Oakland A's Propose $12 Billion Ballpark Project; Vow to Privately Finance Stadium

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by pink triangle

Bullshit. It's a pretty standard location for a team. On the outskirts of town surrounded by a huge parking lot. That describes at least half of MLB ballparks.

Okay, but the team doesnt want to be there and have made that very clear. They want an urban setting similar to the Giants and Padres, and I dont blame them. The coliseum site is outdated and becoming ever obsolete with the exit of the Raiders and Warriors.

It even has a direct transit connection just like the Mets and Phillies. They had no problem building 21st century parks nowhere near downtown. The A's should do the same.

They don't want that and I dont blame them one bit. The coliseum site and it's surroundings are shabby, outdated and in the most dangerous part of town. People are herded to and from BART trains like cattle escaping a corral. Downtown is where the action is, where billions have already been spent of thousands and thousands of housing units--a stadium would be peferct ther imo. And since when do we tell private businesses where they should be spending their money if they already have a vision for their future?

[dimondpark]

If you really want to help the area that surrounds the coliseum, how about a huge medical center, some institution of higher learning, what about thousands and thousands of housing units, etc. I can think of a ton of things that would all fit in that land and be of a much better use. But I digress, nothing will ever happen. Too much drama and naysaying.

[pdxtex]

Local press up in Oregon keeps reporting that MLB told the a's to start shopping around.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

Local press up in Oregon keeps reporting that MLB told the a's to start shopping around.

The mayor of Las Vegas says theyve been in talks with the team for 2 years.
https://www.kron4.com/mlb/as/las-veg...ng-since-2019/

[TexasPlaya]

It really seems like they have room to build a new baseball stadium and a few parking garages on the existing land. Add some nice landscaping along the small channels... update the immediate area surrounding it's convenient transit stations....

[Steely Dan]

man, if oakland doesn't get its shit together and the A's bolt for vegas or portland or wherever, then that'll mean the city will have lost all 3 of its major league teams in a handful of years.

i don't think that's ever happened before.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

The mayor of Las Vegas says theyve been in talks with the team for 2 years.
https://www.kron4.com/mlb/as/las-veg...ng-since-2019/

Las Vegas is too small for MLB (imo) and I suspect that even if MLB would consider it as a location, Vegas would be oversaturated with MLB, NHL and NFL.

Another strike against Vegas is that it's a small media market (39th); MSA population of 2.2 million can fill a stadium but Vegas isn't adjacent to another large population center, so that would be it. Lastly, watching baseball in Vegas in the Summer would be a miserable affair. It would absolutely necessitate an enclosed stadium (or the ability to close it). I don't see it happening (although I'm usually wrong when I make predictions about stuff like this, so there's that).

[Steely Dan]

Portland could probay support an MLB team.

And they currently only have NBA, whose schedule wouldn't conflict too much.

also, vegas already has a AAA team (Aviators) while portland doesn't (hell, portland doesn't even have a AA team!), so there would be less conflict on that front.

MLB doesn't like MLB and AAA teams in the same city.

[ardecila]

Feels like we are long overdue for an expansion with rapid growth happening in many metros since the last expansion in 1998. I could see Vegas, Charlotte, Nashville, Austin, Portland and Montreal hosting teams.

[craigs]

I know locals will find this heresy, but I'm not sure why major league sports put three teams in Oakland to begin with, given so many large-ish metros have one or none, and the Bay Area outside Oakland already has all major league sports covered. And those famous Internet fan maps show the A's fanbase is really tiny geographically--just Oakland and maybe a couple adjacent suburbs--while the nearby Giants' fanbase includes all the rest of Northern California as well as parts of neighboring states.

If the A's were to relocate, I'd say Portland should probably get them. Its metro is more populous than Las Vegas' and there are more small and mid-sized metros nearby to help fill he stands and feed profitable regional rivalries with other MLB teams.

[Camelback]

I'm not sure about Vegas or Portland being able to support a MLB team, but in Vegas' defense it acts as a much larger metro in population and income stats than it's permanent resident count would suggest because they get something like 45 million annual visitors a year there, all splurging on entertainment. Knowing Vegas, they would do a MLB stadium right for the desert environment with an enclosed stadium/openable dome. As for concern with a AAA team being in Vegas, they would relocate just like the AAA Phoenix Firebirds did when Arizona was awarded an expansion franchise back in the 90s.

[Camelback]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Feels like we are long overdue for an expansion with rapid growth happening in many metros since the last expansion in 1998. I could see Vegas, Charlotte, Nashville, Austin, Portland and Montreal hosting teams.

With the exception of Montreal, I can't argue against any of those cities being awarded a team, maybe add Salt Lake City in with the mix? They have a rabid fan base that supports the Utah Jazz with the best of 'em, kind of like the San Antonio has with the Spurs.

[MolsonExport]

Montreal 'only' has 4.56 million people, and Canada (38 million) only has one other team.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by craigs

I know locals will find this heresy, but I'm not sure why major league sports put three teams in Oakland to begin with, given so many large-ish metros have one or none, and the Bay Area outside Oakland already has all major league sports covered.

I think this had to do with what the country was like when the teams moved here?? Oakland apparently met the market requirements of that time I suppose.

Even today, the East Bay by itself is one of the wealthiest areas of the country vs most other markets where teams play-the Oakland Metro Division(Alameda and Contra Costa counties) for example, absolutely thrashes the Las Vegas Metro Area as far as the number of high income households who could support a team. Easy.

Households Earning $200,000+, 2019
219,543 Oakland Metro Division(Alameda & Contra Costa counties)
170,922 Denver-Aurora CSA
150,247 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA
139,793 Phoenix-Mesa CSA
107,125 Portland-Vancouver-Salem CSA
98,881 Sacramento-Roseville CSA
66,729 Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem CSA
52,933 Las Vegas-Henderson CSA

However, Oakland proper(woefully)lacks amenities in town that this demographic likes, Oakland is not the primary city in the metro area, isnt the only city to have sports teams locally, has the worst reputation and highest crime rate of any place in the inner Bay Area, despite all the improvements and influx of techies, the stigma remains firmly entrenched in the minds of many, and the A's and Raiders have been lackluster and have performed poorly to mediocre for years(the A's thinking they can nickel and dime themselves to a World Series? Never gonna happen---they just dont want to spend money HERE)sports franchise owners all bought their respective teams with the intent of leaving town from the beginning, so they have zero loyalty to the city or the East Bay,and the city and county has been repeatedly shafted by all 3 teams including the A's---so those who want to keep the team here, genuinely want to keep the team here, do so out of pure and simple love of Oakland and the team, they dont love the owners, they love the team and what the organization has represented for for most our lives.

But now they want to cut and run after pretending theyve done everything they can-BS. I have been one of their biggest supporters, even when they sucked, but now after this, I really dont give a damn anymore--this is just what the raiders did and what the A's did for years, present bigger than life renderings for a new stadium and then a few months later, wait a while and then tell everyone they need to look elsewhere. I dont even believe renderings or talk unless an actual groundbreaking happens, it's BS, and now that has proven to be the case yet again...Well, they can move, to hell, for all I care at this point. Of course that could all change if they actually decide to stay. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being they stay, 1 being they leave, I think it's a -3 right now.

[Camelback]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Montreal 'only' has 4.56 million people, and Canada (38 million) only has one other team.

Population is just one factor to consider given the topic. Maybe Montreal is willing to support a team again? That would require a new to state of the art stadium to be built somewhere there (with a variety of finance options at play) and then for the locals to want to show up to games to support the franchise.

[Buckeye Native 001]

I don't know if Major League Baseball can even sustain the amount of teams it has now, much less consider expansion? It'd make more sense to relocate already existing teams to places like Portland, Las Vegas and Charlotte rather than create new teams.

MLB has a real problem with popularity compared to the NFL and NBA, pace/length of game issues, cheating, and a commissioner who doesn't appear to know the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground. Also, way too many owners crying poor and willingly acting like minor league teams for teams in bigger markets (see the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies).

It's like all the small market owners and front office staff watched "Major League" and thought the owner was the hero of the story.

[pdxtex]

From what I've heard, MLB considers a urban Portland stadium location as a no go. A new stadium somewhere in the burbs but near light rail would probably be best. Multnomah County apparently is not allowed to have new nice things until we learn how take care of the old nice things.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

I don't know if Major League Baseball can even sustain the amount of teams it has now, much less consider expansion? It'd make more sense to relocate already existing teams to places like Portland, Las Vegas and Charlotte rather than create new teams.

MLB has a real problem with popularity compared to the NFL and NBA, pace/length of game issues, cheating, and a commissioner who doesn't appear to know the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground. Also, way too many owners crying poor and willingly acting like minor league teams for teams in bigger markets (see the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies).

It's like all the small market owners and front office staff watched "Major League" and thought the owner was the hero of the story.

Yea.... I was going to say MLB would probably do well to lose a few teams and re-balance.

[thoughtcriminal]

I would think that the Tampa Rays have an even bigger issue with their situation. their stadium is almost as bad, and by some measures even worse, than the Coliseum or whatever they're calling it this week. and the fact that the Rays' attendance has never been great, they seem like a more likely and genuine candidate for relocation. if the A's relocate, it will likely be to a market in the west (Portland, Vancouver, Vegas), and the Rays somewhere in the east (Montreal, Carolina, Nashville), so they wouldn't have to realign.
But I wish they would realign somehow, so there would be an even number of teams in each league and they wouldn't have to have interleague play every series the way they do now. Either that or they get rid of the American League / National League split altogether and just call it MLB. That is essentially what has already happened, with the DH being the only sticking point.
I digress. bring the A's back to Philly as I have been saying, then move the Rays to a western market, to keep the balance.

[mhays]

What's the story in Portland? I thought they had viable ideas, though the waterfront location seems to have an issue with limited access. Portland seems like a viable location...like Seattle it has the best summer weather in the US, and it's big enough to support another team. I'd recommend a retractable roof for April of course.

The A's are indeed acting like a team that could move. We saw the same pattern with the Sonics, albeit after a sale to an obvious carpetbagger.