?We?ve Lost? – Athletics? Fate in Oakland Sealed With a Groundbreaking $380,000,000 Judgment

It’s the beginning of the end. Baseball fans from Oakland have long had a fraught relationship with the team’s owner, John Fisher. Things came to a boil this year after Fisher announced a relocation to Las Vegas. Furious baseball fans have been storming the Athletics’ ballpark, demanding new owners and major changes in the front office. ESPN just announced that the Nevada government hammered the final nail in the coffin.

When this inevitable move happens, Oakland will be left without any major sports teams to boast about. Many have been making a case for former Yankee player Alex Rodriguez?to take ownership. While the Minnesota Timberwolves owner hasn’t made any comment, the Nevada government is certainly moving forward with the new plan.

Nevada governor goes ahead with funding for Oakland Athletics’ new ballpark

It’s official – the A’s will receive public funding for their new stadium. Governor Joe Lombardo signed the bill on Thursday, pledging $380 million in taxpayer money for the move. Only MLB needs to finalize the A’s move to Las Vegas, whose stadium is at an estimated $1.5 billion stadium. It will be the first relocation of an MLB franchise in the last 20 years.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, “The only step left for MLB’s first relocation in nearly 20 years is approval of other owners, which the A’s see as a fait accompli.” The team will not have to pay the standard $1 billion relocation fee because of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s promise. He said earlier that as long as the clubhouse received public funding to support it, a fee would not be required.

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Since the A’s lease will expire in 2024, they will not call the Coliseum home for much longer and are expected to move by 2025 at the latest.

Oakland fans are anything but happy at the news

While it may be a win for John Fisher, the team’s fans are aggrieved. Despite their “Sell the team” slogans and the ‘reverse boycott’, things are not going the way they had hoped. Fisher may be trying for something new, but for the fans, the strife seems never-ending.

Notably, if not for their failures in the past few years because of poor management, the same A’s have won four Fall Classics in Oakland, barring their 5 championships as the Philadelphia Athletics. Here are a few reactions to the same:

Some are hoping the A’s and their history will be left untouched and instead a rebranding or even an expansion team can be had in Vegas.

Despite not being A’s fans or being from Oakland, many others sympathized.

Only time will tell whether the city of Oakland will be able to save its iconic baseball team or it will be shifted to Las Vegas. Whatever the case will be, the Athletics will remain a part of Oakland.

Do you think that Fisher will succeed in shifting the A’s from Oakland to Las Vegas? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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