Oakland A’s Officials Say Las Vegas MLB Ballpark Would Cost $1B
Posted on: May 30, 2021, 11:13h.
Last updated on: July 6, 2021, 05:50h.
Officials from the Oakland A’s MLB franchise visited Las Vegas recently, and liked what they saw in their potential new home.
Athletics President Dave Kaval accompanied billionaire owner John Fisher to Southern Nevada for several days last week. Fisher, whose fortune comes from his parents’ founding of the GAP clothing brand, is mulling relocating the professional baseball organization to a new city.
Las Vegas has become a preeminent sports town since the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting in May of 2018. Pro leagues had long opposed allowing a team to call Las Vegas home because of its widespread sports gambling, something many worried would jeopardize the integrity of their games.
That is no longer the case. Today, the NFL, NHL, and WNBA all have teams playing along the Las Vegas Strip. And some of Sin City’s most powerful people are hoping to add the A’s in the coming years.
$1B Ballpark
There were many opponents throughout Southern Nevada to Clark County helping the then-Oakland Raiders build a $1.9 billion NFL stadium.
Allegiant Stadium, as the massive 65,000-seat football complex is today known, was built with $750 million in tax money supplied by Clark County. The funds were raised by increasing the hotel occupancy tax on nightly stays by 0.88 percent.
Oakland A’s brass toured Las Vegas, meeting with casino executives, Mayor Carolyn Goodman, and Henderson officials. The team didn’t say where exactly they would prefer to build a ballpark, but did explain that it would need around 30,000 fixed seats, and standing room for another 4,000 fans.
The cost? Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal $1 billion. The team would ideally prefer to be close to entertainment and the hustle and bustle that Las Vegas is known for.
“Our business is in entertainment, and I think the more we do to have a top quality experience, both in terms of the venue we build, wherever it’s built, and then also the experience in programming, it is critically important,” Kaval said. “It feels like that’s an expectation, and I think it’s something that our league needs.”
Kaval’s comments came after experiencing a Vegas Golden Knights playoff game at T-Mobile, a venue MGM Resorts owns a 50 percent stake in.
Seeing the success of professional sports in Southern Nevada with locals has been very impressive,” Kaval added.
Goodman Prefers City Site
The mayor says the Oakland A’s should consider Cashman Field just north of downtown Las Vegas. The stadium is currently home to the Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship league. It was formerly the home of the Las Vegas 51s Minor Leaguer Baseball team.
The city-owned field, Goodman says, sits in a federal opportunity zone, which would help obtain tax incentives for a major overhaul of the stadium into a MLB ballpark.
The A’s are considering a move out of Oakland after its home city again failed to come to terms with the franchise to build it a new venue. MLB says its current stadium — the Oakland Coliseum — “is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball.”
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Last Comments ( 10 )
Tear down Luxor and Excalibur and put it there! Or, God forbid, share Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders.
Give the A's $50-100 million toward the new ballpark, and let the casinos (Caesars) donate or sell the land behind Bally's/Paris/Planet Hollywood, the build out an entertainment district to link the new ballpark to the Strip. Its not a handout, if we only contribute less than 10%. Honestly, the owner could pay for the ballpark, and Las Vegas or the casinos could donate the land.
No problem used the Marijuana $$$$ whoop that is suppose go to the school system, How is that working Out??? I think NOT. It is put in a rainy day fund, New Flash we live in a Desert?
I don't think LV needs anymore of Oakland's teams moving to their city. That said if ol' Bob has really been a fan since 1973 he would know that SD and SF already have MLB teams and don't need another. The territorial rights for Santa Clara county belong to the SF Giants and that team prevented the A's twice from moving there. The A's tried to put stadiums in Fremont and SJ both of which were basically denied by the Giants. Which is funny because years ago the Giants were on the verge of moving to Florida when the A's offered up Santa Clara county as a possible landing spot for them. Funny that SF won't return the favor now. The A's filed a lawsuit that went all the way to the US Supreme Court and were turned away there too.
Las Vegas is perfect! God help us all if Portland is a consideration.
I’ve been a fan since 1973, and having the team move to another state is ridiculous! California has many big cities that can accommodate the franchise by building a new stadium. Sacramento, Fresno, Berkeley, San Diego, Santa Clara and even SF!
Such BS, keep stirring the pot hoping to cook something up! The city of Oakland has till august to approve the plan. It’s doing it’s do process, this is just lowballing to speed things up. 3/4 of the process has been approved now it’s just council vote pending. On July 20th the vote will take place and will be approved! The city of Oakland is bustling with a lot of Tech companies and others moving to downtown. High rise buildings popping up everywhere, and foot traffic all over downtown. Plus the East Bay as a whole is about 4million residents with a booming economy! But if it’s a free money grab the A’s want good riddance.... Eat it VEGAS!!!!
No more sports teams. It's driving the cost of living up. Put that money that you would raise into education. If the A's move, there are several other options they should look at. San Antonio Salt Lake City Portland, Oregon Oklahoma City Nashville Charlotte Brooklyn Buffalo Albuquerque New Orleans That's 10 options that would be better. The city has a Triple A franchise they haven't supported for years. It wouldn't be a good spot for the Athletics. The majority of Las Vegas/Henderson residents wouldn't want them to come. Stay away please.
This article is inaccurate. The team has not failed to come to terms with the city. The city council hasn’t even voted on the term sheet yet. They will be doing so in July. I know Vegas is feeling themselves because you were able to get the Raiders, but slow your roll and report accurate information
Now I see why the clean up of the homeless encampments on Owens Dr was so dire. It wasn’t for the safety or well being of the homeless themselves it’s for the GREED of the city of Las Vegas! Just like the freeway was going to be built to cut off the BLACK COMMUNITY of the WESTSIDE from the FREMONT EXPERIENCE. As well as when Mayor Carolyn Goodman was willing to risk our lives to open up the city during the worst part of COVID-19. It’s bad enough that the CASINO’s run the state and the Mayor takes a back sit they don’t even pay their fair share of TAXES they don’t give the school district as much as they could they wont’t even allow the Lottery to come in to to support our School funds.