The Oakland A’s Might Not Make The Move To Las Vegas After All
If you were excited about the Oakland A’s baseball team coming to Las Vegas, you’d better hold that thought. At least for now. One thing a baseball franchise needs when…
If you were excited about the Oakland A's baseball team coming to Las Vegas, you'd better hold that thought. At least for now.
One thing a baseball franchise needs when they're building a new stadium is money. And Nevada lawmakers didn't approve that money this week for the Oakland A's. The Nevada legislature adjourned a session Monday without voting on the funding proposal for the new stadium, thenevadaindependent.com reported.
Even though lawmakers made a tentative agreement last month, they can't approve the $380million funding allotment without an official vote. As of Monday night, there was no official plan to make that vote.
But wait! There's still hope.
Governor Joe Lombardo has the authority to call a special legislative session specifically for the purpose of voting on this bill. In this session, Nevada lawmakers could still reconsider, vote on, and approve a funding package for the new stadium. Governor Lombardo called that special session to occur on Wednesday of this week.
But even after funding approval, there are still more steps that need to be done before construction can start. After approval of funding, the Major League Baseball owners have to approve the relocation to Las Vegas. Furthermore, the Oakland A's would still have to provide proof they can fund the rest of the project. As the proposed package from the Nevada legislature was only for $380million of the $1.5billion the stadium construction would cost.
The delay in voting on the funding package proposal is stopping the rest of the progress from happening.
And what exactly stopped the vote from happening is unclear. Some legislative leaders have said that the proposal needs thorough vetting before they will approve it. Others are arguing that a publicly-funded stadium isn't beneficial for tax payers.
So the bill is back in front of the lawmakers, who will decide whether or not to approve it. If they do, we're on to the next step in this long game of relocation. If they don't approve it, this could be an indefinite delay of game.
- Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ
3 Nevada Spots That Could Be Oakland A’s New Home
It's been long rumored that the Oakland A's major league baseball team is coming to Las Vegas. But up until recently it was merely brainstorming. Fremont and San Diego were also being considered in the team's relocation efforts. And in 2018, there was serious talk about another Oakland site for the new stadium. A $1 billion waterfront stadium at Howard Terminal. That trajectory hit hurdles with funding problems and concerns about affordable housing in the area.
And this week Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the A's owner, John Fisher, has still not had luck coming to an agreement regarding housing in the Howard Terminal area.
The Oakland A's have called RingCentral Coliseum home since 1968. For various reasons the ballpark just isn't viable for the team's future. But the team has to make a move sooner rather than later. Their current lease at the Coliseum expires at the end of the MLB season in 2024. And with the hurdles happening in Oakland, it's looking more and more like Vegas is getting a new baseball team.
Manfred has recently said that he hasn't closed the door on the A's staying in Oakland. But Fisher, is extremely focused on making things work in Las Vegas. Since this past December especially, it seems Fisher is laser focused on calling Sin City the team's new home. So much so that a third site has been added as a possible stadium site.
Manfred spoke Wednesday at baseball's Cactus League media day. He commented on where he thinks Fisher is regarding the move:
“I think Mr. Fisher wants to make the best deal to secure the future of the A’s, whether it’s in Oakland or in Las Vegas. They need a new stadium. I think that’s kind of beyond debate" (News3LV.com).
The three sites that have been considered for the new stadium would certainly change the face of Las Vegas. But which one would the locals prefer? - Wendy Rush
Tropicana Hotel Site
There's quite a bit of open land just south of the Tropicana Hotel. Around where Reno Avenue wraps around to Giles St and turns into Mandalay Bay Road.
Having the A's stadium here would make three major sporting venues in one area, with Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena being just up the street.
Festival Grounds Site
Just north of Circus Circus on The Strip is the Las Vegas Festival Grounds site. This is the second location considered for the new A's stadium. While it does give the team their own playground, it keeps them far from what would be "sports central" if they landed down by the Tropicana.
NEW: Rio Site
The newest site being considered for the A's stadium is just west of the I-15 and The Strip. Near where the Rio Hotel stands, this area would also make the stadium close to the other two sporting venues. And since that walkover area near Tropicana is already being reconstructed, it might be a good time to add to the area.
