In May, A’s owner John Fisher announced an agreement to build a new one-and-a-half billion dollar, 30,000-seat, retractable domed stadium along the Las Vegas Strip. The project is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2028 season.
The announced move to Vegas ended more than two decades of fruitless talks between the A’s and the City of Oakland on a new ballpark to replace the antiquated Oakland Coliseum. The team has played there since 1968.
Despite four World Series championships and on-field success, the A’s have been in steady decline for years, as the team has traded way or failed to sign emerging stars and attendance has plummeted. Last season, the A’s had the worst record in major league baseball, as well as the worst attendance – barely averaging 10,000 fans-per-game.Fan disgust with the A’s ownership led to a series of planned boycotts and a campaign, calling for Fisher to sell the team.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, in a statement, said the vote by big league owners is not the end of the road. She said the city remains ready to resume negotiations with the A’s on a proposed ballpark at Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland.
The A’s have one more year on their lease at the Coliseum, but are reportedly looking at other venues to play their games until 2028 – including Oracle Park and a minor league stadium in Fresno.
