A's Laughably Comparing Las Vegas Move To Dodgers Leaving For Los Angeles
If you were looking for insight into just how absurd Major League Baseball management is, the Oakland A's might have provided the single best example.
The A's are on their way to Las Vegas, legal challenges aside, recently releasing renderings of their proposed new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
READ: A's Release Renderings Of New Las Vegas Stadium Referencing Sydney Opera House
Unsurprisingly, they concurrently removed signage at their existing stadium in Oakland celebrating the team's heritage. At first glance, the entire move seems to be a relatively straightforward example of classic financial motivations. The A's are set to make more money in Las Vegas than they are in Oakland, thanks to the new stadium and a massive, nearly $400 million handout of free taxpayer money.
But if you talk to A's leadership, they're convinced that the move is actually a momentous shift for the league, comparable to arguably the most important move in baseball history.
Dave Kaval, president of the A's, recently conducted an interview with Forbes where he gave some, uh, interesting answers on what the new Vegas represents.
"This is the most important MLB venue since Oriole Park At Camden Yards," Kaval explained. He continued, saying that the A's brand will be improved by moving out of the Bay Area. "I like the example of the Dodgers," Kaval said. "Our relocation is most similar to the Dodgers move out of Brooklyn."
Sure!
Oakland - The stadium reads "Rooted in Oakland." (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
A's Move To Vegas Is Nothing Like Dodgers Move To LA
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from New York City, they became the first MLB franchise on the West Coast. It also opened up the floodgates for more teams to move west, including the New York Giants, who went to San Francisco. A move they may now be regretting thanks to the city's decline affecting free agency.
It opened up a massive new population base; in 1959 the Los Angeles metro area already had 6.3 million people. It's now 12.6 million. Not including other neighboring Southern California regions. The Las Vegas area currently has roughly 2.2 million people. It's also in the middle of the desert, in a media market already served by the Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks and Angels.
The Dodgers' move to LA opened up a massive new market for MLB, one that grew to eventually encompass three baseball teams in Southern California, and two in Northern California. LA was the number two media market in the US already in 1960. Las Vegas is 40th. It's not comparable.
It's not hard for the A's to just admit the truth; they believe Vegas provides better financial opportunities for them. Their stadium renderings, while interesting looking, also have significant problems to fix. Like, for example, being the only one in MLB to face west. It's not Dodger Stadium, a transformative new building when it opened in the early 60's.
Not a banner day for sports ownership and top executives.