Nevada Senate passes nearly $400M funding bill for A's Las Vegas stadium
The Nevada senate approved the funding Tuesday for a new ballpark in Las Vegas for the Oakland Athletics, who are looking to relocate to the “Sin City.”
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, two amendments to the bill added Tuesday morning prompted a 13-8 vote in favor of the $380 million project. The passage of Senate Bill 1 paves the way for the Athletics to make the move to Las Vegas, though multiple steps remain. A 42-person Nevada Assembly must approve it by a majority vote, which would lead to Gov. Joe Lombardo signing the bill into law. MLB owners then plan to authorize the Athletics’ move to Las Vegas and end the franchise’s 55-year tenure in Oakland.
While the Athletics have seen their share of success since coming over to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968, notably winning four World Series championships, the last few years have been mired by a substantial drop off in attendance and a mass exodus of the 2018-20 playoff teams. Fans have all but abandoned the team in 2023, with Oakland the only team in MLB with an average home attendance of below 10,000. The Athletics, albeit riding a six-game win streak, own the worst record in baseball at 18-50.
Ironically, Tuesday’s game against the league-best Tampa Bay Rays was the “reverse boycott” game, in which Athletics fans showed up to the Oakland Coliseum in droves wearing t-shirts that read “SELL.” Fans loudly chanted “sell the team,” a direct shot at team owner John Fisher.
Oakland Athletics reveal amazing renderings of proposed billion-dollar ballpark in Las Vegas
The Athletics unveiled the first renderings of their proposed billion-dollar ballpark in Las Vegas last month. The 30,000-seat ballpark, expected to cost $1.5 billion, will sit on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip across from the MGM Grand. The Tropicana Hotel currently stands on the proposed site. In addition to Athletics games, the state-of-the-art venue will be a hub for sports, entertainment and community engagement by hosting concerts and other events, per MLB.com.
“… Excited to share our vision for the A’s potential new home,” team president Dave Kaval said in a statement. “… We will continue to refine the look and feel of the ballpark over the next year. We hope our project goes beyond a traditional ballpark and serves as a catalyst for community development and engagement. It follows in the footsteps and success of the professional sports teams that come before us, in creating union jobs, stimulating economic growth and fostering investments in the community.
“Thanks to the vision of Bally’s and GLPI, we have the opportunity to bring baseball to one of the most energetic locations in Las Vegas. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Nevada governor, legislative leaders, Clark County commissioners and the Southern Nevada communities as we move forward with plans on our new home.”