Rangers Headed to Las Vegas?
There are plenty of Texas Rangers fans that enjoy trips to Las Vegas. Gambling, shows and nightlife light up the desert for millions of tourists every year.
Well, soon those same fans may be able to go to Sin City AND watch the Rangers. Las Vegas is primed to make an all-out push for the Oakland Athletics, with the apparent support of Major League Baseball.
“I think [A’s owner John Fisher] wants to make the best deal to secure the future of the A’s, whether it’s in Oakland or in Las Vegas,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said from Spring Training in Phoenix. “They need a new stadium. I think that’s kind of beyond debate.”
The Rangers’ American League West rivals are done with playing at aging and decrepit Oakland Coliseum. Attempts to build modern ballpark in several spots around the Bay Area have floundered, leaving the A’s – much like the NFL’s Raiders – with no choice but to bolt Northern California.
And Southern Nevada is there with open arms.
Las Vegas already had a professional baseball team – the Triple-A Aviators, who happen to be the A’s affiliate. The Aviators are more than willing to step aside for the parent club.
The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season.
“Las Vegas had always been a unique sports market, a really good sports market,” Aviators president and COO Don Logan told ESPN. “It makes sense. My perspective, make the best deal you can in Vegas and start to turn this community on. And every other [fan base] on.
“Las Vegas offers a dynamic that no other team has. We have 45 million visitors annually in this market, and that’s what we want – heads in beds. That’s what Las Vegas is about.”
The A’s would likely need a retractable-roof stadium to deal with the triple-degree temperatures throughout the summer. The city has already built a stadium to accommodate the Raiders and arena for the NHL’s Golden Knights. NBA career scoring leader LeBron James has already said wants to own a pro basketball franchise in Vegas.
The Rangers, who face the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in Spring Training, will play Oakland 13 times this season in the division. Over the years, it’s not uncommon to see a splattering of Texas fans in the vast sea of open seats at the Coliseum.
Expect plenty more should the A’s relocate to America’s Playground.
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