It may be two out in the bottom of the ninth inning for the city of Oakland in its quest to keep the Oakland A’s from leaving for the glitz and glamor of the Las Vegas Strip.
The team appears to be closer to relocating to to a new stadium in the Nevada desert following Gov. Joe Lombardo’s signing into law last week of a $380 million public financing package that would help construct a $1.5 billion baseball stadium in downtown Las Vegas.
Following years of stadium turmoil in Oakland, formal approval from Major League Baseball owners is the final step remaining in a Nevada relocation.
“This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada. Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.”
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo
The A’s have called Oakland home since 1968, when they moved west to California from Kansas City.
“This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada,” Lombardo said in a statement. “Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.”
The bill was met with significant resistance. Many Nevada politicians questioned giving public funding to a private sports team. Meanwhile, California politicians looked to save their team. A reverse boycott organized by A’s fans at the team’s June 13 home game made their voices heard.
“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland. I do not like this outcome. I understand why they feel the way they do,” said Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to reporters following Lombardo’s bill signing last week.
“I think that the real question is what is it that Oakland was prepared to do? There is no Oakland offer,” Manfred said. “They never got to the point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site.”
Mayor Sheng Thao denied this claim.
“Today is a significant step forward in securing a new home for the Athletics,” said the team in a statement. “We will now begin the process with MLB to apply for relocation to Las Vegas.”
Construction would be scheduled to begin next year on a 30,000-seat stadium to be built on the current location of the Tropicana Hotel.