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The Athletics have played baseball in the city of Oakland for over 50 years.
They moved from Kansas City in 1968 after beginning in Philadelphia from 1901-1954.
Now it appears they’re on the move again, and one of the franchise’s all-time great players is not happy about it.
The A’s recently agreed to a deal that would see the once-proud franchise move to Las Vegas and play in a new stadium constructed in conjunction with Red Rock Resorts.
The move had long been rumored and seemed like a matter of time at this point. But it’s a disappointing one nonetheless.
Reggie Jackson Slams City Of Oakland For Letting Athletics Leave
Now Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is speaking out. Jackson led the A’s to three straight World Series victories from 1972-1974, including an AL MVP award in 1973,
“You’re going to lose the team,” Jackson said when reached by phone Thursday. “The city, I thought, really needed to do something. Save the A’s. You lost the Warriors. You lost the Raiders. What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t see that coming? The fans don’t deserve that.
“I blame the people running the deal. You’ve got to keep the team for the benefit of the city. They lost all three of them.”
Jackson, of course, is referencing the city of Oakland. In recent years, the city has seen the Golden State Warriors leave for San Francisco and then the Raiders bolt for Las Vegas.
Now it appears that the A’s are set to follow those two out the door. It’s a sad sight for one of the country’s most proud sporting city’s.
Oakland Mayor Says A’s Did Not Negotiate In Good Faith With City
Oakland mayor Sheng Thao, who only entered office in January, says the baseball franchise did not negotiate in good faith.
“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,” Thao said in a statement. “The City has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A’s in Oakland. In the last three months, we’ve made significant strides to close the deal. Yet, it is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game – the fans and our residents deserve better.”
There’s no timetable for the team to begin play in Las Vegas. But when it does, it’s expected that they’ll begin player in a much smaller, temporary ballpark while the new one is built.