LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When it comes to the Oakland A's and their likely move to Las Vegas, opinions abound.
Local baseball fan Chris Morrison might have said it best a few weeks ago while attending a Las Vegas Aviators minor league game in Summerlin.
"I think any time there's money involved, everybody's going to have an opinion," Morrison said.
The A's plan to move to Las Vegas to play in a new ballpark, one that would be paid for, in part, with public money.
Nevada lawmakers earlier this year approved up to $380 million in tax money -- created through the implementation of a special stadium district tax -- for construction of a $1.5 billion ballpark at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
The team just needs approval from Major League Baseball owners, which it may get this year, to make the move official.
Where the team would play following the 2024 season, the final year of the team's lease at its home ballpark in Oakland, is still up in the air.
The pending move, the public money offering and the possible death of the A's legacy in Oakland have made for hot topics of discussion in the Las Vegas Valley and beyond in the preceding months.
"Not only do we hear from our locals, but we hear from people around the country," says Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman.
Las Vegas in recent years has quickly turned into a sports mecca of sorts, adding an NFL team, a championship WNBA team, and, of course, basking in the glory of the Vegas Golden Knights and the team's Stanley Cup title run this year.
But not everyone is excited to welcome the A's and their billionaire owner, John Fisher.
"I'm seeing money that is being just blown on another billionaire who would like a new toy here in town," says Kellie Scroggie, a Henderson resident.
Nevada State Assemblyman Reuben D'Silva was skeptical of the financial package proposed for the new stadium at first, but says he came around to the idea.
"I needed to get more information and hear from my constituents about it," D'Silva says. "We took a long time to deliberate it."
D'Silva represents around 70,000 voters in the northern part of the Las Vegas Valley. He says he went door-to-door earlier this year to talk to people about the stadium legislation and got a mostly favorable response.
Stadium package proponents touted job creation and the potential tourist draw of having a Major League Baseball team.
"I think this was a great investment by the state into diversifying the economy and bringing a major asset, a tangible economic asset, to the city," D'Silva says.
For now, there's just waiting as we all ponder how MLB owners might vote on the relocation of the A's.
Then, of course, there would be the razing of the Tropicana hotel, the site where the ballpark would go, and the A's would have to lock in financing for their portion of the stadium bill.
There's still ways for the deal to fall through, but it appears more likely that the team will complete its move to the desert.
One person who doesn't need convincing of the advantages of the A's move and the new stadium -- analyst Jeremy Aguero.
Though he has done consulting work for the team on its bid to move here, Aguero is all in on the plan nonetheless.
"I have every expectation that the A's are to meet or exceed every promise," he says. "They are doing all the things they can do to responsibly and respectfully prepare for the move."
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