Getty Image / Randy Litzinger
It seems like the talk of a potential new stadium in Oakland for the Oakland Athletics has been going on for decades now. The once-proud franchise plays in the decrepit Oakland Coliseum, which is often empty and recently is full of bad baseball.
As seats remain empty in Oakland, how hard are the A's really trying to fill them?@enosarris and @Ken_Rosenthal look at the curious case of the Coliseum this season.
More: https://t.co/4tCsOQ325x pic.twitter.com/OgeaKixGJh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 17, 2022
The team this year is flat-out terrible. After a 12-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, the Oakland Athletics are an unbelievable 3-16 on the year. That puts them on a 25-137 pace for the year. The worst record in the last 100 years of Major League Baseball belongs to the 2003 Detroit Tigers at 43-119, considerably better than this year’s Athletics. The team payroll is an embarrassing $60 million, $100 million less than the league average. Owner John Fisher is simply not trying to win. And, it could be to force a move out of Oakland and into a more lucrative market. If so, he got his wish, as the team is almost certainly on the way to Las Vegas.
Statement from the A’s: pic.twitter.com/kWKWxo8DrG
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) April 20, 2023
So yes, this is happening. And, the Governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo (R) is on board with the Oakland Athletics coming to town.
The Oakland A’s and Red Rock Resorts are reportedly closing in on an agreement to construct a $1 billion baseball stadium north of Allegiant Stadium, per @TheNVIndy. The deal has the support of Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. More info to come. #Athletics #RootedInOakland
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) April 20, 2023
The Mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, released a statement. Click on the Twitter thread below for the full text.
Statement from @MayorShengThao on Oakland A's Las Vegas ballpark news: "I am deeply disappointed that the A’s have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team." (pt 1)
— Sarah Ravani (@SarRavani) April 20, 2023
The new ballpark is supposed to open in 2027, and it will give Las Vegas its third major sports team in ten years, with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Las Vegas Raiders also in town.