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Oakland's Mayor Sheng Thao has written a letter to 15 MLB team owners imploring them to reject the Oakland Athletics' proposal to move the franchise to Las Vegas. The annual owner's meeting of the MLB will take place in Arlington, Texas over three days next week where the vote on the proposed move will be taken. Ahead of the vote, the Mayor's letter outlines several reasons why the franchise should remain in Oakland.
Oakland has been the home of the Athletics for 55 years now, but owner John Fisher sees more commercial potential to move the franchise to Las Vegas. If the move is approved, it will have a huge impact on the economy of the city and many people will find themselves without a job. Thus, the mayor, along with the people of Oakland, are eager to stop the move.
The reason for the move, as stated by Fisher, was that the city of Oakland did not provide the franchise with the support it needed to build a state-of-the-art stadium. Hence, Thao clarified in her letter that the city has procured $480 million in funding for off-site infrastructure in addition to the $500 million in on-site infrastructure that the city and country will contribute. In her letter, she wrote:
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"There is a clear path to build a state-of-the-art new ballpark here in Oakland, and to do so just as expeditiously (if not more so) than in Las Vegas."
Oakland A's need three-quarters of votes from MLB owners to proceed with relocation to Las Vegas
The last MLB franchise to move from one city to another was when the Washington Nationals established their new home in 2004 after moving from Montreal. Since then, any proposed move for a franchise requires three-quarters of the total votes from all the team owners in the league.
Thus, along with the mayor of the city, fans are also making their voices heard with shows of protest and pleas towards anyone who can help them. Now, the Oakland Athletics' fate lies in the hands of the owners who will take a vote on it next week.
