After several weeks of negotiations, the Oakland Athletics have reached a tentative agreement with Nevada state and local officials regarding a funding plan for a proposed $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas. The announcement was made in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The agreement involves the A’s, state Treasurer Zach Conine, Clark County officials, and the governor’s office. The statement indicated that a funding bill would be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days, with less than two weeks remaining until the end of the legislative session. However, the bill still requires approval from both the state Senate and Assembly.
Governor Joe Lombardo expressed his excitement about the agreement, saying that it would give the state a tremendous opportunity to continue building on the professional sports infrastructure of southern Nevada. He stated that Las Vegas is clearly a sports town, and Major League Baseball should be a part of it.
Details of the Agreement
The joint statement did not provide specific figures for the amount of public assistance that the A’s will request. However, the project is said to have the highest private investment of any stadium in Major League Baseball, according to Conine.
The funding bill comes after the A’s purchased 35 acres of land for a possible 30,000-seat stadium on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort is located. This is a shift from an earlier agreement that would have required a $500 million price tag, which many lawmakers deemed too high.
State Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager expressed his enthusiasm about the proposal, stating that no commitment would be made until the official proposal had been evaluated, and input had been received from interested parties, including impacted community members.
Future Plans for the A’s
The A’s are hoping to break ground on the new ballpark next year and open the venue in time for the 2027 season. The team is currently playing at the Oakland Coliseum through 2024, and they could play the 2025 and ’26 seasons at Las Vegas Ballpark, home to their Triple-A affiliate Aviators.
The A’s have been searching for a new home for years to replace the outdated and run-down Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team has been averaging fewer than 8,700 fans at home through 25 dates this season, which is by far the lowest among the 30 teams.
Las Vegas would be the fourth home for the franchise that began as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises. The team and the city are hoping to attract the almost 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas annually to help fill the stadium.
Earlier this month, the A’s reached a deal with the Culinary Union, Nevada’s most politically powerful union that represents over 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas area. The deal guarantees that A’s workers have the right to organize and negotiate union contracts. The A’s hope that this agreement will help to build a strong relationship with the local community.
The Oakland A’s have reached a tentative agreement on a funding plan for a new stadium in Las Vegas after months of negotiations. The A’s will be seeking public assistance for the $1.5 billion ballpark, and the funding bill is set to be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days. If approved, the A’s plan to break ground on the new ballpark next year and open the venue in time for the 2027 season.
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