LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In June, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the bill that earmarks up to $380 million in public funds for a new Major League Baseball ballpark in Las Vegas, but the wheels to bring the Oakland Athletics here had been in motion long before that.
The team's ownership, long frustrated by a lack of progress on a deal for a new stadium in Oakland, had been eyeing potential ballpark sites in Las Vegas for a couple of years.
A's LEGACY: With Las Vegas on deck, big parts of the A's story will always be rooted in Oakland
A's ownership, led by managing partner John Fisher (whose family became wealthy from the Gap clothing brand), looked at close to two dozen ballpark sites in the Las Vegas Valley before settling on a plot of land that now houses the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino.
The owners of the aging Tropicana resort — Bally's Corporation — are set to donate 9 acres near the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard for the ballpark.
Of course, the Tropicana would have to be demolished for that to happen, and Bally's executives say they'll build a brand-new casino resort, possibly even with some type of sports-themed attraction.
The stadium will be climate controlled, according to A's president Dave Kaval, though it will likely include some type of retractable roof option that would allow for an open-air atmosphere in the spring and late summer, when the Vegas heat isn't so intense.
"We've all been in Las Vegas in the summer — it's hot — so it has to be climate controlled," Kaval says. "It will be iconic."
To help pay for what the A's say will be a $1.5 billion stadium, the team lobbied the Nevada Legislature for a financial package from the state.
And the team got it — to the tune of up to $380 million in public funds, part of a bill approved during the 2023 session in Carson City.
Most of the money would come from a special tax district that would be in and around the stadium.
Not all in the Nevada Senate and Assembly were for the package, but the Democratically-controlled bodies pushed the legislation through.
In a situation that created some odd political bedfellows — Lombardo, a Republican, also pushed for the stadium deal — a strong coalition emerged to back the plan.
"Las Vegas has proven itself as a professional sports town," says Ben Kieckhefer, Lombardo's chief of staff.
Kieckhefer's statement is hard to argue with.
Long viewed as a gambling-centric city that pro sports franchises and leagues were scared of, Las Vegas is in the midst of a rebrand, literally marketing itself now as the sports and entertainment capital of the world.
The city now boasts the reigning National Hockey League and Women's National Basketball Association champions — the Golden Knights and the Las Vegas Aces. It also has an NFL team and will host the Super Bowl in February.
In short, Vegas is all in on pro sports and having an MLB team, well, that's one of the logical next steps in the city's sporting evolution.
Steve Yeager, one of the lawmakers who pushed the hardest for the ballpark package, says he's excited about the possibility of the A's moving here.
"I'm as excited as I was when we passed the bill about getting a team here in the next few years," Yeager says.
One of the last hurdles to the move becoming officially official is for the A's relocation to be approved by baseball owners.
It's expected that they will approve, and many believe that a vote could take place during or around baseball's annual winter meetings, which will happen this year in Nashville in early December.
"We have a timeline of this year to get it sorted out," Kaval says.
The ballpark would be small — it would only seat about 30,000 fans — but that's the way MLB stadiums have been trending in recent years.
The Tampa Bay Rays, also a team that has long fought for a publicly aided new stadium, actually have plans to possibly build an even smaller ballpark.
The more intimate ballpark feel allows teams to capitalize on revenues from premium seating options and fan experiences.
"I think it's actually a good move to build a smaller stadium," says Nancy Lough, a UNLV professor and leader of the school's professional sport management master's degree program.
The A's, and a number of Nevada lawmakers, believe the ballpark at the current Tropicana site would be ideal as far as parking goes.
There are several casino resorts in the general area — including MGM Grand, New York-New York and Excalibur — and thousands of existing parking spots already there.
"There's a lot of hotels around that area," says Scott Hammond, a Republican state senator who supported the ballpark bill. "There's a lot of parking and it's great mobility in terms of walking traffic."
As part of Senate Bill 1, the A's will be required to fund the first $100 million on the ballpark project before they are allowed to use any public monies.
Recently, the A's announced they've hired a consulting firm — CAA ICON — to help oversee the ballpark build process.
The team has also stated that Mortenson and McCarthy, the construction firms that teamed to build Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, will erect the new ballpark.
Mary Beth Sewald, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, says this type of project will no doubt create thousands of jobs in Southern Nevada.
"For Vegas to maintain its position as the premier global destination for entertainment, we must continue to invest in world class infrastructure projects," Sewald says. "We need to make sure that we're staying ahead of our competitors."
If the move from Oakland to Las Vegas is approved by MLB owners, the A's say first pitch at the new ballpark could happen in 2028.
Dexter Fowler, a former Major Leaguer who won a World Series with the Cubs and now lives in the Las Vegas Valley, says he has no doubt that Las Vegas will do it big if and when it welcomes Major League Baseball.
"Vegas is going to do it right," Fowler says.
Questions and answers
As part of this series, Channel 13 viewers are sharing their lingering questions about the Oakland Athletics' relocation.
Here, Bryan Horwath answers some of those questions, including some frequently-asked questions about ticket prices, stadium specs and parking:
READ MORE FROM OUR "STEALING VEGAS" SERIES:
