Bay Area Native Tom Hanks Upset Over Oakland Raiders’ Move to Las Vegas

Posted on: April 28, 2017, 04:00h. 

Last updated on: April 28, 2017, 12:30h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

Celebrated A-lister Tom Hanks is one of America’s most cherished Hollywood talents.

He’s entertained moviegoers for decades, but when it comes to his own entertainment, Hanks says he won’t be tuning in for Raiders football games once the franchise relocates to Las Vegas.

Tom Hanks Oakland Raiders Las Vegas
Once the Oakland Raiders relocate to Las Vegas, expected to take place in 2020, don’t look for Tom Hanks on the sidelines. (Image: Philly.com)

There’s no crying in baseball, as Hanks’ character Jimmy Dugan so memorably said in “A League of Their Own,” but when it comes to football and Hanks’ beloved Raiders, apparently there is.

Appearing at a fundraiser in San Francisco to support local education, Hanks told attendees that he’s going on a two-year moratorium from watching the NFL after the Raiders jump town for Sin City. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Hanks attended Skyline High School in Oakland, which is just five miles from where the Raiders have played their games since 1995.

While Hanks was on-hand to raise money for education, and they did to the tune of over $500,000, the celebrity also took time to educate those around him on why the Raiders moving to Nevada is wrong.

“You cannot take the Silver and Black, put them in an air-conditioned dome in the desert, make them play on artificial turn within a stone’s throw of the fountains of Caesars’ Palace, and call them the Raiders,” Hanks opined, as reported by theSF Chronicle.

While Caesars Palace does have some smaller water fountain features throughout its property and pool area, it’s unclear if Hanks was mistakenly referring to the Bellagio’s famed water spectacle.

Raiders Fans Feel Pirated

Hanks certainly isn’t the only Raiders fan angered by owner Mark Davis moving the storied California NFL team to Nevada. Come August, it will be seen whether Oakland fans will continue to support the franchise despite knowing the Raiders are leaving in the coming years.

The Raiders have some of the most passionate fans in all of football, and while many are expected to continue to support the players during their three-year curtain call, others might boycott the team to punish Davis. Should the latter occur, various cities are being considered as a temporary home, as construction on the Strip stadium continues.

Davis received the blessing of the NFL to move the Raiders to Las Vegas in late March.

The Raiders caused a bit of controversy at this week’s NFL Draft when it took Gareon Conley of Ohio State in the first round. A woman recently accused Conley of raping her, though he’s strongly denied the ongoing allegations.

Hanks Hammers Funding

Like many other Las Vegas locals, Hanks also took issue with how Nevada came to terms on funding the $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium.

The state government approved committing $750 million in hotel occupancy taxes generated in Clark County to help persuade the franchise to the Mojave Desert.

“I’m just thinking as a fan: It’s a billion-dollar industry, they have billion-dollar TV contracts. All the owners are billionaires. And yet when they want to build a stadium . . . they expect the city taxpayers to buy the building,” Hanks declared.

Hanks is the first major celebrity to come out publicly in reprimanding the Raiders move, and threatening to boycott the NFL once the team departs.

Will others follow? Like Forrest Gump’s momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”