There is a widespread expectation that the relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, in the eyes of many, is a done deal, and that the vote of approval from the MLB owners will be a mere formality. Because, after all, no owner will deny another owner the chance to boost his income, because that owner might need other owners to do the same for him someday. But, once MLB’s relocation committee recommends a move, A’s owner John Fisher needs yes votes from three-quarters of his fellow owners for the move to happen, so it would only take eight no votes to put the brakes on this entire farce.
For any owners trying to find a reason to vote no, here is a helpful guide.
5 very good reasons why the Oakland A’s should be prevented from moving to Las Vegas
- There is rampant evidence that the numbers on this move just won’t pencil out, that either Fisher or the taxpayers will end up on the wrong side of this balance sheet, which will mean he threatens to move again in a few years. That might not matter to other owners, but it doesn’t make for the best image for the sport.
- The high in Las Vegas was 102 on Wednesday, which is the coolest it has been in a month. I know, it’s hot everywhere, and the games will be indoors, but betting long-term on baseball in Vegas in July being a pleasant experience seems like a bad idea.
- If you want to take the flip side of that argument, that Vegas is booming and has great potential as a baseball market, one way to do so is to keep the city available for expansion, because the entry fee for an expansion team would be exorbitant, and you would get to share that.
- At the very least, it would be bad business to leave a market with the potential of Vegas in the hands of someone like Fisher, who has not given the least indication that he can run a baseball team competently. If you want to maximize the potential of the Vegas market, put someone in charge who knows how to do something other than extort money from taxpayers.
- Maybe this isn’t something other owners care about, but letting Fisher get his way on this just stinks to high heaven. Some would say he never bargained with Oakland in good faith, and he hasn’t made any effort to field a competitive baseball team for two seasons. Rob Manfred has ridiculed the attendance, but with the state of the team and the stadium in Oakland, it’s a miracle anyone comes to the games.
I know, expecting any owners, let alone eight of them, to stand up for the Oakland A’s fans or the best interest of the game, or even to know right from wrong, is a long shot. But we can hope.