The A’s desperate escape from Oakland may be coming sooner than we originally thought.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced last night that it is “possible” to have an owner’s vote on the Atheltic’s relocation as early as this upcoming June. All MLB owners are set to meet in New York between June 13-15 as part of a semi-annual conference.
While the vote is not officially taking place, there seems to be major signs that the move from Oakland to Las Vegas is happening. This past Wednesday, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo reported that the A’s and the city of Las Vegas reached a tentative funding agreement that would allocate $1.5 billion towards a stadium. Though an agreed upon number, the Nevada legislature still needs to approve the bill.
While the agreement is far from set in stone, the A’s have already purchased land in Sin City down by the southern portion of the Las Vegas Strip, right by the Tropicana Hotel and MGM Grand.
The Athletic’s move to Vegas, while not official, has been a work in progress for a couple of years now. With the team’s lease on their current property the Oakland Coliseum ending in 2024, the A’s scoured Oakland in search of a new ballpark. However, with no luck of finding anything suitable, the team began looking for spaces out of state. And, just like the Raiders a couple of years ago, it appears that the A’s have settled on Las Vegas.
Aside from the lease ending, the Athletics had some other reasons for getting their ass out of Oakland. For starters, no one wants to be Oakland, even people that live in Oakland tell people that they’re from San Francisco. Second, and most importantly, the A’s game attendance is absolutely deplorable. With an average attendance of 8,695 “fans,” the A’s turnout is more than 3,600 people less than any other team in baseball. To be fair, that is largely in part to the extreme lack of success of the A’s, who are tied for the fourth worst 50-game start in MLB history with a record of 10-41. Will moving out of Oakland help them play better? Probably not, but at least now there will be drunken degenerates who will pay to go to the game just to bet and attempt the 9-9-9 challenge.
I do genuinely believe that this is a good move for the Athletic’s. Las Vegas is a bigger market, meaning they will get better attendance and a better chance at signing big name talent. In terms of finances, increased ticket sales lead to more revenue, which does actually affect the level of talent the organization is able to place on the field. Plus, instead of worrying about fans bringing guns into games, security just needs to check for narcotics. Way better!
