Athletics Might Not Be Moving to Las Vegas After All

Are the Athletics still Las Vegas-bound? Or is the sports franchise staying in Oakland?

https://twitter.com/Athletics/status/1429206891289214980

The Oakland Athletics may keep that name after a new report claims that the organization has canceled an upcoming trip to Las Vegas intended to discuss bringing the team there. There is also news that the Oakland City council approved the Howard Terminal Project, which would give the Athletics their new stadium with a waterfront! Before Oakland fans become too excited, the Howard Terminal proposal was approved using a different "term sheet" than expected and featured amendments that the team had not seen. This resulted in Athletics owner, Dave Kuval, pushing back on the proposal and leaving things up in the air. Even MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, expressed disappointment in the move after so much positive traction had been gained between the two sides. The commissioner also said he would be talking to the Athletics about how to best chart a path forward. According to ESPN.com, "The A's made a public proposal in April stating they would privately finance the ballpark, which will cost an estimated $1 billion, while also providing $450 million in community benefits and arranging for an additional $11 billion in private investment to eventually build up the surrounding neighborhood with 3,000 residential units, up to 1.5 million square feet of commercial space, 270,000 square feet for retail, an indoor 3,500-seat performance center, 400 hotel rooms and up to 18 acres available for public parks."

The main differences in the A's proposal and what the Oakland City Council countered with stem from a new financial structure, an increase in affordable housing demands, and more community benefits funds that aren't based on only Capital investments. It's not known what issue the Athletics had with the proposal, but it could stem from the financial structure changes. "We need to know what was passed, how it relates to our original proposal," Kaval said of the council's new agreement. "We need to understand the timeline to get the definitive vote. And we need to work really closely with the league because they have a strong point of view on this. They wanna make sure the A's have a home. We really are running out of time. We're under a lot of pressure because our current facility is 10 years past its useful life. Let's not forget that going sideways is really no longer an option." It looked like Las Vegas would be a guaranteed thing after Kuval tweeted a photo of himself watching a Golden Knights game inside the T-Mobile Center, but maybe it was just a ploy. Maybe that was just a way to gain bargaining power and force Oakland into making a better deal with them. The craziest part is that the Athletics still have this kind of power, and they can just plan another trip to Vegas to put more pressure on the council and set the rumor mill swirling again.