“I’ll get divorced if that happens”: Joe Biden jokes about Eagles leaving town as sports franchises flock to Las Vegas
When U.S. President Joe Biden was in his younger years in the 20th century, Las Vegas was a place to be enjoyed under the cover of night. However, the city is expanding into the daytime and evening with the rise and addition of winning sports franchises galore.
The still-new Las Vegas Raiders are enjoying a 2-0 run, the NHL's Golden Knights are basking in a Stanley Cup championship and the Las Vegas Aces are euphoric about winning back-to-back WNBA titles in the last two seasons. Joe Biden appeared up-to-date on the trend as he hosted the Golden Knights at the White House on Monday.
"Together, you’re building a legacy in a great American sports city," Biden said. "In fact, Kamala hosted the Las Vegas Aces back in September when they had just won back-to-back WNBA titles."
President Biden went on, joking that his wife, Jill Biden, would leave him if the Philadelphia Eagles ditched the City of Brotherly Love:
"Just one promise: Don’t get the Philadelphia Eagles to leave and go… because I’ll get divorced if that happens. I married a Philly girl, and — and it’s a long story."
Of course, if that were to happen, Biden politically would have an uphill climb back into his second term. Only one president in American History, James Buchanan, has held office without ever having a wife, and only a handful had anything more eventful than the orthodox 'one-wife-for-life' tradition.
Coach-less Raiders aim to complete Vegas hat trick of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris visits
At this point, Las Vegas has enjoyed championship visits to the White House from basketball and hockey this year. The Raiders are aiming to be the third sports franchise to have the honor for the city. However, the path would be unprecedented.
While the team managed to reach the playoffs in the aftermath of firing Jon Gruden during the Derek Carr era, the team will need to trump that to visit the White House.
Aiden O'Connell would need a CJ Stroud-like breakout this season to set a foundation for such a run, as the team sits at 5-5. Additionally, Las Vegas will need to at least reach nine wins for a chance to make the postseason.
That means the Las Vegas Raiders must lose only three games or less the rest of the season.
Then, of course, they would need to surge through the best of the AFC, whether Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow or others. At this point, most Vegas residents would admit they need a miracle to get an invite from Joe Biden.