To: Wiley “Chip” Price
From: Alvin A. Reid
Greetings Chip, and congratulations on your election as incoming Democratic state representative for the 84th District.
I’ll save all the “I’ve known you since you were a kid” talk, because I’m sure you’ve already grown weary of it. You’re a bright young man with a solid political career ahead of you, should you decide to pursue it.
In your campaign literature and on your website, the first two items you promised to focus on if elected were “strengthening and improving our education system” and “attracting jobs and businesses to the district.”
I have a suggestion on how to immediately begin fulfilling these campaign pledges.
You need to be a force in legislation that approves sports wagering in the state of Missouri. More importantly, you should the drive effort to insure north St. Louis and your 84th District is home to a legal wagering facility.
Several bills will be filed soon that could bring sports wagering to Missouri – the key for St. Louis is to make the best deal for itself. The word is that the Missouri Lottery folks want the entire deal to be run through its auspices.
Personally, I think the Missouri Lottery would foul up the deal. Where were its leaders when other states were making their respective moves? This entity is catching the wave, not helping create one.
If the money generated through sports wagering is destined for the state’s public school systems, the Missouri Lottery does not need to be included. However, this would be your and fellow legislators’ decision.
Remember this, the SLPS district continues to make improvement, but we both know it still has a way to go. It, like many school districts, desperately needs more financial resources.
Sports wagering is already proving to be a financial winner for the states that were quick to embrace it. Nevada has had it for decades. New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are now cashing in. Missouri should be No. 8.
New Jersey, the first state to take advantage of the Supreme Court ruling allowing states to adopt sports betting saw more then $250 million wagered in September.
Delaware, a state much smaller than Missouri, is looking at almost a million dollars a month in wagering during football season.
If the bettor loses, the entire amount wagered is collected by the state and it is taxable. If the bettor wins, there is still tax on the winnings and a service charge could be taxable. The house wins. Thus, Missouri should be the house.
Chip, you’re old enough to remember this: “Mo money, mo money, mo money.”
Missouri doesn’t have time to wait, Chip. The Kansas City Star reported this week that “Kansas lawmakers will get a crash course in sports gambling this week as they consider how to capitalize on … it.”
Kansas Democratic Gov.-elect Laura Kelly said during her campaign she supports the idea. Kansas budget officials estimate that sports wagering would have created $75 million in taxable income in 2018.
Unfortunately, Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons seems chilly to the idea although he said he would not oppose the effort. The door is open for progressive thinking legislators like yourself to usher Missouri into the present – the future is here.
How long do you think it will be before Illinois Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker has his state reaping the dollars that sports wagering would bring? It’s not a question of if, it’s when.
During his campaign he said sports betting “was an important thing to consider” when it comes to getting the state’s budget out of the red and increasing education funding.
Importantly, he also said local control is essential. The communities that want legalized gambling should be able to have it.
Several of the seven states that have legalized wagering allow it in bars and restaurants. Why can’t there be a home in north St. Louis’ 84th District? There is no reason that it can’t.
This could bring new business – or bolster existing ones – and create jobs and revenue for your district. This was Promise No. 2 during your campaign and you can make it happen through sports wagering.
Republican state representatives are taking the lead in sports wagering legislation here and in Kansas. Do they have urban areas’ best interest at heart?
This state needs a progressive, African-American legislator to quickly get involved and make sure St. Louis gets its fair share of sports wagering dollars.
My guess is that other black elected officials will read this letter, but make sure you share it with them if they don’t.
This isn’t a gamble, Chip. It’s a winner and you should be an important part of Missouri’s effort to get the job done.
Never too late to ask
To high-five celebrations and jubilance, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a package of tax incentives for construction of a downtown soccer stadium in the legitimate effort to attract a MLS franchise to the region by a 26-2 vote.
While the prospective owners and area fans await the MLS expansion decision, now is the time for the city to ask a few pertinent questions of the MLS.
Just how solvent is the MLS? What is its future five, 10 and 15 years down the road?
Does the MLS business model include adding new franchises every few years to acquire expansion fees that then balance the MLS books?
Why would a franchise such as Columbus’ struggle financially when it had enormous fan support?
Does the MLS insist on minority participation on construction jobs and employment once the stadium is operational? I realize the city can set its own goals, but maybe the MLS’ are more stringent – or maybe they have none. It’s worth finding out.
A Chief fool
Kareem means “generous, giving” in Arabic.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar deserves to carry this name. Kareem Hunt certainly does not.
Hunt was caught on a Cleveland hotel security video pushing a woman in the face, knocking one of his posse into the woman and sending her sprawling to the floor and then kicking her when she was down.
The Kansas City Chiefs released him. He cleared waivers on Saturday. He could be signed by any team in the NFL today. The NFL knew of the incident but inexplicably did not interview Hunt, the woman or witnesses. When the video was released by TMZ, Hunt was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.
Reports are that some owners are “livid” with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision not to pursue action against Hunt last February when the incident occurred.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is certainly one of them. Ezekiel Elliott should demand an explanation, as well. He served a six-game suspension based on an alleged victim’s testimony – and no video evidence.
Hunt will play again in the NFL. It won’t be until late next season or in 2020. Shameful.
The Reid roundup
If the St. Louis Cardinals need Nelly to attract free-agent Bryce Harper to town, the cause is lost … Ladue 48, MICDS 11 in the Class 4 football state championship. I’m told it could have been worse, but the Rams let up … The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes the achievement of former St. Louis Cardinal and San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell and “Air Coryell” at www.profootballhof.com/news/air-coryell1. Yet, Coryell has yet to be enshrined. Once again, the voters have continued to snub a deserving candidate. Hopefully, this changes in February during Super Bowl weekend … One reason the Missouri Tigers continue to have trouble filling their stadium is because many fans still long to see Big 8 opponents. The Liberty Bowl in Memphis featuring the Tigers against Oklahoma State will be a rocking affair … Look, I want to see UCF take its 25-game unbeaten streak on the road to Alabama in the first game of an eight-team college playoff – especially if star quarterback and emotional leader McKenzie Milton had not been lost to injury … If there was an eight-team battle the other first-round games (at the higher seed’s home) it would be Michigan at Clemson, Ohio State at Notre Dame and Georgia at Oklahoma. This would be fantastic!
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
