With little public interest in their local games and difficulties sparking a construction project for a new stadium in Oakland, the Athletics intend to move to Las Vegas in 2027.
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The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Thursday that the major league baseball team had reached an agreement to purchase a 49-acre property away from T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium.
There is currently no official agreement to build a stadium, but the franchise seems desperate to be going in circles in Oakland, where it has been attempting to build new infrastructure to replace the ramshackle O.co Coliseum. In addition, the specific objective would be to develop a partially retractable roof stadium with approximately 35,000 seats at an estimated cost of US$1.5 billion. The A’s will work with the state of Nevada and Clark County to fund the future stadium through a public-private partnership.
Big baseball news overnight.
Oakland A says they have a deal to move to Las Vegas by 2027. Plans for a new $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat stadium with a partially retractable roof— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) April 20, 2023
“We’ve been on parallel courses with Oakland for a long time, but our focus has been on Las Vegas to secure a deal for the Athletics and find them a long-term home,” club president Dave Kaval told the newspaper in question. Oakland has been a beautiful place for us for more than 50 years, except we have to put an end to this 20 year old saga. We think there’s an opportunity in southern Nevada.”
Athletics management is also growing impatient and wanting nothing to do with the club’s current home, where last year a possum literally moved in and prevented the staff responsible for broadcasting visiting teams’ games from working effectively. Then the grandstands in the enclosure are empty: Among other things, in a series against the Cleveland Guardians from 3.
On the pitch the picture is equally depressing, with the A’s having won three of their first 19 meetings of the 2023 calendar.
An unconvinced mayor
For her part, the mayor of the California city where the A’s play, Sheng Thao, admitted that talks with the organization in question are drawing to a close.
“I am very disappointed that the A’s have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner in a manner that respects the longstanding relationship between the team, the city and the fans. The city made several attempts beyond all expectations to keep the A’s here. In the past three months, we’ve made significant progress towards reaching an agreement, she told the San Francisco Chronicle. However, in times of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. In light of these facts, we are halting our negotiations and evaluating other alternatives for the rehabilitation of the Howard Terminal.
Consequently, we must forget about establishing a new home for the association in this place. “I realize the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland. They just used this negotiation process with us to get a better deal in Las Vegas. I’m not interested in continuing this game, fans and local residents deserve better,” the mayor stressed.
Down Under sports markets
Las Vegas has been popular in the sports world for a number of years, having stolen the NFL Raiders from Oakland back in 2020. It also hosted the Golden Knights, a National Hockey League team that played its inaugural season in 2017-2018. In baseball, the city has relied on an AAA club since 1983, the Aviators, which are closely affiliated with the A’s.
Meanwhile, Oakland is likely to lose a third franchise before long: The Golden State Warriors have come a few miles to settle at San Francisco’s Chase Center in 2019. The Athletics also continue to fight for wickets. They have played 12 times in front of home fans since the start of the 2023 season and have averaged 11,025 spectators per game, the worst record among the majors.