The Oakland A’s officially left Oakland on Nov. 16, 2023, leaving no professional sports teams in the city. The nail in the coffin happened when all 32 MLB owners unanimously agreed that the A’s could relocate to Las Vegas. The A’s are expected to move into their new home around 2028.
This isn’t the first hard goodbye the diehard fans of Oakland had to experience. On May 20, 2012, the Warriors announced they would be moving to San Francisco before the 2019-2020 season. After the decision to move was finalized, the Warriors won championships in 2015 and 2017, giving fans a bittersweet reward for all their patience. Star players like Steph Curry and Kevin Durrant embraced the city and brought a whole new level of passion and intensity. Just a few years after the Warriors moved to San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders decided to part ways with the city on March 17, 2017. The Raiders announced they would be moving to Las Vegas to play in one of the most innovative new stadiums built, Allegiant Stadium. After 12 seasons in Oakland, relocation was necessary as they were sharing a run-down stadium with the Oakland A’s.
The move to Las Vegas for the A’s was a decision more about the money than about the fans. Attendance for the A’s was the lowest out of any team this season with an average of 10,275. A’s fans were furious at owner John Fisher after speculation that the A’s would relocate to Las Vegas after being in Oakland for 55 years. Fans protested by bringing signs to games saying “Sell the Team,”“Fisher Out” and “Save Oakland.”
The city of Las Vegas has now become the new popular place for sports teams to relocate to. The Raiders, Golden Knights, the Aces and now the A’s all call the entertainment capital of the world their home. The move might make sense financially for the owners of the teams, but not emotionally to fans who have grown attached to their favorite local teams over several generations. This scenario is becoming too common with sports teams moving to cities that are offering team owners financial incentives to move there. Las Vegas might be more lucrative than Oakland, but the loyalty towards fans who have been fans of the team for more than 50 years is lost.
For the diehard fans of Oakland, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Losing all three of your professional sports teams in a decade is a pain no sports fan should endure. With nine World Series’ and star players like Ricky Henderson and Reggie Jackson playing for the historic franchise, the sports teams of Oakland are soon to be a thing of the past as fans prepare to say goodbye to their final glimpse of a team remaining in the city.
Photo Credit: “Athletics5” courtesy of Brian Cantoni is licensed under (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
