Desperate attempts by Oakland Athletics fans to persuade Major League Baseball not to move their team to Las Vegas won’t change the final decision, Rob Manfred believes.
Relations between fans and the major league commissioner have been somewhat strained since he said he was unfazed by the “reverse boycott” on June 14, when nearly 28,000 spectators went to the Oakland Coliseum to protest.
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In an interview with Chicago Tribune newspaper Meghan Montemurro, Manfred assured that he did everything he could to remain the best in California.
“My comment on Oakland was that I feel sorry for the fans and that my original preference was to find a solution in Oakland. “The comments I made about the fans that night were taken out of context,” he said Friday.
“I feel sorry for the supporters. We hate moving. We did everything we could to keep the club in Oakland. And sadly, one night doesn’t change a decade of inaction.”
Athletics owner John Fisher’s management drew much criticism from fans who reportedly wanted to see the businessman sell the team to a shareholder willing to stay in Oakland. Despite several miserable seasons, ticket prices continued to rise, which didn’t sit well with the majority.
Major League Baseball will soon have to approve the A’s move to Las Vegas, where land on the Strip has already been selected for the construction of a new stadium.