John Oliver Gives a Riveting Halftime Speech Against Taxpayer-Funded

Admitting that he loves sports -saying the only times he cries is when watching “actors playing coaches deliver inspirational speeches set to stirring music” – Last Week Tonight host John Oliver decried the “ridiculous” stadiums being built for billionaire professional sport team owners with taxpayer dollars.

But, as Oliver notes, fan loyalty is a potent political weapon.

“Sports teams are successful businesses with wealthy owners, and yet they still get our help”, he said.

In the case of Detroit, the cash-strapped city approved $280 million in taxpayer money for a new stadium for the National Hockey League Red Wings, despite the fact that Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, founder of the Little Caesar’s pizza chain, is worth an estimated $5.1 billion. As Oliver noted, “That’s a little hard to swallow”.

“Pretending you’re poor is wrong”. Oliver explained. He would go on to cite the Miami Marlins who insisted to city officials in 2010 they were broke so the city would foot their stadium bill, only to reveal later they had generated over $50 million in operating income the previous two years.

This chicanery is so thoroughly ingrained in sports culture that it’s even featured in the “owner” mode of the Madden National Football League 15 video game.

Check out the clip above for the full explanation of how teams are using and abusing public funds to build massive new sports “theme parks” and how cities are getting little to nothing in return.

Have fun buying those holographic replay machines someday, Bengals fans. “Teams get these deals because they know politicians will capitulate and give them whatever they want”.