Despite 56 years in Oakland, the Athletics averaged just 10,276 fans per game in 2023, the lowest attendance in MLB, as ownership actively pursued a move to Las Vegas, according to ESPN. The team finished the 2023 season with a dismal 50-112 record, MLB's worst, according to MLB.com. Owner John Fisher gutted the roster and refused player investment, drawing sharp criticism from the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Athletics once modeled small-market success and innovation. Now, the franchise actively sabotages its own market value and fan engagement. This deliberate disinvestment shattered fan trust.
Based on this calculated dismantling, abysmal performance, and aggressive relocation efforts, the Oakland Athletics will likely complete their move to Las Vegas, leaving behind a legacy of betrayal and a disillusioned fanbase.
How the Athletics Dismantled Their Team
- Since 2017, the Athletics traded multiple All-Star caliber players, including Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Sean Murphy, often for unproven prospects, according to Baseball-Reference.
- The team's 2023 payroll was approximately $60 million, the lowest in MLB by a significant margin, and less than half the league average, as reported by Spotrac.
- Efforts to secure a new stadium deal in Oakland, particularly at Howard Terminal, repeatedly stalled despite city and port authority engagement, according to Oaklandside.
These decisions reveal a deliberate strategy: prioritizing financial austerity and relocation over competitive integrity and local commitment. The contrast with the A's 'Moneyball' era success exposes the 'unviable market' narrative as a fiction, a pretext for owners to manipulate conditions for lucrative moves.
Current Status of the Athletics' Relocation
Nevada lawmakers approved $380 million in public funding for a new $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, according to Nevada Legislature. MLB owners unanimously approved the Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas in November 2023, according to the Associated Press. The team plans a temporary stadium for 2025-2027, as the new ballpark is not expected until 2028, states the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The swift approval, despite Oakland's opposition, confirms ownership's power and the league's readiness to facilitate relocation for financial gain. MLB's approval, despite clear ownership-induced decline, prioritizes owner profit over community engagement, eroding trust.
Why Oakland Lost Its Sports Teams
The NFL's Raiders relocated from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, according to NFL.com. This followed the NBA's Warriors moving from Oakland to San Francisco in 2019, as reported by NBA.com. Oakland invested hundreds of millions in public funds over decades, often without long-term success in retaining professional sports teams, based on City of Oakland records.
Oakland faces a systemic challenge in retaining franchises, evidenced by repeated team departures. Disputes over stadium financing and the allure of larger markets or public subsidies elsewhere drive these departures. Ownership values only potential new market revenue, disregarding 56 years of established emotional and cultural capital.
What's Next for the Athletics
The Athletics' lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, leaving their 2025-2027 home stadium uncertain, according to the Oakland Coliseum Authority. Oakland fan groups organize protests and boycotts, aiming to pressure ownership or MLB, including a "reverse boycott" in June 2023 that drew over 27,000 fans, far exceeding typical attendance, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. The city explores legal challenges, but its leverage is diminished, according to the Oakland City Council.
The coming years highlight the contentious nature of this move, even as its progression appears inevitable, leaving a community betrayed and a league complicit.
The Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas appears inevitable, leaving Oakland to grapple with the betrayal of a franchise that sacrificed loyalty and performance for profit, setting a dangerous precedent for professional sports.
