Certain wounds take time to heal. Even in the case of sports, especially when it comes to emotions attached to the city. Due to Oakland’s reluctance to contribute funds for the stadium, the Athletics opted to acquire land close to Allegiant Stadium, the current home of the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly based in Oakland). That backstory comes with baggage.
Though all 30 teams of Major League Baseball have voted in favor of the move, Sin City is not at ease. Seeing mixed reactions from Las Vegas, their move from the Oakland Coliseum seems to be filled with friction. NFL’s Raiders share their candid opinion.
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An Ongoing Friction Between the Raiders and the Athletics
A’s principal owner John Fisher and President Dave Kaval could not strike a chord with the Oak View Group President Marc Badain. So much so that he used the words “lacking honesty and professionalism” to describe them during a conference hosted by the Nevada Independent. A number of Las Vegas sports executives were witnesses to this. He had more to say.
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After leading the Raiders in Oakland and Las Vegas for a spell, Badain made a veiled critique of Fisher’s stadium plan. He said that he it “couldn’t be cookie-cutter“. The other executives in attendance at the conference voiced some skepticism about the A’s chances of success. The reaction from Kaval’s and Fisher’s colleagues in the sports business is anything but cordial. As the former said that the uneasy “feelings” between the two parties might not fade away that easily.
Having said that, the Athletics appear to be quite optimistic about the move. Fisher said, “I understand that this is an incredibly difficult day for Oakland fans, and I just want to say we gave every effort and did everything we could to try and find a solution there.” He further added that he is really excited about the opportunity and that “the fans there are terrific”. However, could there be some degree of delusion in that statement?
Will Sin City Welcome the Oakland Athletics with Open Arms?
Usually a city is never underwhelmed by the arrival of a professional sports team. However, that’s not the case for the Vegas and the As. It is alleged that the team the city is inheriting may have a not-so-loved owner of all time. One might wonder where this all began.
Due to Mark Fisher’s actions when the Raiders and Athletics shared the Coliseum, Mark Davis and other people still harbor strong animosity toward him. When negative emotions are still present and the product is probably not going to be watchable, it’s difficult to get more excited.
People’s responses and those of other prominent local sports executives seem to indicate that the A’s are not really welcome in Las Vegas.
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Written by
Edited by
Deepanshi Bajaj