LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Oakland A's are beginning to wrap up their final season in the Bay Area as the team's relocation to Las Vegas in 2028 has been approved.
The Athletics will call Sacramento home until their new ballpark is built on the south end of the Strip. Almost four years before the big move, the team is trying to gain trust in their future home.
“Our relocation to Las Vegas brings many exciting opportunities to expand the destination’s rich history and appreciation for baseball," A's chief of staff Miguel Duarte said. "The future of baseball in southern Nevada has never been brighter."
Duarte was at a luncheon for the Latin Chamber of Commerce of Nevada on Friday where he shared how the team has begun efforts to ingratiate itself with Las Vegas.
"Earlier this year, we released the renderings for our beautiful 30,000-seat ballpark," Duarte said. "We really feel like it’s befitting of the market of Las Vegas.”
As part of the A's deal to build a stadium in Las Vegas, they had to outline how they'd benefit the community in order to receive public funding. That community benefits agreement was approved by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, Duarte pointed out.
"This community benefits agreement includes robust investments for the community and opportunities to ingratiate Southern Nevada small businesses into our efforts for our new ballpark," Duarte said. "We have started to make meaningful connections with Little League teams throughout the community and remain committed to baseball development activities. We also supported organizations throughout the destination to share our commitment to enriching the life of its community members."
What do locals have to say about that?
"If you really want to gain roots, you got to get out there and win over the public," said Las Vegas resident Carlos Espinosa. "They’ll be a part of the community, and I think Vegas will adapt to them just like they have all the other teams.”
Vegas Golden Knights president Kerry Bubolz has helped make VGK an organization that's beloved and trusted across the valley. He's optimistic the A's are on the right track to gain a faithful fanbase in their new town.
"They’re doing it the right way," Bubolz said. "You got to have a presence in the market, you have to be out in the community. John Fisher, their owner, he really has come to us and said ‘hey, we like your playbook. We like what you’ve done. Help us, give us thoughts and ideas.’ I’m like a lot of people. I got a free hat today and I can’t wait for 2028."
Kerry Bubolz shows off his A's hat and talks about the team's efforts to earn the Las Vegas community's good will:
Regardless of the obstacles the team will face over the next three years, most baseball fans in Las Vegas are excited for the team's arrival.
“It’s almost surreal," Espinosa said.
"Vegas has always been the center of the entertainment world, and now we’re becoming the center of the sports world. It’s amazing when I see the graphics of the stadium, to see how quickly everything is changing, going from no sports here to having every imaginable sport in the U.S.”
