Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas thread: Move to Vegas approved by MLB owners - Will play in Sacramento for 3-4 years

[Vamos Rafa]

Would’ve been interesting to see a San Francisco-San Jose rivalry had the A’s been allowed to relocate. In Bay Area sports, it’s always been SF vs East Bay. I don’t know if there’s a cultural dislike between SF and the Silicon Valley like LA vs OC. Also, how popular are the Sharks in SF?

 

[KevFu]

I think if the A's went to Vegas, you have to include something in the paperwork which allows a second team in the Bay Area without the Giants being compensated. Market is just too big to turn from a 2-team region to a 1-team region permanently.

The cost of buying into an existing market is SO GREAT that there's always going to be a "better market" for an owner to pick because it's cheaper to get into.

 

[John Price]

No way they stay in Oakland after all this bad attendance...

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

No way they stay in Oakland after all this bad attendance...

That angle is exactly why the owner slashed the payroll to half of the next lowest team (Marlins).

No one wants to put money into a multi-billionaires pockets when he isn’t putting any into the onfield product. We’re quite content watching from home until he does his job.

 

[KevFu]

That's really not the narrative at all.

The fans know what's going on and they're not stupid. The Coliseum is a 60-year old dump. Everyone in Oakland knows this.

They've been there twice as long as most teams stay at a stadium. The Coliseum is older than ten franchises and 12 teams.

Those franchises... all but one has built their SECOND stadium (Arizona, who's working on it). The Texas Rangers are in their THIRD stadium since moving from Washington, and the Washington Senators played Oakland at the Coliseum.

The fans in Oakland have seen THIRTY SEVEN new stadiums deals done in other MLB cities, and they're still playing in a place that has sewage leaks flooding the clubhouses and a family of possums in the visiting TV booth.

They're not being hijacked by a billionaire owner who refuses to spend. They play in a soulless concrete relic that doesn't bring in revenue for the team.

If the A's got a deal done for Howard Terminal and signed it today, there'd probably be 25,000 in attendance that day just to celebrate with other A's fans. And the next day, attendance would be back to 3000 until the new place opened (or the team spent money)

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

If the owner just paid the remaining 300 million of a project that has 11.7 billion already accounted for then the rich bastard would absolutely have his money pit by now.

The owner has been a complete derelict since day 1, and pretty much every article you read regarding Oakland is that they should just leave due to lack of fan support. It’s absolutely the narrative Fisher and co. are going for nationally.

 

[MMC]

 

[HisIceness]

I know I'm getting old when a team like the Diamondbacks are building a new stadium.

 

[EpochLink]

The A's need a f***ing new stadium, the owner is trash and he makes Charlie O Finley look like a saint.

 

[Terry Yake]

the possum story is hilarious (and believable,) but also wouldn't surprise me if it's just overblown fisher and co-generated clickbait to try and push the vegas move

 

[Primary Assist]

I call the big one Bitey

 

[The Enemy Within]

I know I'm getting old when a team like the Diamondbacks are building a new stadium.

I feel this so much. lol

They just don't build stadiums like they used to. Here is to hoping my teams stick around until their stadiums are old and decrepit and don't once again hold the public hostage for a new billion dollar stadium that will get used for twenty to thirty years possibly.

 

[GKJ]

I feel this so much. lol

They just don't build stadiums like they used to. Here is to hoping my teams stick around until their stadiums are old and decrepit and don't once again hold the public hostage for a new billion dollar stadium that will get used for twenty to thirty years possibly.

They’re barely lasting as long as the cookie cutter stadiums did, and they were horrible. But the gate came open once Atlanta (2!) and DFW got new stadiums. Markets want to keep up.

 

[The Enemy Within]

They’re barely lasting as long as the cookie cutter stadiums did, and they were horrible. But the gate came open once Atlanta (2!) and DFW got new stadiums. Markets want to keep up.

Exactly. I almost couldn't believe it when I heard that those two were getting new stadiums. Both of them seemed to have been barely broken in. I know they had their reasons for wanting to keep up with the rest of the league, but at what point is it just not feasible to continue to build new stadiums on the backs of people's tax dollars?

I sort of wish I had had the chance to visit both of those stadiums and catch a game there. I sort of thought other places would be replaced before them.

 

[GKJ]

Exactly. I almost couldn't believe it when I heard that those two were getting new stadiums. Both of them seemed to have been barely broken in. I know they had their reasons for wanting to keep up with the rest of the league, but at what point is it just not feasible to continue to build new stadiums on the backs of people's tax dollars?

I sort of wish I had had the chance to visit both of those stadiums and catch a game there. I sort of thought other places would be replaced before them.

The Ballpark in Arlington went 25 years, which was shorter than the original Arlington Stadium which was 28.

Atlanta made me feel old because Turner Field was built for the Olympics. The Georgia Dome was still hosting Super Bowls.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Atlanta made me feel old because Turner Field was built for the Olympics. The Georgia Dome was still hosting Super Bowls.

The Atlanta example is insane...only playing in a stadium for 20 years before building a brand new one.

Having said that, in hindsight, the ownership group has banked huge on the move. Not just success at the gate (yes, a WS win helps), but their surrounding development has printed money. The other interesting concept is the repurposing of the Olympic stadium. After the Olympics, the stadium was converted into Turner Field. When the Braves moved, it was converted again into Georgia State's football stadium. I haven't been, but I hear it's a great spot to catch a game.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Chase Field is fine but the upper deck is cavernous and can't really be renovated. That's their big motivation for a new park, along with being able to build their own entertainment district with it.

Rangers needed a roof, but the stadium itself was fine. Braves wanted out of the area.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Chase Field is fine but the upper deck is cavernous and can't really be renovated. That's their big motivation for a new park, along with being able to build their own entertainment district with it.

Rangers needed a roof, but the stadium itself was fine. Braves wanted out of the area.

It's cavernous but the views aren't bad as it is very steep

I've sat 2nd row from the top down the 3rd base line up there and felt closer to the field than in many other stadiums

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

A Team So Bad the Fans Will (Briefly) Come Back (Published 2023)

The Oakland Athletics have been historically inept and have played in front of sparse crowds. A reverse boycott hopes to send a message that the fans are not the problem.

www.nytimes.com

Between the NY team owners and their media, they’ve done more to point out how shitty and crooked the A’s ownership is more than any other source.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

We read the same headline here in Oakland 2 years ago….

They’re trying to squeeze one of these cities for every break possible. Selig REALLY f***ed up selling to a friend instead of Lacob or Reggie’s group.

 

[MMC]

 

[GKJ]

That’s not official but seems fairly definitive.

 

[Terry Yake]

it's f***ing over

f*** fisher and kaval (rooted in oakland huh?) for destroying one of baseball's most iconic franchises. and lol @ vegas if they think fisher is going to suddenly start spending once the A's move there. he'll still be the same cheap scumbag he is now

 

[GKJ]