On Tuesday, as Athletics fans began to flock to the Oakland Coliseum in a long-planned reversal boycott of team ownership and plans to move the Athletics to Las Vegas, the Nevada state Senate voted on legislation to provide public accommodations. voted yes. Funding to build a Major League Baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
The bill, which would allow up to $380 million in funding for stadium construction, will be debated in the state legislature on Wednesday and will seek Governor Joe Lombardo’s signature if passed. If signed into law, the bill would be the biggest hurdle yet cleared by the Athletics as they seek to exit the dilapidated multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, Calif., they’ve called home since 1968.
Using incentives provided by a bill that passed the Senate 13-8, the team hopes to build a $1.5 billion stadium on the Tropicana Las Vegas casino and hotel grounds.
If the bill is approved and signed into law, the Athletics will seek approval from 29 other MLB owners to approve the move, but Commissioner Rob Manfred said when questioned about the matter last month that the process would not work. He said it could come together soon. Manfred has said in the past that finding new stadiums for the Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays is a top priority for the league, and cannot consider expanding beyond 30 teams until those clubs settle. Body.
The Athletics are expected to have a lousy season this season, with all of their notable rosters removed in recent seasons, spending more than two months on pace to break the 1962 Mets’ modern-day losing-season record. rice field. Their play has picked up recently, and the team has continued to perform well after a rather shocking six-game winning streak against the Rays on Tuesday night. 2-1 win Beyond the strongest team in baseball.
In a rare sight, the Coliseum, which averaged 8,555 spectators entering a game, the lowest in the major leagues, was packed to a season-high 27,759 on Tuesday, many of them wearing green T-shirts with the word “Sell.” was wearing a shirt. “” was written on his chest as part of a planned protest. Fans who believe they’re being unfairly blamed for their team’s attendance problems will come back overnight to prove they’re still there and ask if they’re the team’s owners. John Fisher proved he would return to the game if he sold the team and the Athletics. I was able to return to competitive baseball.
“I’ve only been to one game this year. Watching this game, it’s going to be very monumental and I think I can send a message to the owners that this is what the fanbase wants. I knew I could, so I thought I had to come,” Sacramento resident Scott Finney told The Associated Press. . “They want the owners to sell the team so they can stay in Oakland.”
But if Nevada approves public funding for a new stadium, hopes of building a new park such as Oakland’s Howard Terminal could be extinguished, even if the city of Oakland has kept its doors open. is high.
Tuesday was deliberately chosen as a day for protests to show that fans would come even for a run-of-the-mill weeknight game against a visiting team not known for rallying fans, but ultimately This coincided with a special session of the Nevada legislature during which Mr. Lombardo sought reconciliation. The bill will be introduced after the regular session closes on June 5.
Interrogations of the team have been at times intense over the past two weeks as the state Senate and Congress, both dominated by Democrats, sought to uncover details of a deal brokered with the help of a Republican governor. became. Under the plan, Company A will provide $1.1 billion for development while agreeing to certain terms on how the team will interact with the community and how it will generate and distribute revenue over the next few years. I’m looking for
Senate I have attached two amendments Ahead of the final vote, the bill limited Tropicana as a venue and included language from other bills Lombardo had previously vetoed on wage laws and family leave.
“For all Nevadans, including those who have concerns about this bill, if you look at where this bill started and where it’s at now, there’s not a single state in Nevada that doesn’t say it’s better. I swear,” Democratic Senator Edgar Flores told reporters on Tuesday.
Company A representatives have not disclosed details of the funding, but the bill would provide the city with jobs and tax revenue, as well as allow it to host other major events beyond the 1981 regular season. We are promoting a consistent route. The home game that Athletics holds at this venue every year.
Even if the bill does get through Congress, there are a few things that need to be addressed related to the Nevada project, such as whether the stadium’s proximity to Harry Reid International Airport poses any problems for the Federal Aviation Administration. problem still remains. However, every indication from the team and the state is that the stadium will have a retractable roof and easy access to some of Las Vegas’ most famous casinos, so it could be ready for the 2027 season if the bill is passed. It means that you may be ready. With the team’s contract at the Oakland Coliseum running through the 2024 season, the Athletics may have to find a temporary home for the remaining two seasons.
Both the team and Manfred have suggested a possible solution could be the Las Vegas stadium, home to the Class AAA Aviators, the Athletics’ top minor league affiliate. The venue, which currently holds approximately 9,000 fans, is similar to the process the Toronto Blue Jays went through when renovating a Class AAA ballpark in Buffalo and temporarily using it for major league games while traveling to Buffalo. In addition, it is likely that some improvement will be required to host MLB games. Canada was heavily restricted due to the pandemic.
If the A-Team leaves Oakland, with the NFL’s Raiders already moving to Las Vegas and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors moving to San Francisco, Oakland could lose each of its major professional sports franchises in a few years. would be
A’s fans weren’t out quietly, at least on Tuesday.
