Sean Vitales, Media Production ’26
A sports franchise moving cities is not totally out of the ordinary but is often remembered as a landmark in time for sports history. The Baltimore Colts becoming the Indianapolis Colts, the Vancouver Grizzlies heading to Memphis, or the Seattle Supersonics being transformed into the Oklahoma City Thunder are all monumental moves in the history of their respective leagues. Recently the Oakland Athletics have signed a new deal in Sacramento, eventually leading to Las Vegas which means this is it for baseball in Oakland. Here is what we know so far.
The A’s and the Alameda County Supervisor came together to try and work out an extension for the team to stay in Oakland. The team, however, wanted a relatively cheap and short-term deal while the city was hoping to lock in the A’s for about five years, and a lot more cash. The sides couldn’t come to an agreement, leading for the team to sign a three-year deal in Sacramento. The deal has a fourth-year option in case the new stadium in Las Vegas is delayed. There have been many eyebrows raised since the news broke, including the fact that the Sacramento stadium is a minor league ballpark. Another lingering question is the state of staff, play-by-play crew, and other workers for the organization. The team has said that layoffs may be coming in the spring, but they hope to treat all employees as they should be treated.
The move comes as little surprise to avid baseball fans, who have been expecting the departure of the A’s from Oakland for a few years now. Sub-par play paired with one of the lowest budgets in the MLB and horrid attendance is simply not a winning combination, not even a surviving one. I believe that the move will have a positive translation for many reasons. Sacramento is getting another shot at a major sports team, which for a city who has only had the Kings of the National Basketball Association, is a big deal. This is another opportunity for them to show that they can host major sports teams, and compete with other major California sports markets like Los Angeles and The Bay Area. I am also very excited for Las Vegas to gain another franchise of their own. The Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Golden Knights of the NHL and Raiders of the NFL have all been very successful in their respective leagues, and Vegas is becoming one of the top sports host cities in the country. Adding baseball to their lineup gives them another major opportunity to restore the A’s franchise to what it once was.
"We're excited to be here for the next three years, playing in this beautiful ballpark."
A's owner John Fisher talks about the team playing in West Sac's Sutter Health Park pic.twitter.com/vAa5rp5AZO
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 4, 2024
Here are my main concerns with the move with what information we have now. There was a questionable moment in the press conference given by current Savramento River Cats owner,“You’re going to see (Shohei) Ohtani, you’re going to see Aaron Judge hitting home runs,” said Kings and River Cats owner Vivek Ranadivé.” I think it’s hilarious that the owner would even bring up other players from around the league. Granted, I will be watching Judge nuke a baseball out of that park, but why not talk about the players on your brand new team?! It was meant as more of a — Stars are coming to Sacramento — comment, but came off to some like he wanted to watch other teams play there, not the team he just acquired. Another problem I have is the branding and marketing. The A’s will strictly use that nickname while in Sacramento, which I am not a fan of. You are in a new town, new park, new identity so why not be something new? I know that this isn’t their final destination, but I think more than just keeping the nickname could have been done. My last quam with the move is the park. Sutter Health Park holds 14000 fans, a fraction of the Coliseum which hosted 63000 seats. Sacramento is a smaller market, and the team has incredibly poor attendance in the previous years but is the stadium in a state to hold major league games for the next three years on top of the triple-A games they already put on. Only time will tell as information is still unfolding on finalizing the stadium deal in Vegas. Below I have listed the top five cities which I feel deserve an expansion team, or should have a team move to their city.
- Seattle Supersonics return
- St. Louis Rams Return
- Vancouver gets another NBA franchise
- Indianapolis gets an NHL franchise
- Mexico City NFL team