BOSTON, MA - MAY 5: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the third inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 5, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Oakland Athletics have signed on the dotted line.
The ball club will be financially obligated for 49 acres of land on one of the most well-known streets in the world. The current planned site is occupied by the reportedly closing Tropicana Hotel on Las Vegas Strip, and team president Dave Kaval wants to replace it with a moderately retractable roof and at least 30,000 seats. Hopefully, they will be filled with fans in the 2027 Major League Baseball season, once the third-oldest resort on the Sin City Strip is demolished.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed support for the team’s plans to move.
“The A’s have done their part to stay through an enormous investment in Oakland, their many playoff berths, outstanding baseball operations leadership and an abundance of patience,” he said. “Under John Fisher, the A’s ownership has invested unprecedented time and resources to try to build a new ballpark in Oakland.”
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Once the land-only deal and relocation process is complete, it would mark the second major professional sports team to have left Oakland for Las Vegas in the last three years. And the third team that has packed up and left in recent years. From the NFL, the Oakland Raiders relocated in 2020 and now play in Allegiant Stadium. The NBA’s Golden State Warriors moved a year prior in 2019 to shoot hoops at Chase Center just across the Bay in San Francisco. Given the short driving distance, a sea of Las Vegas sports jerseys is sure to become an even more familiar sight in a few years.
“That brings a lot of tax dollars that helps the community pay for social services and benefits and really creates a positive return on yield for the whole project,” said Kaval.
Interestingly enough, the Oakland A’s lease at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum expires following the 2024 season. The length of time left in the gap calls for finding a temporary home for the A’s to continue competing. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that is a possibility that the team could play in Las Vegas, on the field of their Triple-A affiliate the Las Vegas Aviators, before the stadium is finished.
The time and scenery are potentially changing for the currently struggling Athletics.
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