A Major League Move to Las Vegas

It appears that another major franchise may be moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) are reportedly moving to Las Vegas after previous stadium plans in Northern California fell through. This is not the first Oakland-based team to make a move to Vegas.

Team President Dave Kaval confirmed the the Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement to build a new baseball stadium on a 49-acre plot of land owned by Red Rock Resorts. The club plans to build a $1.5-billion, 35,000-seat stadium with a partially retractable roof. What’s more, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has endorsed the move, saying they look forward to bringing finality to the process by the end of 2023.

“For a while we were on parallel paths (with Oakland), but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A’s and find a long-term home,” A’s President Dave Kaval told the Las Vegas Review Journal. “Oakland has been a great home for us for over 50 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there’s a path here in Southern Nevada to do that.”

The last time an MLB team relocated was when Canada’s own Montreal Expos packed up their bags and went south to Washington, D.C. in 2005. The team was renamed as the Washington Nationals. The minor-league affiliate of the Athletics currently plays out of a smaller stadium in Las Vegas.

This is also not the first Oakland teal to relocate to Las Vegas. The Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) recently became the Las Vegas Raiders. The franchise has been quite successful and popular with the local market and will even be hosting the 2024 SuperBowl.

Nevada state is already preparing a funding mechanism for the team to receive tax credits and other tax benefits. The total estimated credits is valued at close to $500 million. The Athletics plan to open the new stadium in Las Vegas in time for the 2027 season. Las Vegas will also turn on its engines as Formula 1 officially makes its long-awaited debut this coming November.

Information for this story pulled from Sportsnet’s Josh Beneteau as well as the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Feature image credit LVCVA