It’s Official: The Oakland A’s Are Headed To Las Vegas
Oakland’s loss is Las Vegas’s gain. The Athletics are officially moving to Nevada.
Oakland A’s fans are very disappointed today, after news broke that their team is officially leaving the bay area. The Major League Baseball franchise has been trying for twenty years to get funding for a new stadium in Oakland. As they continued to watch theirs crumble under their cleats. There was talk before of relocation, but nothing came through. Until now. A vote was called for this morning and resulted in an official move for the Oakland Athletics.
Only three quarters of the team owners needed to vote in favor of the move. But the vote got unanimous approval instead, ESPN reported. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN that he truly didn’t see a way for the Athletics to stay in Oakland. He said he believes they tried everything to keep the team there but that the situation was just “untenable” (espn.com). And continued by saying those who have been in the current stadium understood his meaning.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas is rolling out the red carpet and giving the Athletics a brand spanking new stadium. And not only will the team have a new place to play. But they’ll be playing on the famous Las Vegas Strip. The new Athletics stadium will replace what is now the Tropicana hotel on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. The stadium will become part of a trifecta of sporting venues in the area. Along with the Vegas Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.
So while it’s a sad thing to leave a home you love after so many years, the Athletics are moving ahead to a promising future. And for baseball fans, Las Vegas just got a little more fabulous.