Poof. Fifty-five years of rich history and tradition. Gone. Just like that.
The A’s look like they’re headed to Las Vegas, as the Nevada Assembly passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Wednesday by a 25-15 margin, approving the proposed $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat stadium for the A’s on The Strip. The bill was passed back to the senate, which concurred with the assembly.
In essence, this seems like a done deal. All that remains is the signature of Gov. Joe Lombardo – who called the special legislative session in the first place – and MLB’s other 29 owners, who are currently meeting in New York. It could be signed, sealed and delivered by Thursday.
Wednesday’s affirmative vote essentially was the deathblow for A’s fans' hopes to keep the team in Oakland. It’s cruel timing, considering more than 27,000 fans packed the Coliseum for a spirited reverse boycott Tuesday to show their support for the team and denounce John Fisher.
The billionaire got his wish, as the A’s will get a lot of handouts to build the ballpark on a nine-acre plot of land currently occupied by the Tropicana Hotel. Nevada is proposing to contribute up to $380 million in public funds for the project, while the A’s also got the land for free (valued at $180 million), along with other tax breaks that will benefit the franchise for decades.
Even though the stadium bill was first introduced on May 26, in the waning days of Nevada’s bi-annual 120-day legislation session, lawmakers still pushed the deal through as they continue to expand their sports market. Since 2016, Vegas has added the NHL’s Golden Knights, the NFL’s Raiders, the WNBA’s Aces and constructed an NBA-ready arena.
The A’s arrived in Oakland in 1968 and dominated the early 1970s with their Swingin’ A’s bunch – winning three straight World Series from 1972-74. The A’s topped the Giants in the 1989 Bay Bridge Series to bring a fourth championship to Oakland.
Fisher failed to invest in the team once he took over in 2005, as the front office was forced to do fire sales every few years to restock on cheap, young talent. He alienated his fanbase in the process, doubling season ticket prices from 2019 to 2022, with the pandemic in the middle of it.
Even though the A’s were reportedly 90 percent done with a deal to build a waterfront ballpark district at Howard Terminal in West Oakland, they walked away from the negotiating table in late April and focused all their efforts in Vegas. Despite the optics of the 11th-hour push and the lack of time to properly vet the bill, Nevada is clearly hungry to grow itself as a sports town.
You gotta feel for the A’s fans who put their heart and soul into supporting their team for decades, only to get spit on and abandoned. Shame on Fisher for how it all went down, but the A’s are good as gone in Oakland.
