Oakland city Mayor questions Athletics' planned Las Vegas move: "The A’s...have simply been using this process"

The story around the Oakland Athletics' future move to Las Vegas has grabbed headlines since the announcement.

According to reports, the Athletics have reportedly signed a binding agreement to buy a piece of land in Vegas, which will house the franchise's future stadium.

Oakland City Mayor Sheng Thao released a statement about how the Athletics management has continued negotiations with the city to get a better deal.

According to sources, the Athletics are in the process of buying a 49-acre piece of land north of the Allegiant Stadium, which will house the new stadium. They have reportedly gotten the approval of Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, and are well on their way to going ahead with the plans.

The proposed plan is to pass a bill through the legislature that would create a special taxing district that will cover the stadium area. This will ensure sales tax proceeds are reinvested in the area.

All this has been happening while the Athletics have simultaneously been negotiating with the city of Oakland in bad faith. They have no intention of remaining in their current stadium as they only want to get a better deal out of the government in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mayor Sheng Thao told the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Yet, it is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game - the fans and our residents deserve better."

MLB fans disappointed with the Athletics' plans to move away from Oakland

The history of the Athletics in the MLB started in 1901, when they were originally based in Philadelphia. They then moved to Kansas in 1955 before settling in Oakland in 1968. Now it seems like it's only a matter of time until they find a new home in Las Vegas.

Recent discussions on the future of the Athletics have received mixed reactions from MLB fans around the country. However, fans from California are the ones who are most disappointed and pin the blame on owner John Fisher.

Fisher has not been a popular figure among fans since taking over the team in 2019. This move only adds to his unpopularity among fans who believe that the franchise is being mismanaged.

However, the proposed move is still in its early stages, and the details and finer points are still unknown. Only time will tell if this move will be good or bad for the people of the city.