Oakland Athletics Looking to Las Vegas for Relocation

The Oakland Athletics may be the latest Bay Area sports team to relocate to the Las Vegas desert as their lease on RingCentral Coliseum expires in 2024. Potentially following the footsteps of the Las Vegas Raiders, who left Oakland at the end of the 2019 NFL season, A's President Dave Kaval has visited Sin City multiple times, with his next visit already scheduled for late July. Kaval recently stated the following about the potential move: 

We’re just getting so much positive feedback in Southern Nevada and Las Vegas from all the key constituents and stakeholders. We’ve been very impressed with the can-do spirit and the interest in Major League Baseball here, and we remain committed to taking additional steps to see if that might be the option or the future home of the A’s.

Of course, this all stems from MLB's statement back in May that Oakland's Coliseum, which they A's have called home since 1968 (53 years ago), is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. 

BREAKING: Oakland Athletics given permission by Major League Baseball to explore relocation.

Story soon. Full MLB coverage from AP 👇https://t.co/DIo5G4UkKV

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 11, 2021

Athletics executives have been trying to persuade Oakland City Council to approve of a $12B privately funded development, which would allow the A's to build a stadium with views of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and the Port of Oakland. They have an offer in front of city council but have yet to hear any kind of approval, and are running out of time. Kaval has noted that the A's are "running out of time here in Oakland at our existing facility and we need to look at other options to see what might be possible."

One of the charter members of the American League in 1901, the A's originated in Philadelphia, where they won five World Series and were led by Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove and Connie Mack, who managed the team for 50 years from 1901 to 1950. The A's spent lean years in Kansas City from 1955-1967 before heading out West to Oakland, where they have won four World Series titles - winning three in a row in the mid-1970's and one more in 1989 behind the Bash Brothers of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, as well as Ricky Henderson and Dennis Eckersley. 

Hopefully, Oakland City Council can come to a decision to approve of the waterfront plans for the A's, so they can remain in the city they've called him since 1968. 

Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports