Oakland A's Relocation to Las Vegas Officially Approved by MLB Owners
MLB owners officially and unanimously approved the A's relocation efforts to Las Vegas before 7 a.m. on the West Coast, which is very on brand for this entire process. Few key details are known publicly about this project like the funding, what it will look like, and where the A's will be playing from 2025-27, but it didn't matter. Baseball just kept pushing this through, details be damned!
The vote was entirely expected to pass, otherwise why have a vote? Still, A's fans are waking up numb today. That feeling will not be going away any time soon. One of the team's fan groups, Last Dive Bar, is urging fans to boycott the entire season.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement:
"We are disappointed by the outcome of this vote. But we do not see this as the end of the road. We all know there is a long way to go before shovels in the ground and that there are a number of unresolved issues surrounding this move. I have also made it clear to the Commissioner that the A's branding and name should stay in Oakland and we will continue to work to pursue expansion opportunities. Baseball has a home in Oakland even if A's ownership relocates."
There are still ways for the A's move to Las Vegas to be stopped, like a potential referendum vote in Nevada next November which would take away the $380 in public funds for the ballpark project. The same group is challenging the legality of SB1, the bill that passed the A's funding, in five places where they feel it broke the Nevada Constitution.
The other obstacle in this process will be John Fisher himself. He has proven to be unable or unwilling to do what it takes to get a job done since he became the owner of the team in 2005. There is a reason everyone knows who the owner of the A's is now, and it's not because he's a great business person.