Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas

The Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas is the ongoing process involving the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) relocating from Oakland, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The relocation follows years of attempts to replace Oakland Coliseum with a more modern stadium in the Oakland area. After negotiations over the proposed Oakland Ballpark at Howard Terminal collapsed in 2023, the Athletics organization switched its focus to Las Vegas, starting with an agreement to build a new stadium at the Wild Wild West Casino and later the Tropicana Las Vegas. On June 15, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed an MLB stadium funding bill known as SB1 into law. Not long afterward, the Athletics officially announced they would begin the relocation process to Las Vegas after the bill's signing. The relocation still needs to be approved by the 29 other Major League Baseball team owners.

The Athletics are expected to relocate to Las Vegas possibly after their lease with the Coliseum expires at the end of the 2024 season. This will be the fourth city relocation in the franchise's history, as the team had previously played in Philadelphia and Kansas City prior to their move to Oakland. It will also be the first time an MLB team relocated from one city to another since the Montreal Expos move from Montreal, Canada to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals in 2005.

Background

The Oakland Athletics were founded as a charter member of the American League (AL) in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics and shared the same city with the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). From 1901 until 1954, the Athletics played their home games at Columbia Park and Shibe Park in Philadelphia under the ownership of Connie Mack. In 1955, Mack sold the Athletics to Chicago businessman Arnold Johnson who moved the team from Philadelphia to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Athletics and played at Municipal Stadium until 1967. However, Johnson died from cerebral hemorrhage while watching the Athletics' spring training and they were sold once more to fellow Chicago businessman Charles O. Finley who sought to move the team out of Kansas City as early as 1961 when he courted Dallas-Fort Worth to American League owners but nothing came out of it and four years later he would sign an agreement to move the team to Louisville where they would rebrand as the "Kentucky Athletics" but this never came to fruition as the AL blocked the move. Other cities considered by the Athletics included Atlanta, Milwaukee (the previous home of the Atlanta Braves from 1955 to 1967), New Orleans, San Diego and Seattle. In 1968, Finley chose to relocate the Athletics to Oakland and share the Oakland Coliseum with the National Football League (NFL)'s Oakland Raiders which gave the city it's second professional sports team.

After the Athletics' streak of success in the city in the early 1970s, attendance plummeted at the Coliseum to the point where only 653 fans attended a game against the Seattle Mariners and the team had no radio or television contracts. Finley soon began to explore selling the team to another buyer who would move the team from Oakland with Denver and the aforementioned New Orleans as options, particularly the former, as Finley agreed to sell the team to Marvin Davis but when the Raiders announced their move to Los Angeles in 1982, the city of Oakland and Alameda County refused to allow the Athletics to break their lease at the Coliseum and thus they would remain in Oakland for the foreseeable future. When the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995, the Coliseum would be renovated to increase it's capacity for football, which made the facility less than ideal for baseball as the large section of seats above forced them to add tarpaulin later in 2006 due to low attendance. Around this time, the team was looking at sites in Oakland and Fremont for a new ballpark known as Cisco Field to replace the aging and outdated Coliseum before turning their attention to a possible move to San Jose with the same proposal, which was blocked by the San Francisco Giants as that team had territorial rights to the city. The Athletics would then put their focus in a new stadium solely on Oakland itself with the Coliseum, Peralta's Laney College and Howard Terminal considered but the lack of progress derailed these proposals. It was this lack of progress that led the team to pursue Las Vegas as their new home.

Planning relocation

Early stages and negotiations

The team launched an advertising campaign called "Rooted in Oakland", to emphasize the club's apparent commitment to building a ballpark in its longtime home city prior to shifting their focus on Las Vegas.

On May 11, 2021, MLB permitted the A's to explore relocation possibilities should the team fail to get a replacement stadium for the aging Coliseum from the city of Oakland by 2024. Among the cities and regions in consideration by the team was the Las Vegas Valley area of Nevada. The A's started exploring the possibility of relocating to the Las Vegas area and would later organize meetings with local government officials and tour potential sites led by team owner John Fisher in the next week. After a presentation at a June MLB owners meeting in New York City, team president Dave Kaval said that the A's were considering the Resort Corridor, the Cashman Field site and the Valley cities of Henderson or Summerlin, Nevada as possible locations for a ballpark. Kaval also said that the team was still continuing to explore "parallel paths" in not just Las Vegas but the team's long time home Oakland.

In September 2021, Kaval said that the Athletics would finalize the list of possible ballpark sites in Las Vegas by November. In November, the A's launched a survey for fans of the team's Triple-A affiliate the Las Vegas Aviators to determine potential interest for an MLB team in Las Vegas and a new ballpark. The final results of the survey released a month later indicated that most Aviators fans and Las Vegas residents were interested in having an MLB team in the city. In the same month, the A's made an offer for an undisclosed plot of land in the Valley for a $1 billion ballpark to be built there. The Howard Hughes Corp, the owners of the Aviators, offered free land for the Athletics to build a new ballpark. Previously, Team representatives had met with the Hughes Corp in Summerlin weeks before.

In April 2022, the A's narrowed down the list to two possible sites in the Las Vegas Strip: The Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and resort and the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Around the same time, the Tropicana resort's non-land assets were sold to the Bally's Corporation and approved by Nevada state regulators later that year. Earlier in December 2021, the A's had submitted a bid to acquire the Tropicana site and redevelop it into a ballpark prior to the Bally's acquisition. The MLB, in reaction to the A's interest in Southern Nevada, decided to remove a relocation fee for the team in the event that they move to the Las Vegas area. In August, A's officials organized two meetings with casino owner and financier Paul Ruffin for a hypothetical new Las Vegas area ballpark on the Festival Grounds.

In October 2022, Oakland missed a deadline to reach an agreement on a ballpark in the Howard Terminal with negotiations pushed back to another year. Kaval said that the delay in negotiations would "all but doom our efforts" in keeping the team in Oakland. On October 29, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred said in a SiriusXM interview with host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo that he was "not positive" the A's could remain in Oakland and that the team has made progress in exploring Las Vegas as a viable relocation site.

In November 2022, a source familiar with the Athletics' negotiations with Las Vegas said that even if the team were to move to the city, the Triple-A Aviators would stay put and temporarily share Las Vegas Ballpark with their MLB affiliate while a new ballpark was under construction. On November 3, Bally's CEO Lee Fenton said that the Tropicana site was "very much in the cards" for the Athletics to build a ballpark should the team relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas and revealed that Bally's held talks with the team. On November 7, then-Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and other officials said that the state would not use a hotel room tax to fund a Las Vegas area ballpark for the A's like they did with Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders though he did not rule out other ways of publicly financing the ballpark such as infrastructure improvements or tax increment financing.

In January 2023, the Athletics continued talks with Bally's Corporation over the possibility of converting the Tropicana hotel and resort into a new ballpark while talks with Ruffin over the Festival Grounds had stalled. The news came out around this time when the Department of Transportation (DOT) refused to grant $182 million in federal funding for the Howard Terminal project and that the city of Oakland was considering obligation bonds as an alternative. On January 26, the newly elected Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo met with team officials to discuss the possibility of a public-private economic partnership program to finance a new ballpark in the Las Vegas area with Lombardo ruling out an increase in state taxes to pay for a ballpark. Lombardo's spokesperson Elizabeth Ray clarified that the Athletics or another MLB team looking to relocate to Nevada "may or may not be eligible for a variety of existing economic development programs in the state".

In February, it was revealed that Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella and other hotel owners from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas met with Athletics officials for a ballpark at the Festival Grounds site with Sibella noting "We reinforced our support that we believe the best site is on the Sahara/L[as] V[egas] Blvd. Having the A's in Las Vegas will be great for the Strip communities and the LV community" and that the team "will have our full support". Derek Stevens, the co-owner of the Circa, Golden Gate and The D properties downtown, confirmed that he attended the meeting and said "I talked to with ownership in John Fisher and their President Dave [Kaval] for a while yesterday. This will be very good for Las Vegas, very good for jobs, very good for hotel rooms. The key thing is getting the location nailed down and moving forward." Stevens also made a case for luring the A's to southern Nevada over an expansion team claiming, "If Vegas doesn't land the A's, it could impact whether Vegas gets a team anytime in the near future. Having the [MLB] Commissioner [Rob Manfred] waive the relocation fee is huge. When people say they want an expansion team that is a 'Vegas Team,' people forget the expansion fee will be between $1 billion to $2 billion. Who in Vegas has that kind of money for an expansion fee and THEN have to deal with all the other elements like stadium costs and operating cash?" On February 17, it was revealed that the Athletics were exploring the Rio hotel and casino as an option for a new ballpark and spoke with their owner Dreamscape properties. The team also hired 11 lobbyists to represent them in the Nevada Legislature to form a public-private partnership with the state.

After the Athletics' two-day games at Las Vegas Ballpark as part of Big League Weekend, Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson elaborated on Lombardo's statement ruling out new taxes for an MLB-caliber ballpark but noted, "The governor has said no new taxes, but that doesn't mean there aren't public revenues available. We'll look to the governor and legislature to see what kind of appetite they have for whatever's required".

Agreement and switching focus to Tropicana

See also: New Las Vegas Stadium

In April 2023, it was revealed that negotiations between the City of Oakland and the Athletics organization had ended with the team moving forward with a new $1.5 billion 30,000-seat retractable stadium at the site of the Wild Wild West casino across Interstate 15 from the Golden Knights' T-Mobile Arena, financed through a public-private partnership including a special tax district after reaching an agreement with Red Rock Resorts to purchase it and develop the land with the backing of many within the state of Nevada and MLB. The deal would have also required $500 million in public funding from the special tax district to finance the ballpark and would need approval from the Nevada Legislature with June 5 as the end of the legislative session as the deadline to agree on a funding package and can call a special session in this case. Prior to selecting the Wild Wild casino, the Athletics were offered the resort corridor of the Rio hotel and casino for $1 by the Dreamscope Cos but turned it down in favor of Wild Wild West after a previous deal on the Festival Grounds had collapsed. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao upon learning of the deal commented, "it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game, the fans and our residents deserve better."

Within the Nevada Legislature, lawmakers said that a funding bill would arrive and that there was no timeline for immediate action yet along with some skeptical or opposed to handing out $500 million on the ballpark but would review the proposal.

Shortly after announcing the stadium deal, team president Dave Kaval was interviewed by CBS affiliate KLAS-TV. He revealed that the Athletics had an agreement with the Aviators to play at the Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin South temporarily until their new home on the Strip was complete. Conversely, Aviators president Don Logan said that the natural grass field of Las Vegas Ballpark would not accommodate the team and the Athletics with a proposal to implement artificial turf on the stadium based on the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field floated which was toured by the Athletics as a model for the new Strip ballpark while Rob Manfred has said that it was a feasible option for the A's to share Las Vegas Ballpark with the Aviators. By April 22, the Athletics would reach a deal with the Southern Nevada Building Trades union to use workers and contractors from the area to build the new Strip ballpark which is expected to begin construction in mid to late 2024 contingent on the state of Nevada approving a financing package.

Fans protest Fisher's proposed relocation to Las Vegas

On April 26, Kaval met with Nevada Democratic legislators, including Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, to discuss the new ballpark for half an hour. By April 28, the Athletics' ballpark would earn the support of several southern Nevada Chambers of Commerce. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman when asked about the $500 million needed for the ballpark responded "To make this work the owners need to make a bold statement upfront. What you want to see is the private ownership come in and be invested in our community and not just look to each of us who calls this home for more taxes. No thank you!". However, Goodman's Clark County was negotiating with the Athletics to reach a deal on the ballpark with an option to extend the negotiations.

In response to the team's planned relocation to Las Vegas, Athletics fans would hold a protest during the team's April 28 home game against the Reds, holding up signs that read "Sell", "Stay", "#FisherOut", "Kaval=Liar" and "Sell the Team" with the latter chanted in the stands along with "Stay in Oakland" (the same phrase used by Oakland Raiders fans urging the team to remain in Oakland prior to the team's move to Las Vegas). Controversially, the official MLB broadcast of the game cropped out these signs leading the league to apologize, "We were unaware of the edit. When it came to our attention, we corrected it as it isn't consistent with our policy" said a spokesperson.

On May 4, Lombardo announced that a legislative package for the Athletics proposed ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip is being created with a deadline of May 26 with other options such as a special session if it can't be passed in time. However, the Athletics are considering alternative options in the Las Vegas area if they fail to secure legislative support for $500 million in the new Strip ballpark. Additionally, language for a potential funding bill would likely be available at the end of the week. Despite this, the Athletics struck a deal with Bally's to build a new ballpark on the previously explored Tropicana Las Vegas site and reduce the share of public funding from $500 million to $395 million with the possibility of its eventual opening delayed to 2028 if the construction timeline changes while Bally's would build a casino-hotel adjacent to the ballpark and the tax package for the revised proposal is similar to the original one at Wild Wild West Casino but that the legislative language needed to be finalized. The deal was officially announced by the Athletics and Bally's on May 15. In response to the Bally's deal, a Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Justin Hopkins told the website LVSportsBiz.org "Our project team would like to know more about the Athletics' construction plans, including their anticipated start date and how their access needs will be affected by the construction. We want to ensure that we coordinate with their needs and any other ongoing work in the area, as we strive to be good partners with our community and stakeholders. If there are any adjustments we can make to our schedule or prioritize certain tasks to facilitate potential stadium work, we would like to know so that we can act quickly," though he added "NDOT has not yet heard from the Athletics about the ballpark proposal at Tropicana". Aside from the deal with Bally's, the Athletics pitched a tax district to pay for the new Strip ballpark. The reason for why the Athletics switched the site of the proposed ballpark from Wild Wild West Casino to the Tropicana Las Vegas was due to Culinary Union 226 didn't support the site change. By May 12, Culinary Union 226 eventually reached an agreement with the Athletics to provide union contracts for their workers on the new Strip ballpark. However, the project had an issue with Nevada lawmakers who were willing to provide only $195 million in tax credits instead of $395 million for the Athletics. Moreover, Clark County officials were concerned that taxpayers would be on the hook to cover debt payments and that property taxes would be increased to pay them. By May 23, the Athletics reached a "loose agreement" for a financing package less than $500 million with state officials after weeks of discussion with a reduction of contributions from Clark County. The proposal would involve $180 million from the state of Nevada of which $90 million would be repaid from the ballpark's revenues while $150 million would come from Clark County which would be repaid from a tax district set up on the site and the public total would be between $350 million and $380 million. Additionally, a credit enhancement would be used for the ballpark to improve the chances of repayment along with a two-year debt reserve account and the ballpark itself would be owned by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority similar to Allegiant Stadium upon completion while Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. will contribute to the project free of charge. On May 24, Governor Joe Lombardo officially announced the agreement with the Athletics, Treasurer Zach Conine and Clark County officials in a press release with the bill for it sent to the Nevada Legislature. In the press release, Lombardo said "This agreement follows months of negotiations between the state, the county and the A's, and I believe it gives us a tremendous opportunity to continue building on the professional sports infrastructure of southern Nevada. Las Vegas is clearly a sports town, and Major League Baseball should be a part of it."

On May 26, the Athletics released renderings of the new $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark in Las Vegas. The team also saw the language for the stadium bill revealed to the public which contained many of the confirmed details of the tentative agreement such as public funding capped at $380 million and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority as its owner with the bill itself officially named the Southern Nevada Tourism Innovation Act introduced into the Nevada Legislature for a vote. By Memorial Day 2023, the Nevada Legislature held its first and only hearing on the Southern Nevada Tourism Innovation Act with officials, residents and some out of state people speaking for or against the bill which lasted for six hours. New details of the ballpark were also revealed, such as 2028 as the projected opening date instead of 2027 and the potential to host other events apart from Major League Baseball, which included the World Baseball Classic (WBC), WWE Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, XFL games, MLS matches, rugby sevens, NCAA games, the Monster Jam World Finals, the Davis Cup, Monster Energy Supercross and cricket.

The June 13, 2023 "Reverse Boycott" game, organized to protest against the A's impending move

On June 7, Lombardo called for a special session for the Nevada Legislature to vote on the Southern Nevada Tourism Innovation Act at 10 am with the Senate Committee of the Whole convening by 12 pm to discuss the bill with support and opposition from both Nevada state senators and citizens. On June 8, the Nevada Legislature adjourned and the Senate would not reconvene on the bill until June 12 as there were amendments proposed for the bill which state senators were introduced to while reviewing the bill. By June 12, the Nevada Legislature had reconvened but the session ended in recess without a vote in the Senate although behind the scenes negotiations with lawmakers continued and the Assembly would announce a morning meeting on the bill through a Committee of the Whole which became the first time they would review it alongside the Senate. During the hearing, the stadium bill received amendments such as a community benefits agreement and more money repaid to Nevada state tax credits. The amended bill would eventually be approved by the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) in a 12-7 vote and sent to the Senate floor for another vote where it was approved 13-8 with the bill in the Assembly. The Assembly would then vote to approve the bill 25-15 with amendments and the Senate would concur ensuring it would end up with Governor Lombardo on June 14. Shortly after SB1's approval in the Legislature, the team released a statement thanking legislators for passing the bill during the special session. With SB1 approved, Bally's fully turned it's attention to demolishing the Tropicana to make way for the Athletics ballpark.

Around the same time as the bill's hearing in the Nevada Legislature and subsequent passage in the Senate, Oakland Athletics fans organized a large "Reverse Boycott" for a home game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Coliseum. The intent of the protest was to encourage as many fans to attend the game as possible to demonstrate that there is still a sizable market for Major League Baseball in Oakland.

On June 15, Manfred addressed reporters during the three-day MLB owners' meeting in New York after the Legislature approved SB1. He said that the Athletics would file an application for relocation and establish a committee to define the operating and broadcast territories surrounding the Las Vegas Valley before making a recommendation that would go to the executive council and full ownership, respectively. During the meeting, Lombardo would sign SB1 into law allowing the state of Nevada to begin work on a new ballpark in the Las Vegas area and the Athletics to start the relocation process.

See also

• Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas
• Relocation of professional sports teams