The Oakland Athletics need a new stadium.
That is no secret to anyone who has watched or been to a game at the Coliseum in Oakland.
Things were so bad the football team, the Raiders, decided to move to Las Vegas and build a brand new state-of-the-art facility.
Are the Athletics planning to follow?
A recent report explains how the A’s are looking at “parallel paths” to a new stadium either in Oakland or Las Vegas.
Another team moving out of Oakland would be terrible for the city and its fans.
Dave Kaval wants a potential new A's stadium in Oakland to "eclipse" Oracle Park (via @KleinschmidtJD) https://t.co/feGcXhGimn pic.twitter.com/WhrVOpSCJ1
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 21, 2021
Pursuing Other Options
The Athletics want a new stadium and that means a battle with the city over billions of dollars in funding.
That is what relocation talk always comes down to in the end.
Billions of dollars are needed and owners usually want the city or county to pay most of it.
The report even says the city approved a $12 billion plan to get a new stadium in addition to a whole new area surrounding the ballpark.
The team did not like that one, thus comes pursuing options in Las Vegas.
Dave Kaval just spoke on the field. Used the phrase “parallel paths” to describe Oakland and “Southern Nevada” stadium options many, many times. Did note that the A’s have been in talks w/ the city of Oakland on several topics (economic, environmental, port interests) since 7/20.
— Steve Berman (@BASportsGuy) August 20, 2021
Relocation becomes an easy choice when a city is willing to pay whatever it takes to land a new team.
If Las Vegas is ready to shell out over $1 billion for the Athletics, a move will likely come.
So who should fans get mad at in such a scenario?
With so many tax dollars either going toward the city or a sports stadium, it is easy to direct anger at the owners who are unwilling to pay.
The situation is, of course, still more complex than just that.
Bad News For Oakland
The Raiders moved to Las Vegas and the Warriors headed to San Francisco in recent years.
Losing the Athletics next would be a sad day for all sports fans in Oakland.
Going from three teams to zero so fast would be unprecedented and would be a slap in the face to all those in the city who supported their teams for so long.
Yet in the end, money wins out.
Las Vegas, meanwhile, could go from zero teams to have an NHL, NFL, and MLB team.
So much for the Golden Knights being the top ticket in town.
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