The Oakland A’s are one step closer to moving to Las Vegas.
Both houses of the Nevada state legislature passed a bill late Wednesday appropriating $380 million toward a $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark on the Las Vegas strip. The Assembly passed the bill with several amendments by a vote of 25-15. It went back to the Senate, which quickly approved the same bill, 13-8.
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It now goes to the desk of Nevada governor Joe Lombardo for his signature. The Republican governor, who is a huge proponent of the move, is expected to immediately sign it.
“Tonight, we thank the members of the Nevada State Legislature and their staff for their hard work, due diligence and attention to detail as we work to bring the Athletics to Las Vegas,” the A’s said in a statement.
The final step will be a vote among Major League Baseball owners to approve the move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The vote needs 75% support from the owners, but with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred supporting it, getting the needed votes should not be an issue.
MLB’s owners, including A’s owner John Fisher and president Dave Kaval, are meeting this week in New York. Manfred is expected to address the A’s relocation during a press conference at the conclusion of the meetings Thursday.
In April, the A’s agreed to purchase a parcel of land in Las Vegas, which effectively terminated the discussions about the anticipated $12 billion Howard Terminal project in Oakland. The team has since decided to build on a nine-acre parcel adjacent to the old Tropicana Hotel, which will be torn down as part of the development.
The new ballpark in Vegas is not expected to be completed for three years. The A’s lease with the Oakland Coliseum runs out after the 2024 season, and the team would have to play at least one lame duck season there after that.
The A’s have had the worst home attendance in Major League Baseball for the last season-plus. Last year, the team averaged 9,973 fans for 79 home games, which is 787,902 total for the season. For 33 home games this season, they are averaging 9,137 for a total of 301,533. In comparison, the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the league in attendance, having already drawn 1,483,034 for 31 games at Dodger Stadium, an average of 47,8391.
Sportico recently valued the A’s at $1.31 billion with 2022 gross revenues of $205 million, last in the league.
With the A’s leaving, Oakland will now have lost franchises in all of the top four North American sports leagues: The NFL’s Raiders moved from Oakland to Los Angeles from 1982 until 1994 before moving to Las Vegas in 2020; the NBA’s Warriors moved to San Francisco in 2019; and the NHL Golden Seals departed for Cleveland in 1976 before ceasing operation in 1978.
MLB has not had a franchise relocate since the Expos left Montreal for Washington, DC, in 2004 and were rechristened as the Nationals.
The A’s have had a history of movement; the team relocated from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955, then to Oakland in 1968. Since then, they’ve shared the San Francisco Bay Area with the Giants, who will now have the 10th largest media market in the country all to themselves. Las Vegas is the 40th.
Since John Fisher purchased the A’s in 2005, they have sought to build a new ballpark in Fremont, Calif.; San Jose; Laney College in downtown Oakland; and finally the Howard Terminal.
Now, it’s Long live Las Vegas!
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