Apparently, it’s somewhat controversial news that Charles Barkley wants professional sports teams to stop ripping off the American public. In October, the Nevada legislature passed a bill to put $750 million of hotel tax money toward a new stadium for the Raiders, and on Thursday at CES, Sir Charles let Las Vegas sports anchor Amber Dixon know how he feels about it.
VIDEO: Spoke with Charles Barkley at CES. He opposes a Raiders relocation due to public funding involved in #LasVegas stadium. @News3LV pic.twitter.com/L1oMSgpuFi
— Amber Renee Dixon (@Amber_R_Dixon) January 6, 2017
Here’s what Barkley had to say:
“They rip off poor people to build these stadiums. That’s why I’m not a fan of the Raiders coming to L.A. These owners, who are billionaires, have been screwing these fans forever, making them build new stadiums. You know, it’s amazing. We have an awful public school system. We can’t pay our teachers and things like that. But they’ve come up with money because if you own a professional team you’re going to print money. But I think it’s a disgrace that we make these poor people build these rich guys’ stadiums.
Oh, they got money. They just want a bigger stadium. They gonna get more money coming here. … There’s always money. They could move to Santa Clara and play where the 49ers play, which would be fair to their fan base. But they don’t care. They just want the most money.”
According to Fox Sports, taxpayers have contributed more than $7 billion on NFL stadiums in the last 20 years, nearly half of the total costs. One reason the Raiders are trying to move out of Oakland is because city officials denied the use of public funding for a new stadium.
Barkley already voiced his disapproval of the Raiders’ move after the Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval approved the stadium’s public funding in October.
https://twitter.com/NFLonLive/status/787689022961295360
Shaquille O’Neal said he supports a professional sports team moving to Las Vegas, although he did not comment on the issue of public funding.
Shaq at CES said he thinks #LasVegas "can handle any professional team." @News3LV pic.twitter.com/GLhlLveTVy
— Amber Renee Dixon (@Amber_R_Dixon) January 6, 2017
About Jesse Kramer
Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.