Another Team Lost to Vegas

Oakland A’s to move to Las Vegas by 2028.

Image c/o Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Val Hill 
Sports Reporter

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​In May 2021 the MLB allowed the Athletics to look for new stadium locations if they were not able to acquire a new stadium in Oakland by 2024. The deadline of October 2022 came and went, but the A’s didn’t have anything definitive for their stadium. So the owners looked to Las Vegas for answers, since Las Vegas is already the home of two major sports teams: Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) and Las Vegas Raiders (NFL). The move to Vegas would not only be profitable for the team, but also for the city of Las Vegas for another draw in tourism.

In April 2022 there were two choices within Las Vegas that were available for the A’s. The Las Vegas Strip was the main venue but the two choices within that were The Tropicana Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The final decision was that the team will play at Tropicana, but plans for the stadium itself are not finalized at the moment. But this location presents some issues, the main one being that the team wants a retractable roof however they were only given nine acres to work with.So there is a possibility that the team will have to settle for the fixed roof however if they don’t, the A’s will lose their 380 million dollar funding from the state of Nevada. 

The loss of the A’s marks an end of an era in Bay Area sports. Now that the Bay only has one professional team for each sport, there will no longer be the notorious rivalry games known as “the Battle of the Bay.” Named after the 1989 World Series which saw the Oakland Athletics defeat the San Francisco Giants. SInce then, match ups between the Giants and the A’s, and the (formerly) Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco (although they are located in Santa Clara) 49ers. 

So after the Athletics applied to relocate to Las Vegas after their lease expired at the end of the 2024 season at the Oakland Coliseum. The team will play at the Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California in the 2025 season. They will remain there for two years before making their first appearance in the city of Las Vegas. The remaining major sports teams in the Bay Area are: San Francisco Giants (MLB), Golden Gate Warriors (NBA), San Francisco 49ers (NFL), San Jose Sharks (NHL), and the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)