Image credit: ClutchPoints

Athletics’ ballpark controversy rumored to spark ‘disgust’ from other teams

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Benjamin Adducchio | Last updated 4/6/24

The Oakland Athletics are reportedly not making other teams very happy right now. The team’s decision to move to Sacramento to play for a few seasons is upsetting some other franchises, per ESPN. There is frustration that the team didn’t have a better game plan for how to handle the move out of the city.

“This makes us all look bad,” one source from another team told ESPN.

Oakland’s saga

The Athletics are heading to Las Vegas after decades of play in the Bay area. The team however needed to find a city to play in for a few years, as plans finalized with Sin City on a ballpark. The team is essentially going to now be playing in a minor league ball park in Sacramento, for at least three seasons. The team will be in Sacramento from 2025-27.

“We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum. Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach,” A’s owner John Fisher said in a statement, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon.”

There is an assumption that the A’s will tank in the next few years, due to an expected lower source of revenue, per ESPN. The Athletics are rumored to be causing disgust due to the development. Athletics executives insist this was the best possible deal for the team to help transition to the new city.

“We extend our appreciation to the (Sacramento) Kings and the city of West Sacramento, and look forward to making Sutter Health Park our home until our new ballpark opens in Las Vegas,” Fisher added.

The city of Oakland and the Athletics tried to reach a deal to keep the team in the Bay for a few more years, but to no avail. This season is the team’s last in Oakland. The city has been good to them, and they to the city. The Athletics have won World Series championships in Oakland four times. The team moved to the city in 1968, after playing in Kansas City and Philadelphia.

The Athletics are struggling in their last season in the Bay. The team is 1-7. Die-hard fans surely hope the team can end their tenure in the Bay on a high-note. Others may simply not care. Others may even want the team to tank, to stick it to the city of Oakland and those that didn’t fight harder to keep the team there.

The A’s play the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. The game’s first pitch is at 1:10 Eastern.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: