A’s adopt Raiders formula on Vegas relocation



Linkedin
Twitter

Oakland Athletics relocation update September 2021 Image: Oakland Athletics

As the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Oakland Athletics (US) made their fifth visit recently to Las Vegas exploring possible relocation to Southern Nevada, it’s becoming clear that they’re following a similar blueprint to that of the Raiders.

The ‘Las Vegas Review-Journal’ stated that whether that leads to a similar result, a move to Las Vegas, remains to be seen.

The Oakland Athletics, often referred to as the ‘A’s’, are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California (US). The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League West division. The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum.

The 63,132-capacity Oakland Coliseum, branded as RingCentral Coliseum for naming rights reasons, is a multipurpose stadium in Oakland, California (US). It is located on 7000 Coliseum Way, adjacent to the Oakland Arena along Interstate 880.

The ‘Las Vegas Review-Journal’ further stated that the team owner John Fisher and President Dave Kaval made the rounds recently, meeting with various dignitaries in the Las Vegas Valley, including the Governor of Nevada, Steve Sisolak, local union leaders and hotel-casino operators.

After meeting Sisolak during the ‘A’s’ first trip to Las Vegas in late May at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall expansion opening gala, Governor Sisolak invited Kaval and Fisher to meet with him more formally, and they took him up on his offer during their recent trip.

Stated Kaval, “It’s great to meet with the political leadership. We’ve done it at all different levels.”

He said they are doing it “to understand more about the community and the direction which it’s going, the diversification of the economy and what sports means” to Las Vegas.

Kaval said the ‘A’s’ are going to continue to talk to Sisolak and other elected officials “to ensure that we’re approaching this in a thoughtful and measured way, to get great results and potentially a team in the market.”

The Raiders also worked with the then Clark County Commissioner Sisolak and now former Governor Brian Sandoval during their relocation process.

Sisolak said the early talks he’s had with the ‘A’s’, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Major League Soccer (MLS) officials have been exploratory in nature, but are tracking similar to the process that landed Las Vegas the National Hockey League (NHL) team Vegas Golden Knights and the National Football League (NFL) team Las Vegas Raiders.

Stated Sisolak, “When I was on the County Commission, I had a lot of discussion with (the NHL Commissioner) Gary Bettman and with the NFL about them coming here. Those are discussions that took place over a long period of time. Then once they finally committed, once Bill Foley (owner of the Vegas Golden Knights) got the Knights, once the Raiders decided they were moving here, they intensified and became a lot more detailed. I think we’re going to experience the same thing if in fact that happens with baseball or MLS.”

Billionaires Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who co-own the Premier League’s Aston Villa F.C., are reported to be interested in bringing an MLS team to Las Vegas. They recently filed to trademark the name Las Vegas Villains for a potential sports team.

Kaval said a point of emphasis on the ‘A’s’ trip was to meet with the local union leaders, meeting with the Culinary Union Local 226 President, Ted Pappageorge, and the Laborers Local 872 Secretary-Treasurer, Tommy White.

Added Kaval, “Really to get to know their points of view, their thoughts, and a team coming and just making sure that we’re doing everything we can to learn about the community.”

White represents another Raiders tie-in. He was a key figure leading up to Senate Bill 1 being signed that secured the $750 million in public funding and sits on the Stadium Authority Board as well. Fisher and Kaval met with White before traveling back to Oakland to catch the ‘A’s’ game versus their peer team New York Yankees.

Kaval continued, “We talked to him about locations and the mix of locals versus tourists, ensuring we were accessible to both. We want to make sure that we do things right, that we learn from the key people in the community that have been there for generations. We think that’s a key way of doing that, sitting down with folks like Tommy and other folks in the labor movement.”

The ‘A’s’ group also met with another key player in the Raiders’ move, financial analyst Jeremey Aguero, a Principal with Applied Analysis and staff for the Las Vegas Stadium Authority.

Said Kaval, “We had a good initial meeting. We need to figure out the economic impact of the team coming.”

The ‘A’s’ have conducted focus groups in Seattle, Los Angeles and Texas surveying baseball fans’ interest in attending home games in Las Vegas if the team ultimately relocates to Southern Nevada.

The ‘A’s’ have used the Legends Hospitality group out of Dallas to conduct a market feasibility report of Las Vegas.

Kaval said early returns are showing “there’s a lot of sports fans, especially baseball fans in Southern Nevada, and those folks are excited” about having a major league franchise.

He further pointed out, “Obviously, the Aviators (the Minor League Baseball [MiLB] team Las Vegas Aviators) are a case in point. But, having a major league team is really exciting. It’s nice to see that. The study is not over … but the initial reports have been very, very solid about the strength of the local market.”

Kaval said fan access is a key consideration when deciding where to build a ballpark in Las Vegas. To that end, he said the ‘A’s’ have hired Kimley-Horn, a parking and transportation consultant, to carry out a transportation study, something that the Raiders also did.

A parcel of land on Las Vegas Boulevard and Warm Springs Road, which is next to the land where Brightline West plans to build its high-speed rail station, was toured by ‘A’s’ brass recently.

The site not only would be next to the train station, but also would be accessible via Interstate 15 from the Blue Diamond Road, the 215 Beltway from Las Vegas Boulevard. It is a short distance from the South end of the Las Vegas Strip and a few miles from the McCarran International Airport.

Kaval said the team and the City of Oakland officials remain at odds over the proposal for a new stadium in Oakland that was approved on July 20th by the City Council, as the two sides continue to negotiate their differences.

Lamented Kaval, “We were really disappointed they voted on something that we really had never seen and we remain apart with the City of Oakland on an economic deal. We’re kind of waiting to see what happens with the county, which is a key part of the City’s financing plan. We’re working hard in Las Vegas to see if that is a viable market for the ‘A’s’, and we’re working hard in Oakland to see where that process ends up.”

Kaval said the team plans to make a sixth visit to the valley in two weeks time.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 250 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue



« Previous News:
» Next News:


Advertisement Coliseum Summit News Banner - SGL System
Advertisement Coliseum Summit news banner - NEXO

More News

Philippines will host volleyball tournament

The Philippines volleyball show tourism push

Published: March 27th, 2024

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the Volleyball World have announced the... » Read more

Populous announces new leadership roles

Populous key top-drawer organizational changes

Published: March 27th, 2024

The famed design firm Populous (US) announced a number of strategic global organizational... » Read more

Esports Island project planned in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi ‘esports island’ for gaming buffs

Published: March 27th, 2024

The esports lounge network True Gamers has announced plans to build a large-scale ‘esports... » Read more

New venue visuals published by TGL

New images released of TGL’s SoFi Center

Published: March 27th, 2024

New renderings have been revealed of the custom-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida... » Read more


Receive global sports venue NEWS twice a week in your inbox