The Oakland A's may not be staying in Oakland. You've probably heard the rumors by now, but in case you haven't, MSN has a pretty good story on it HERE. It's not Yankees news BUT it's still a big deal. Baseball might be making some more changes. I'm not talking about Rob Manfred's stupid 'runner starts at second base for extra innings' crap. This actually makes sense. Las Vegas is the place to be.
The new cool home for sports is Las Vegas. It's trendy and hip and Oakland isn't. I spend a lot of time in Vegas....it's a hungry sports town. I never would've guessed that HOCKEY of all sports would move to Vegas and THRIVE there....but it HAS and the Vegas Golden Knights have an exciting and growing fan base. Fans have embraced it as the first original Vegas team and are proud of their #VEGASBORN slogan.
Teams have learned quickly that Oakland isn't the attraction it used to be and the NBA started the trend we are seeing today. Before the 2019-2020 season started the Golden State Warriors moved from Oakland back to San Francisco. Then, after two decades the Raiders moved from Oakland to Las Vegas and kicked off their 2020 season in Allegiant Stadium just off of the Vegas strip...and it definitely has room for another stadium.
Vegas isn't little Vegas anymore. MLB wants their piece of the action and Vegas would embrace it. They are willing to PLAY BALL if the A's are. MLB has given their blessing for the A's to look for a new home. The Coliseum is "not a viable option for the future of the franchise" but a $1 billion privately funded waterfront ballpark is if local city politicians will agree to help finance the remaining estimated $11 billion needed to complete construction. This is a similar scenario that happened with the Raiders back in 2017 and negotiations failed which ultimately led to them moving to Vegas.
The question is, will Oakland let this happen for a THIRD time? Oakland's mayor is already saying "HELL NO!" HERE but can they offer enough to really keep the A's in town? Maybe not. Rob Manfred also listed Portland, Vancouver, British Columbia, Nashville, North Carolina and Montreal as alternate sites if the A's do decide to move and some make sense....but not as much sense as Vegas IF Vegas can make it work again financially.
The question is, will Oakland let this happen for a THIRD time? Oakland's mayor is already saying "HELL NO!" HERE but can they offer enough to really keep the A's in town? Maybe not. Rob Manfred also listed Portland, Vancouver, British Columbia, Nashville, North Carolina and Montreal as alternate sites if the A's do decide to move and some make sense....but not as much sense as Vegas IF Vegas can make it work again financially.
Las Vegas is ready to PLAY BALL, but are they ready to become the Las Vegas A's? I think it could happen....and I won't lie, I'd like to see it happen!
Cool article Jeana! I'd love to see the A's join the Raiders in Vegas. I grew up a fan of the early 70's A's and still root for the A's, along with the Pirates. Also a Raiders fan, dating back to the Stabler era.
ReplyDeleteThe Rams returned to LA. The Cardinals & Colts made moves & never looked back. Vegas is absolutely sustainable for the Raiders. Oakland is on the wrong side of the bay I guess. The 49ers have it made. I guess when it comes to funding 12 billion, Oakland just can't cut it, for whatever reasons.
Only concern would be, so soon after accommodating the Raiders, could Vegas bring in another pro team. The city is really growing & the city is very open to big developers.