The Oakland Athletics play their last game in their 57-year home on Thursday, before leaving for what’s supposed to be a three-year stint in a subpar minor league ballpark in Sacramento.
What’s next?
The current A’s-to-Vegas approach is one of those ideas that sounds better on paper. This relocation approach lacks cohesiveness, direction and support.
Some believe this is an ‘ante up’ tactic by Sacramento to permanently land the Athletics should Vegas fold its hand, but more likely, it is simply notoriously cheap A’s owner John Fisher being frugal.
With the A’s final home game at the decrepit Oakland Coliseum on Thursday, let’s dive into the myriad hurdles the Athletics must clear before finding a home in Southern Nevada (if ever).
Sutter Health Park
MLB has expressed concerns with the A’s present plan in Sacramento.
The durability of Sutter Health Park’s (home of the Sacramento River Cats) infrastructure/facilities for any potential A’s playoff game over the next few years has been questioned by the league. Also, the venue will need to be upgraded from natural grass to artificial turf in order to withstand simultaneous usage from the River Cats and Athletics. Simply put, a scorching-hot playing surface during Sacramento’s summer months will be fun for no one.
Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin is much newer and larger compared to the field in West Sacramento. However, it is unlikely that Fisher and the Athletics would have received the same sweetheart deal that River Cats owner (and Fisher’s pal) Vivek Ranadivé offered up in Sactown. Otherwise, why are the A’s not heading to “Sin City” already?
How ironic would it be if the A’s made the playoffs in 2025 and were subsequently forced back to Oakland for a postseason series or two? Yes, that is a real possibility. However, what I can’t figure out is why MLB is forcing this haggard situation when Vegas would thrive behind an expansion baseball team.
Infeasible Designs
Earlier in 2024, the Athletics released a stadium rendering from Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for a future home in Las Vegas. Drawing comparisons to a “crystal armadillo,” there were several alarming and unrealistic characteristics in the venue’s specs.
Much of the roof appears transparent. It is quite bold to challenge the Mojave sun throughout the summer—is bold the right word?
The A’s may already be out of luck in Vegas when it comes to their intended location, too. From where the field sits in the renderings, the enclosed building could be an obstruction to nearby Harry Reid International Airport. Does that mean they dig underground?
Read the room. Is John Fisher prepared to shell out that kind of cash? This is an owner who has chronically traded away top MLB talent in lieu of paying and disproportionately raised ticket prices, all while letting his stadium fall into disrepair.
From a fan’s or sponsor’s perspective, this is a nightmare scenario. And it’s been ongoing for about 20 years now.
Funding Gap
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has worked swiftly (but questionably) when it comes to raising tax dollars for the A’s.
Gov. Lombardo has used more than one “special” legislative session to approve $380 million in public money for Fisher’s venture. After the fact, it was discovered that as many as 40 Nevada lawmakers received monetary contributions directly from the Athletics via wire.
Still, $380 million will not completely cover Fisher’s potential construction bill on the Las Vegas Strip. It is unclear as to where the A’s will turn for the remaining funds. Will Fisher do the unthinkable and dip into the Gap Inc. family trust? (His family founded the clothes retailer.)
Lack Of Local Support
Nevada could be a sustainable MLB market if done correctly, but what does all this uncertainty mean for the Silver State’s largest city?
Las Vegas is undoubtedly a great sports town, but the locals don’t seem keen on inheriting a second team from the Bay Area. When it comes to the LV pecking order, residents have rallied around the Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) and Las Vegas Aces (WNBA) with much more gusto compared to the transplant Raiders.
The Raiders – playing in Allegiant Stadium, another venue recently built on tax dollars – have a much shorter home schedule to account for. The NFL’s weekend schedule is extremely suitable for Vegas tourism and culture; however, that will not be the case for MLB (81 home games). Good luck to the A’s when it comes to pulling people away from other Vegas entertainment during summer.
So, without support from the locals or tourists, what will the Athletics be in store for? It cannot be positive for morale when Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman recommends the A’s try to find a plan in Oakland before coming to her city.
One Final Time For Oakland
This has been a multi-agency failure jointly credited to the Athletics’ ownership, front office, MLB, the commissioner and the city of Oakland’s political leaders. With that said, the residents here are some of the best baseball folks around.
Countless MLB superstars draw lineage back to Alameda County and Oakland, such as Marcus Semien, Rickey Henderson, Jimmy Rollins, Dontrelle Willis, Willie Stargell, Randy Johnson, Dave Stewart, Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, Dennis Eckersley and many others. From Little League to the pros, baseball is cherished in this part of the nation.
Over the 57 years playing in Oakland, the A’s won the AL West a record 17 times along with four World Series championships. Other than the New York Yankees, the Oakland Athletics are the only MLB franchise to win a world title in three straight seasons.
No one should be proud about professional baseball departing the East Bay.
Mainstream media won’t tell you this but Oakland is one of the most decorated baseball regions in the country. There are those who are championing this attempted relocation to Vegas. Still, moving franchises out of state for greed is one of the single worst aspects of professional sports.
After all, baseball is intertwined with local community perhaps more than any other American sport. Will the A’s really be better off in Las Vegas or Sacramento?
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