John Oliver weighs in on publicly-funded stadiums, calling it "shameless manipulation"

There is a contingency around these parts that wants to see the Chargers stay in San Diego, no matter what the cost. There are others that feel that San Diego is being held hostage by the team and that the city (and county) shouldn't pay the ransom.

John Oliver clearly falls into the latter camp.

In a rather smart and hilarious tour of the country, Oliver shines a spotlight on the ridiculousness of publicly-funded stadiums. He even goes on to expose some of the more asinine clauses in some of these deals and the laughable tactics employed by the sports teams to get what they want.

He spends a decent amount of time addressing the NFL's race to Los Angeles, including Chargers' fans attempts to keep the team in San Diego.

Ultimately, Oliver takes the sports owners to task and makes the case that funding a sports venue exposes the municipality to all the risk, while the team reaps all the rewards. All those arguments you hear in favor of a new sports venue? Bunk.

Watch below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.