Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it has instructed the Oakland Athletics to begin exploring other markets outside of Oakland while also continuing to pursue a waterfront ballpark in the city’s downtown.
The development is the latest in a years-long saga involving the A’s and their attempts to find a new home ballpark away from their current one at the Oakland Coliseum.
The team has been working with local authorities on a proposed new ballpark at Howard Terminal west of Jack London Square and remains the last major professional sports team in Oakland after the Golden State Warriors basketball team has moved to San Francisco and the Oakland Raiders football team has moved to Las Vegas recently.
The A’s on Tuesday morning posted on social media a statement from MLB about the status of the team’s efforts to move.
“MLB is concerned with the rate of progress on the A’s new ballpark effort with local officials and other stakeholders in Oakland. The A’s have worked very hard to advance a new ballpark in downtown Oakland for the last four years, investing significant resources while facing multiple roadblocks,” the league said.
“We know they remain deeply committed to succeeding in Oakland, and with two other sports franchises recently leaving the community, their commitment to Oakland is now more important than ever,” MLB said.
“The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets,” the league’s statement ended.
23 comments
This is such an easy solution for the A’s and Oakland.
Just yesterday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said “I love saying Oakland, California, is the most unapologetic sanctuary city in America,”
A’s players merely need to renounce their US citizenship or lawful resident status, and a new stadium should be a slam dunk. They could just build it without any fear of repercussions, no? And get an extra grand per player from the Gov’s illegal alien voter encouragement – er, undocumented persons – fund.
That idea is insane enough to become a reality in post-coup America.
Schaaf doesn’t even realize how racist that statement is. Historically, blacks and Latinos do not co-exist very well. As more Latinos move into Oakland, the blacks are being forced east into Antioch and further still, into Stockton and the Central Valley. Richmond is now 17% black, down from almost 40% twenty years ago. The Latino population has increased to almost 50%.
And the blacks will continue to vote Democrat, as their own leaders’ policies work against them. Republicans aren’t much better with immigration, BTW.
schaaf is jewish…for anyone wondering why she hates white people. this goes way back in history
I hope they stay in Oakland. They need a new stadium, but I’m okay at the old one. A lot of memories (A’s, Raiders, Day on the Green, etc.). My husband and I are “recognized” at the Coliseum. Thanks for email Dave Kaval.
The raiders, warriors, 49ers, all moved and got new stadiums or arena. The A’s better wise up.
Why does MLB consider the Coliseum not a viable option for the future “vision” of baseball? Clearly, to Major League Baseball, it is no longer about the game of baseball. It has seating, a sandy infield, a grassy outfield and benches for each team. Maybe the boxes aren’t fancy enough, because that is so relevant to the game.
The A’s don’t matter to the city of Oakland and Mayor Schaff at all, or this would have been further along at this point. Everybody knew that the proposals made to the city were ignored. The regime there has other priorities, and the A’s definitely have back burner status. It’s called getting the Schaff!
Q- How does the city embrace anything as American as baseball, and stay progressive enough to satisfy the hard left there.
A- It can’t.
If the A’s had any brains, they would explore moving to Sacramento, keep some local fans, and draw from not only the metro area there with the possibility of drawing from smaller towns in the valley, as well as the foothill towns.
So turn the Coliseum into homeless housing for a lot of feral people, and declare it a victory. Better make sure the plumbing works, though.
The existing stadium is awful. Aside from the chronic sewer line problems they have in the clubhouses, the seats are a mile away from the field in comparison to more modern stadiums. It lacks the features, amenities and intimacy of ones built in the last 20 or 30 years. There’s a reason they can’t draw fans, and it isn’t the team.
Great memories and always a fun team to watch…and ticket prices are great…but the stadium just pales in comparison to pretty much all others. It’s a dinosaur. Actually worse.
That said, I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with the location itself. We don’t need a stadium to be on the water, nowhere near public transit. We do need a 21st century one, though. As long as no public funds (or a reasonable amount of them given the importance and economic impact of a pro sports team) are used, let them build something! Too bad the city of Oakland can’t ever seem to get out of its own way.
I’m sorry but Oakland just doesn’t have anything to offer a professional sports franchise when you compare to other cities with MLB teams. It has zero tourist appeal and the area surrounding downtown are dirty, full of crime and homeless people.
On top of that the city itself has shown no interest in keeping professional sports around. A city like Las Vegas will offer them a free stadium and fastrack the process. Why would they stay.
Not saying the city has to offer anything, but you can see why a business would move elsewhere to a city that offers better opportunities to grow their business.
Oakland has one thing going for it: the Coliseum is about to become the world’s largest super flea market.
A fitting home for Mount Davis.
Oakland will never work, the city will claim not enough diversity in the ownership or management of the club and deny every permit. Contra Costa should allocate some of the Naval Weapons Station.
108RS
The fact that the seats are further back is one of the things I’ve always liked about the Coliseum. It’s more relaxing. There is something commonly known as thrown bats and foul balls. You don’t see fans getting hit with bats like you do at other stadiums. If you have good seats, you’re close enough to the field.
The A’s need a modern baseball park like the Giants have and it is well deserved. I hope they build a great park in the same location, and tear down the current coliseum. That location is perfect for BART access
It’s not the city’s job to provide them with a ballpark, rather it’s the team’s owner’s job.
Why aren’t the A’s funding their own stadium? They have the ability to hire professionals to acquire the land needed for the stadium and draft the plans for the stadium itself. This isn’t the tax payer’s problem to fix.
These stadiums do not create the number of temporary jobs claimed nor does the positives trickle down to the masses enough to justify giving away tax payer’s money on them. These palaces of excess should be funded by MLB and the team owners (or NFL if they’re football).
While I agree in principle that teams should fund their own stadiums, it’s simply the fact it doesn’t always happen that way, and compared to all the utter BS our tax dollars fund, a ballpark is something I WOULD want my taxes to support.
And I don’t know what numbers you’re seeing about “not creating the jobs claimed”, but it’s an absolute fact ballparks do indeed create jobs…besides construction phase, once it’s built there’s parking lot attendants, box office, concessions, security, etc. Plus all the ancillary businesses…look what Pac Bell did for that entire area within a few block radius, it went from vacant lots, dilapidated buildings, homeless tents, to upscale condos, great bars, restaurants, and shopping…all of those which created jobs and generate tax revenue.
Or, Oakland can stomp their foot, say “NO!”, then watch as they lose their third and final franchise, and instead of being an s-hole city that at least has a team with a cool ballpark and surrounding area that attracts fans/visitors/shoppers, it’ll be an s-hole city with absolutely nothing going for it except for being known as the city that loves illegal aliens AND lost 3 sports franchises within a 5-year span.
Mayor Libby has lost two out of three pro teams. Now she is going for three out of three. That will really be something to be proud of, a clean sweep!
The loss of pro sports teams have to have a negative economic impact on Oakland businesses. Feel bad for them.
All pro sports suck. Nothing but clowns from top to bottom. Tear it down and build homes and parks. We all know these “pros” are dumb as rocks. Why should dummies make millions while just outside the gate is dire straights? Oakland was nice because you could just bart in and take the bridge right over the slums..backwards world we live in.
“Well they have grass on the infield and in the outfield, crushed brick base paths, what more do they need???” Please…the Coliseum is a frickin dump, Mt Davis made it an eyesore, seats are way too far back because of the ACRES of foul territory, and if you haven’t noticed, it happens to be in a s***hole industrial area filled with trash, broken down cars, and bums. These days, stadiums—ESPECIALLY baseball—are much more than utilitarian, they need to be a DESTINATION where before/after games people hang out, shop at nearby stores, go to bars/restaurants, NOT get the hell out of Dodge like you do after an A’s game.
Howard Terminal is a great location, won’t require anywhere near the gentrification effort that would be required to rebuild on the current Coliseum site…but it’s the city of Oakland that’s run by idiots who almost NEVER do the smart/right thing, so they’ll continue to obsess with catering to BLM and illegals, and will say how “shocked and saddened” they are when a few months down the road the A’s announce their move to Las Vegas. Miss Sanctuary City will surely set some kind of record as being the mayor who lost 3 major pro sports franchises.
Idaho Athletics!!!!!! Sounds Good!
Sac would be perfect but they already have semi pro ball and the Rivercats are one of the best tickets in town.
I doubt Vegas will work as its just too hot in the summer and I doubt they want to play indoors.
Says Sacramento is perfect then in next breath says Vegas is too hot…because I guess Sacto isn’t Valley butt-hot in the summer? And not sure if you know this, but MLB has teams in Atlanta, Houston, and just outside Dallas, not to mention other locales that get very hot AND humid. Retractable roof, kick-a** a/c, and lots of night games…if they don’t end up in Vegas it will not be because of the heat.
The A’s needs to leave.
Oakland is a failed city. It has inept government and a crumbling infrastructure. That’s on top of the crime, criminals and blight.
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