Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!
Mick Akers at the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on statements made to the paper this week by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s chief of staff, Leigh Hanson. The Review-Journal inquired on whether or not any discussions have taken place between the city and the A’s on extending the lease at the Coliseum.
Hanson indicated that no such discussions have occurred, and was highly critical of the team’s “lack of clarity on their genius business plans.” Hanson also said that A’s games are not profitable for the city, even claiming that a single exhibition soccer game brings in more revenue than the A’s through an entire season.
Therefore, Hanson said, the A’s “won’t be missed.”
A’s owner John Fisher also spoke to the Review-Journal, saying that he understands the disappointment shared by fans and the city alike, and that the A’s did “everything we could” to work things out with Oakland but ultimately decided that moving to Vegas was “a tremendous opportunity and something that we really wanted to embrace.”
Fisher also said that finding an interim home for the 2025 through 2027 seasons is a high priority that he hopes will “get resolved relatively soon.”
These statements could instill or reinforce a notion that 2024 may be the A’s last season in Oakland. But with the organization’s lack of clear direction, it’s hard to know where all of this is going.
Have a wonderful weekend, AN.
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