|
Athletics president Dave Kaval said the team
was pushing ahead with plans for a new stadium in Las Vegas
after the process to build a waterfront ballpark in Oakland
stalled.
"We know this is a really difficult day for our fans in Oakland
and the Oakland community," Kaval told MLB.com. "We're still
maybe seven or eight years away from being even able to open a
stadium (in Oakland) with the lawsuits and referendums and
timing challenges.
"We have a pact in Las Vegas that we think can work and has the
support from the league, so we are really putting all our focus
in Las Vegas and the efforts there."
Kaval set out a timeline which would see breaking ground on the
Vegas ballpark in 2024 and it being ready to use for the 2027
season.
MLB is the latest major sport league eager to get in on the Las
Vegas action.
The National Hockey League's Golden Knights set up operations in
2017 followed by the relocation of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces in
2018 and the National Football League's Raiders in 2020.
LeBron James has expressed interest in bringing a National
Basketball Association team to Las Vegas when he transitions
from all-time great player to potential team owner.
Major League Soccer has also expressed its desire to add a Vegas
team that would play in a new soccer-specific stadium, with an
announcement expected this year.
"The A’s have remained in Oakland long past the departures of
other teams in the market," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in
a statement.
"In 2021, given the continued lack of progress, MLB instructed
the A's to explore a parallel path plan with Las Vegas.
"We support the A’s turning their focus on Las Vegas and look
forward to them bringing finality to this process by the end of
the year."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
