The Oakland Athletics baseball team has signed a binding agreement to buy land for a new stadium in Las Vegas, after being unable to build a new venue in the Bay Area. The A’s plan to build a retractable roof stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000, and work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. The team hopes to break ground by next year and move into their new home by 2027. The team’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and they have been unable to draw large crowds to games in recent years. Oakland had the lowest opening-day payroll in baseball, and the team is currently struggling with a 3-16 record.
Let me paint you a picture: You’re in Vegas in late August with your girlfriend, hungover and broke from losing your entire bankroll at the Blackjack table last night. Instead of entering the casino and losing all your money again, you go to an A’s game and drink overpriced beers and hot dogs mentally preparing for the night to come. I think this is such a win for Vegas and the A’s. I think these tickets will be relatively inexpensive for fans to get and it’s just another thing to do in Vegas. I think day games are going to be packed more than any other stadium in the majors on an average weekday. Las Vegas has become such a sports mecca and it makes me happy that all the leagues are embracing that people gamble on sports.
Hot Seat: Oakland
Oakland has now lost the Warriors to San Francisco, plus the Raiders and A’s to Las Vegas. I feel bad for all the Oakland fans, but also who would ever want to be in Oakland. The city basically told all those teams to “F*CK OFF” and then complained that nobody wanted to stay.
