Plot of land the A’s plan to build its new stadium on. Photographed, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Las Vegas. Photo Courtesy to Bizuayehu Tesfaye @btesfaye // Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Oakland Athletics signed a binding purchase agreement for land, to build a 30,000-seat, partially retractable roof major-league ballpark on April 20. The lot of land is located west of the Strip and is about 49 acres. It was owned by Red Rock, Station Casinos’ parent company.
“I didn't think it was gonna happen,” Terrel Emerson, creator of Talk That Talk Media Company said. “I had a conversation with Aviators President Donald Logan. I told him they would have to produce something close to a billion-dollar stadium, and sure enough, Las Vegas and everybody else made it happen.”
The stadium will be located west of the Strip over Interstate 15 at Dean Martin Drive and Tropicana Avenue and will be a $1.5 billion project to build.
“We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year,” the commissioner of the MLB Rob Manfred said in a statement provided to and first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“It’s certainly an exciting time in Vegas made even more so by the A’s announcement,” broadcaster for the Las Vegas Aviators and UNLV Hustlin’ Rebels Matt Neverett said. “The biggest area I’ll be keeping an eye on in the near future are the plans for where the Athletics will play in 2025-26 because their lease at the Coliseum ends after the 2024 season.”
The Athletics’ lease at its current stadium, the Oakland Coliseum, expires after the 2024 season and the major league team was unable to strike a deal with the city of Oakland to build a waterfront stadium at Jack London Square.
The proposal by the Athletics to the city of Oakland was for a waterfront ballpark privately financed with a capacity of 34,000 people. The proposal included adding parks, housing and retail outlets.
The Athletics President Dave Kaval said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on April 19 that the team has not been on the same page as Oakland for a long time and Southern Nevada brings stability to the team.
Photo courtesy of baseball helmets by Vanessa Booth // Scarlet & Gray.
“For a while we were on parallel paths [with Oakland], but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A’s and to find a long-term home,” Kaval said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Emerson believes that the Athletics tried to stay in Oakland, however, the communication between the team and the city was the reason why the Athletics plan to relocate.
“They absolutely tried to stay in Oakland,” said Emerson. “I think it's very obvious that there was a lack of communication between the city of Oakland and the Athletics organization.”
Sam Merkel, an Athletics fan and resident of Northern California, is disappointed that the Athletics are leaving Oakland behind without giving an effort to create a competitive team.
“The management doesn’t seem to want to put any money into keeping the team competitive. It’s reflected in the state of the team,” Merkel said. “It’s hard to see a team give up on their fan base.”
The Oakland Athletics in the 2022 season finished with a 60-102 record placing them at the bottom of the AL West. In the 2022 season, 11 MLB players got paid more money than the entire Athletics players’ payroll.
The purchase of the land is the first indication of the Athletics relocation to Southern Nevada. If the stadium gets approved by the MLB and the local government, the Athletics would plan to break ground in 2024.
“While the announcement the other day certainly provides an Avenue for a new stadium that had not previously been laid down, there are still more questions than answers in the short-to-medium term that need to be answered," Neverett said.
Wide angle view of Oakland Colosseum. Photo courtesy of On Focus.
Background Research
“MLB commissioner Manfred says 2023 ‘big year’ for A’s future” by Jay Cohen from AP Dec. 6, 2022 – https://apnews.com/article/mlb-sports-baseball-las-vegas-business-dcd9f06b76427130d3aebff610b0325c
The article by Cohen is about how the commissioner of baseball Rob Manfred is giving opportunities for the A’s to move to Las Vegas
“Tropicana still in the mix for Major League Baseball stadium” by Richard N. Velotta Las Vegas Review-Journal Nov. 3 2022 – https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/tropicana-still-in-the-mix-for-major-league-baseball-stadium-2669301/
The article by Velotta is about the possible options of stadium locations that the A’s can choose from in the city of Las Vegas.
Oakland A's see record-low attendance number for second straight game Isabel Gonzalez CBS Sports April 21, 2022 – https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/oakland-as-see-record-low-attendance-number-for-second-straight-game/
Gonzales explains how the A’s do not attract fans to their stadium constantly in Oakland.
Background Questions;
Professor William Robinson:
Economics Professor at UNLV who is an expertise in Economics, Technology, Statistics, Economics of Gaming, Sports and Entertainment.
Would the A's coming to the Las Vegas strip create more jobs in the city than building a new hotel? Why?
Does the Las Vegas Aviators attendance show that an MLB team would be successful in Las Vegas?
What would happen to the Las Vegas Aviators if the A's move to Las Vegas? Would a different team need to affiliate with the Aviators?
Would public funds be needed to pay for an MLB stadium in Las Vegas, or will it be private funds? If it is public funds, would it be the citizens of Las Vegas paying for it or tourists?
Would tickets for the Las Vegas A's be affordable for residents of Las Vegas?
What obstacles would the city of Las Vegas face if the A's moved to the city?
Is adding more Major League Sports teams good or bad for the economy of Las Vegas? Why?
Would the stadium's location for the A's if they were to move to Las Vegas have any economic implications?
If you were to decide where the Las Vegas A's move in the city of Las Vegas, where would you place the stadium based on where it will be best for the city economically?
What are the negatives of the A's moving to Las Vegas for the locals economically?
Gabriel Hernandez AKA: Gamer_Athletics:
Influential A’s YouTube creator who has over 2000 subscribers on YouTube.
Would Las Vegas be a good home for the A's? Why?
Would a new stadium in Oakland be a good option for the A's instead of Las Vegas?
Would you pay taxes to keep your baseball team in your city?
What are your thoughts on the A's splitting half of their season in Las Vegas and half of their season in Las Vegas to expand their fan base?
Would you still support the A's if they do not play at the preferred location you want them to play in?
How much money would you pay to go to an A's game? Would overpriced tickets affect your support of the team?
What are your thoughts on the A's spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a relocation plan? However, your team does not try to get players and has the second-lowest payroll in the major leagues.
What is the reason why you are an A's fan?
Would a move to Las Vegas for the A's affect how much you watch and follow baseball?
With fan attendance at a low in the franchise, can Oakland still be capable of having an MLB team?
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