Oakland Athletics inclined to share Coliseum with soccer teams until slated Las Vegas move

Amid the news of the Oakland Athletics getting a new stadium built in Las Vegas, the club is open to onboarding new tenants and splitting the Coliseum with two local soccer teams: the Oakland Roots of the USL and the Oakland Soul of the USL W.

The A's lease for the venue is set to expire after this season but the management is trying to stay in Oakland for the 2025 season:

“We have shared with the City of Oakland and Alameda County that we are open to being co-tenants of the Coliseum with the Roots and Soul in 2025,” a spokesperson told The Athletic.

The City of Oakland and Alameda County, which co-owns the Coliseum venue, have started negotiations with local soccer clubs about becoming tenants from 2025 onwards. This was after the A's had talks to extend their lease of the Coliseum.

One reason why the A's would prefer to remain in the Coliseum is due to their TV deal. If the Athletics don't remain in Oakland, then they will lose out on earning $67 million from their TV deal with NBC California, per The Athletic.

Strained relationship of Athletics with their fanbase

Ever since the news of Oakland Athletics moving out of Oakland came out, there has been a widespread movement against the move from the fanbase.

On the other hand, the move to Las Vegas has received widespread criticism from locals. The club was also criticized by many when they tried to suppress an independent Fans Fest by two fan groups who have lobbied against the A's move to Las Vegas:

“I don’t see why they need to make the fans’ life worse than it already is because of their actions,” said Bryan Johansen, a co-founder of the Last Dive Bar, one of two fan groups that are hosting the Fans Fest. “If you want to move, go ahead and move. But let us have our fun. Let us celebrate our team. Let us celebrate our civic pride.”

Ahead of Spring Training, the Oakland Athletics have shut down all their social media platforms to stop receiving barrages from fans.

Despite severe backlash and criticism from the fan base, the club has decided to stay in Oakland instead of finding an interim venue in Sacramento or Salt Lake City. The stadium in Las Vegas is expected to be constructed by 2028.