underlying issue is the inferiority complex Oakland has always had in relation to San Francisco. It is similar to the relationship between Baltimore and Washington. While the merits of the suit make it a long shot, do not underestimate Oakland. The city has a long history of resistance to power, from the Black Panther Party to its support of the late great Congressman Ron Dellums and his struggle to dismantle Apartheid South Africa, to taking on Big Oil. Oakland does not just roll over.
RFK Stadium – Former and maybe future (renovated) home of the Washington Professional Football Team
In Washington, the football team owner, Dan Snyder, is openly conspiring with the lame-duck, Republican controlled House of Representatives to bring the football team back to the city. The scheme is to add taxpayer dollars to a spending bill to finance the renovation of venerable RFK stadium. This urgency is caused by the incoming block of progressive Democrats whom most feel would not be nearly as accommodating, especially to a franchise that stubbornly keeps a racist team name. One of the complexities in this situation is that local DC officials are conspiring with the Republicans to make this happen. DC officials have a disturbing recent record of disregarding the voting will of their citizens to advance their own predetermined agenda, to accommodate moneyed interests. This is evident from their overrunning of voter-approved Prop 77, which would have gradually raised tipped workers’ base salary to $15 per hour. It should be noted that half of the council is Black. The mayor is Black and all are Democrats. So simplistic descriptions of villains and heroes do not apply here. If DC voters were only as concerned about this as some are about the Mayor’s annoyance with mambo sauce, maybe they could stop themselves from being shafted.
While the details vary somewhat, the fundamental process of NFL teams pimping tax payers for new stadium construction under the threat of the team moving is the historical play book. This is especially insulting, given that all 32 teams profit regardless of how bad the on-field product.
In the cases of Oakland and Washington, if we analogize their on-field play with sex, it is even more mind-blowing why their fans keep taking them back. It is clearly not very good!
In fairness to NFL teams, such behavior is the norm under Capitalism and extends beyond sports. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world. Nevertheless, the average salary of his Amazon employees is about $28K, and it’s only that due to the struggle for $15 per hour minimum wage. However, New York representatives were all too happy to sign off on giving him a $2 Billion windfall in tax breaks and subsidies to move Amazon operations to the city. The promises, as is the case with NFL teams, are the same: jobs, urban renewal, and blah blah blah. The fact is, in the case of Amazon, non-local residents will fill most of their best jobs. The remaining jobs are overwhelmingly low paying, part-time, and/or seasonal. This is true of stadium construction as well, except most of their jobs offer no benefits. It should also be noted that while politicians tout the jobs coming in, they forget math when it comes to jobs that are lost, which are mostly provided by small businesses. Unless you own a restaurant/business near the facility, you likely will not feel the economic return. In other words, public tax dollars are merely subsidizing the enrichment of the few whom are least in need. Stadiums promote a form of business gentrification. It is the typical Capitalism playbook both in and outside of sports.
How do the people fight back against this? Two things are essential; 1) a commitment to local organized struggle, and 2) the willingness to walk away and let the teams leave.
Ironically, the second need is more difficult than the first. Getting folks organized around an issue that is of passionate importance to them is not anywhere near as difficult as getting them to let go of that which they have an emotional bond. Both NFL teams and philandering husbands know this and are all too happy to exploit that bond.
However, it is necessary. Just as that philandering husband will keep doing what he is doing until the wife has had enough, so too will NFL franchises. The absence of boundaries and a line in the sand when dealing with the predatory entities called NFL teams is tantamount to having a neon sign on your back that says, “Exploit me”. Will some cities lose their teams? Yep, but one should never cry long when your partner leaves an unhealthy relationship. Especially when the partner is the source of the toxicity.
There is even a successful model of grassroots resistance in Washington where the Reverend Graylan Hagler has led a fierce fight to repeal the repeal of Prop 77, as well as one to halt the closure of Providence Hospital. In addition to the short time window, the other thing working in the favor for the people of Washington is competition. The state of Maryland is proposing a new stadium near the National Harbor and the MGM Grand Hotel, which is the likely crown jewel for the coming sports gambling…I mean “investing”.
So, I say to the people of both Oakland and Washington; organize and resist. This especially includes football fans. Even before, we get to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, by performance alone, neither franchise deserves a break.
Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports
