Professional sports franchises help cities grow by keeping the towns’ names prominent in the media.
Keeping a major sports franchise in a metropolitan area requires serious cooperation between the team owners and city officials to make the relationship work.
But Oakland, California officials have managed to mishandle nearly everything in their city including their relationship with their last major sports franchise.
The Oakland Athletics have finally made their next move official
Since 1968, the Athletics baseball club has played in Oakland, winning four World Series titles for their Bay Area fans.
However, on Thursday, the Oakland Athletics officially shared its plans to leave Oakland and reestablish its franchise in Las Vegas, Nevada starting in 2028.
The Oakland Athletics will finish the current season out in the Oakland Coliseum, where they have played since moving to Oakland in 1968, and then play the 2025-2027 season at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California.
The A’s announced their move on X Thursday, simply saying “Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will host the A’s for the 2025-27 seasons – ahead of the team’s move to Vegas in 2028.”
Franchise owner John Fisher addressed the news, saying, “We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum. Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach.
Fisher added, “We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon.”
This move comes as the A’s lease with the City of Oakland is set to expire after The A’s refused to renew a 5-year lease.
In just the last several years, two other professional sports teams have left the City of Oakland, including the Oakland Raiders who left for Las Vegas, and the Golden State Warriors, who now play across the bay in San Francisco.
Oakland has not only lost three major professional sports franchises but has also seen thousands of businesses and taxpayers flee the city after recent surges in violent crime.
Additionally, the A’s could not attract fans to the Oakland Coliseum, with last year’s average attendance sitting at 10,275 fans per game.
This hails in comparison to the San Francisco Giants, who attracted an average of 30,866 fans per game last season.
The A’s departure from Oakland represents a larger demographic trend in America
The A’s are officially leaving Oakland for Las Vegas, following in the footsteps of thousands of Californians who have fled the Golden State in recent years.
High crime, exorbitant costs of living, and radical anti-business policies have made life unlivable for these people.
Business owners, both large and small, have also left Oakland in droves, costing the city thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue.
The A’s departure will similarly cost the City of Oakland dearly, given that the A’s were the final remaining major professional sports team in Oakland, which employs thousands of local residents.
Read All About It will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
