The Oakland Athletics are currently in the process of moving their stadium to Las Vegas after an unanimous decision by Major League Baseball owners.
After the news broke out, I was shocked that the A’s were moving to Vegas because of how far their fans would have to travel to see them play.
However, it makes sense that the MLB wants to move the A’s because of the awful environment in Oakland due to the amount of crime that occurs on a daily basis. Not only that but the city is surrounded by homeless people making it one of the worst places to live in the US. According to Cable News Network Business, “Robberies grew 38% last year in Oakland, according to police data. Burglaries increased 23%. Motor vehicle theft jumped 44%.”
In response, Oakland fans decided to protest at A’s games making signs stating that the owner should sell the team because of how emotional the move made them feel. According to an article by The Atlantic writer Melissa Lockard, “This whole thing started out because they were blaming the fans (for the team leaving), and we wanted to turn that on its head and be like, ‘It’s not us, it’s you,’.”
Personally, I love how passionate and dedicated the fans are about the team but the team needs a better environment for their future.
Although it will be an adjustment for the A’s organization, moving to Vegas would benefit the team financially. According to Columbia Broadcasting System writers Stephan King and Ronald Blum, “Nevada’s Legislature and Lombardo approved public financing for a $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark with a retractable roof that will be close to Allegiant Stadium and T- Mobile Arena.”
Based on where the stadium is going to be located, I’m very excited to see how well the team will be able to perform and the expansion of their fan base. Las Vegas is always busy with the amount of entertainment bringing people to the city so having an MLB team would be an amazing addition.
Another reason why I think the A’s should move to Las Vegas is because of how fast paced the city is growing, encouraging more people to visit. Furthermore, the team will have more people in attendance at their games which will benefit the organization’s revenue.
Currently, the A’s are in their last year of their contract in Oakland and are planning on moving to Las Vegas by 2028. In the meantime, the organization isn’t sure where they will play their home games before the new stadium gets built. However, I’m still excited to see what this will do for the team and I’m hopeful for their future.
To read more about the Oakland A’s moving to Las Vegas, Check out this article here.
