The NFL has had an array of bad luck and controversial matters recently, and it has deterred people from watching one of the most popular sports in America.
Immediately what comes to mind is the polarizing former Quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, who protested the National Anthem by kneeling during the pre-game tradition.
But while many are frustrated with the NFL’s lack of awareness and empathy for the players who suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), others simply hate the widespread domestic abuse that seems to be forgiven simply because they’re athletes.
However, superstar actor Tom Hanks is boycotting the NFL for an entirely different reason.
USA Today reported:
“Tom Hanks won’t be taking David Carr’s advice about remaining a Raiders fan once the team leaves.
Instead, he will be boycotting football.
The popular actor slammed the team’s move during a fundraiser in San Francisco this week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, announcing that he would no longer be supporting the league.
‘When the Raiders leave, I am going on an NFL moratorium for two years.
‘You cannot take the Silver and Black, put them in an air-conditioned dome in the desert, make them play on artificial turf within a stone’s throw of the fountains of Caesar’s Palace, and call them the Raiders.
‘Here’s the thing I don’t quite understand. And I’m not trying to – this isn’t one of the (many) causes I’m fighting for.
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’re going to use for 10 weeks out of the year, they expect the city taxpayers to buy the building.”
Tom Hanks doesn’t wear his love for the Raiders on his sleeve quite like Ice Cube does, but occasionally you’ll see him tweet about it.
For instance, Hanks was an enormous Kenny Stabler fan, who was the 1983-season Super Bowl champion QB.
And when he died in 2015, Hanks wrote the Stabler family a heartfelt note upon his passing.
It’s not every day you get a letter from Tom Hanks. What a stud! So cool of him to reach out. #respect #throwdeep pic.twitter.com/o9E3r0TJjw
— Kendra Stabler Moyes (@KendraSMoyes) December 28, 2015
Fandom is a weird thing because it becomes bigger than the owner and bigger than even geographical locale, which is usually the main factor when becoming a fan.
But the Raiders are moving to Vegas and abandoning Oakland for the second time, which is understandably hard to stomach.
And it comes at a time when the Raiders are finally good again after a 15-year playoff drought. So it’s definitely bittersweet.
There’s a looming cloud over Oakland and it will be there for at least several years while their state-of-the-art stadium is being built.
USA Today concluded:
“As former Coliseum vendor Tom Hanks puts it, ‘You go around the world and you say the word ‘Oakland,’ the next word is, ‘Oh, you mean where the Raiders play.’
In a distinctly proud voice, Hanks continues, ‘You said, ‘Yes, exactly. That’s exactly where Oakland is. It’s where the Raiders play.’ “
Clearly, the franchise means a lot to the city of Oakland, and some will cease to become fans when they move to Vegas.
But who knows, maybe they’ll bring one more championship to the city before they leave.