A’s Set Groundbreaking Date for Imaginary Ballpark
We don’t know sports, but we know Vegas.
In that spirit, we are forced to scoop all the sports experts with news the A’s are set to do a groundbreaking for the team’s imaginary ballpark in Las Vegas on June 23, 2025. The date hasn’t been officially announced yet, but give it a minute. Sharing news after it’s announced is as much fun as a strip club without poles.
Anticipate copious hoopla despite the fact the project has a more than $1 billion funding gap. Pun intended.
This groundbreaking (commonly referred to as a “P.R. stunt”) is intended to create the illusion of progress toward building an MLB ballpark in Las Vegas.
Which is cool and all, but as we’ve been saying for months, it’s all hooey. Also known in the business as “construction kabuki.” We’re the only one who calls it that, but still.
Funding for the ballpark isn’t secured, so while there’s been some dirt moved on the former Tropicana site, it’s all a dog and pony show to try and entice investors.
Investors who, to-date, do not exist.
To make matters worse, construction costs have gone through the roof due to the tariff kerfuffletariff kerfuffle.
Cost projections for the ballpark haven’t been updated since the estimate was $1.75 billion. The moving target has moved a lot since then. Upward, in case that weren’t obvious.
Still, a groundbreaking gives all those complicit in the A’s long con (the A’s, the LVCVA, elected officials, the Las Vegas Review-Journal) an opportunity to glad-hand, pose for photos and congratulate themselves on how great everything is.
Deep sigh.
The A’s have a $300 million construction loan, $350 million in public money and $100 million from Aramark, the concession partner.
It was reported investors were being vetted by MLB. Psst, it was bull. The A’s even hired a firm to find investors. That was more than a year ago. As our fellow youths say, bupkis.
A’s owner John Fisher’s Gap stock has tanked, as has the stock of Bally’s Corp., the entity building an imaginary casino resort next to the imaginary ballpark.
Welcome to Bizarro Vegas.
Anyway, not much has changed with this mess since last year except a series of upbeat articles in the aforementioned rag, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. To their credit, they finally had a rare moment of clarity and shared what happens when the A’s ballpark isn’t built. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Speaking of patches, the patches/promises thing is funny because the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority) is giving the A’s $8.5 million in taxpayer money to wear Las Vegas patches on their uniforms. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
It’s not just a patch, it’s a promise. Las Vegas, we’re coming. pic.twitter.com/pbNBEpSyTf
— Athletics (@Athletics) March 8, 2025
The true believers still truly believe even as the A’s continue to yank the chain of Las Vegas taxpayers, public officials and media.
We’d list off all the Las Vegas projects that have had groundbreakings, then stalled or never started at all, but we’re trying to be more positive.
How’s this for being positive: We are positive this A’s boondoggle is one of the weirdest episodes in the history of Las Vegas.
Hey, “A” for effort, right?
Update (6/9/25): Our original story shared the groundbreaking date as June 24. The June 23 date has now been confirmed. The date was changed just to spite us. Probably.
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