"I really think he deceived us this whole time"- Oakland Mayor feels betrayed by A's John Fisher amid team's Vegas relocation

The Oakland Athletics continue to make headlines due to controversies surrounding their uncertain future. The team is planning to relocate to a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028, leaving their current home, the Oakland Coliseum.

Recently, Oakland City Mayor Sheng Thao appeared on a Foul Territory podcast expressing her dissatisfaction with the team’s ownership. She stated that she only had one meeting with the A’s owner, John Fisher.

“It was always in the beginning. You know, when I got into the office and I said, look, I don't want to waste your time, and don't waste my time. Do you want a stadium here? Because if you do, I can get that,” said Sheng Thao regarding the meeting with the team’s owner. “I know how to work with people, to strategize, to make it happen. And he said, absolutely. And so, you know, I'm a really straightforward person, and I took him on his word.”

“And the next time I spoke to him was that phone call where he said, we're going to 100 percent focus in Las Vegas. When we were this close to getting a deal,” Thao added.

Further, the Oakland mayor stated that she felt betrayed as the deal was just about to be finalized between them.

“I felt like he really deceived us this whole time where I had so many city workers working on this plan. Like, don't waste our time. We have a whole city to run. And so with that being said, You know, that phone call where he said, we're focusing only on Las Vegas. I told him, you know, this is very disappointing. And we were very close to a deal. But, I guess good luck in Las Vegas because I know that John Fisher is going to do John Fisher things”

Oakland Athletics fans hold Fan Fest 2024 at Jack London Square

On Saturday, thousands of Oakland fans gathered at Jack London Square for Fans Fest. The team hasn’t hosted a fan fest since the 2019 season and it seems that fans have created their own.

Fans had a great time at the event and also got a chance to interact with the team’s former players including Grant Balfour. The event was meant to celebrate sports teams and not to protest against the A’s but it ended up being a bit of both.