Seeing low public interest in their local games and difficulties in triggering a construction project for a new stadium in Oakland, the Athletics intend to move to Las Vegas in 2027.
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Thus, the daily “Las Vegas Review-Journal” reported Thursday that the major league baseball team had reached an agreement to purchase a 49-acre lot (Editor’s note: approximately 43,560 square feet) located just outside west of the famous Las Vegas Strip; however, the club confirmed the information in a press release, with the proposed venue being one mile from T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium.
At present, no agreement to build a stadium there is official, but the fact remains that the franchise seems exasperated to run in circles in Oakland, where it has tried to build new infrastructure for replace the dilapidated O.co Coliseum. Moreover, the specific objective would be the development of a stadium with a partially retractable roof with approximately 35,000 seats, the estimated cost of which is $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.
“For a long time we were on parallel tracks with Oakland, but we focused on Las Vegas to secure a deal for the Athletics and find them a long-term home,” club president Dave Kaval said. , to the newspaper in question. For more than 50 years, Oakland has been a beautiful place for us, except we have to put an end to this 20-year-old saga. We think there’s an opportunity to do that in southern Nevada.”
Also, the management of the Athletics is getting impatient and wants nothing more to do with the club’s current home, where a possum literally moved in last year, preventing the employees responsible for broadcasting matches for visiting teams from working effectively. Then, the stands are empty in the enclosure: among others, crowds of 3035, 3407 and 4930 people were recorded during a series against the Cleveland Guardians, from April 3 to 5.
On the pitch, the picture is just as depressing, the A’s having won three of their first 19 meetings on the 2023 calendar.
An unconvinced mayor
For her part, the mayor of the Californian city where the A’s play, Sheng Thao, admitted that the talks with the organization concerned 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 way that respects the long relationship between the team, the city and the fans. The City made several attempts beyond expectations to keep the A’s here. In the past three months, we have made significant progress in reaching an agreement, she told the San Francisco Chronicle daily. However, in an era of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. Considering these facts, we cease our negotiations and we look at other alternatives for the redevelopment of the Howard terminal.
Consequently, we must forget the establishment of a new home for the club at this location. “It’s clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland. They just used that negotiation process with us to get a better deal in Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing this game. Fans and residents deserve better,” insisted the mayor.
Down Under Sports Markets
Las Vegas has been popular in the sports world for a few years, having already stolen the NFL Raiders from Oakland in 2020. In addition, it hosted the Golden Knights, a National Hockey League team that played its first season in 2017-2018. In baseball, the city has been relying on a AAA club since 1983, the Aviators, precisely affiliated with the A’s.
Meanwhile, Oakland will likely lose a third franchise in short order: the Golden State Warriors have come a few miles to settle at the Chase Center in San Francisco in 2019. The Athletics also continue to struggle at the wickets. They have played in front of home fans 12 times since the start of the 2023 campaign and have averaged 11,025 spectators per game, which is the worst tally in the majors.