A’s John Fisher Defends Relocation, New Armadillo-Esque Stadium: ‘Underrated Animal’

Oakland A's owner John Fisher is moving the franchise to Las Vegas in the coming seasons, with the team releasing renderings of its proposed new stadium on the Strip earlier this week.

READ: A's Release Renderings Of New Las Vegas Stadium Referencing Sydney Opera House

Fisher has widely been seen as the driving force behind the team's move out of its longtime home, securing hundreds of millions in free money from Nevada taxpayers after years of trying in the Bay Area. And in a new interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he defended the stadium's design and his decision to move from one of the largest media markets in the country to one of the smallest.

"I will say, the Bay Area is a spectacular place," Fisher said according the Chronicle. "And Oakland is going to figure it out. It has incredibly great culture. It’s got a really great climate, great views, and there are some incredibly smart and creative people who live here and want to make the city work. 

"It will happen. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to wait." 

With regard to the new stadium's renderings, which have been compared to the Opera House and even an armadillo, Fisher said he believes that's actually a compliment. "I think the armadillo is an underrated animal, and I think the A's are underrated at times." 

Sure, sounds right.
 

Mar 29, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; The stadium reads "Rooted in Oakland" before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland A's Ownership Deflecting From Its Own Failures

It's no secret that the city of Oakland has declined, thanks in large part to progressive policies that have led to increased crime and decreased quality of life. But that doesn't mean it's on the city to provide millions of dollars to Fisher to build a stadium that he personally benefits from. 

And Fisher has purposefully decided against investing in the team to make it better or attract and retain fans. For example, in 2004 the opening day salary for the A's roster was $59.425 million. In 2023, the opening day payroll was $56.895 million. Adjusted for inflation, that 2004 figure would be over $97 million today. Fisher is effectively spending $30 million less on players than the team was 20 years ago.

The A's are making tens of millions of dollars more in revenue now than they were then, thanks to the increase in television rights revenue and MLB revenue sharing agreements. They're just not spending any of it. 

Fisher is set to make tens of millions more in Las Vegas, without having to add hundreds of millions of dollars of his own investments. He could afford to wait as long as he wanted to, since he's happily pocketing profits without fielding a competitive team. He just realized he can happily pocket even more profits without fielding a competitive team in Las Vegas.