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After years of failed attempts to find a new ballpark location that would keep them in Oakland, the Athletics announced Wednesday night that they have signed a binding contract for land in Las Vegas where they intend to build a new ballpark for the team.
The agreement signals that the franchise, which has been in Oakland since its 1968 move from Kansas City, intends to relocate to Vegas in the near future — but there are plenty of questions to answer. What still needs to be figured out ahead of a move? Are there any obstacles that could get in the way? When could the Oakland A’s officially become the Las Vegas A’s — and would they actually keep that nickname in their new home?
Here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the potential move.
So are the A’s officially moving to Las Vegas?
It’s not a done deal. But it almost certainly will be soon. The team’s purchase agreement on a 49-acre parcel of land off the Strip made clear what people around the sport had long speculated: After more than two decades of failures to build a stadium in Oakland and the surrounding area, the A’s are close to becoming the latest major professional sports team to move to Las Vegas — following the NFL’s Raiders, who also relocated from Oakland in 2020.
The shovels to break ground on the new ballpark aren’t quite ready. Some not-insignificant details that involve politics remain. But the A’s are confident, and in an interview with ESPN, team president Dave Kaval said: “This is a massive deal for our franchise and for the whole league.”
What details still need to be figured out?
Only $500 million worth of them. The A’s, who had spent the past two years engaging with Las Vegas and Oakland on what it deemed “parallel paths,” have forked off at Las Vegas. They have pledged $1 billion, as well as cost overages, on a new stadium on…
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