Two weeks into May, the A’s quest for a new home in Las Vegas appears as unclear as ever.
On one hand, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected a ballot referendum on Monday proposed by Schools over Stadiums, a political action committee, that would’ve overturned the $380 million public funding deal for the A’s ballpark.
But on the other hand, A’s have yet to determine where the ballpark will stand on the soon-to-be-demolished Tropicana site because the master plan has yet to be completed, as Bally’s Corporation chairman Soo Kim recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Despite Monday’s court decision, Schools over Stadiums leaders are not giving up.
In a statement, they wrote, “Schools Over Stadiums remains committed to stopping Nevada tax dollars from paying for a stadium for a California billionaire, and we are disappointed Nevada voters will not have their say in 2024. With this guidance, Schools Over Stadiums plans to refile our petition next year and win in 2026. Nevada voters deserve the opportunity to decide where their money goes.
“Nevada ranks 48th in per-pupil funding with the largest class sizes and highest educator vacancy rates in the nation. We will never lose sight that our campaign is about Nevada’s misplaced priorities.”
The referendum may have failed this time, but it partially speaks to public sentiment about using tax dollars to fund a stadium.
As things stand, the A’s, following a stay in Sacramento from 2025 to 2027 (or 2028), will move to Las Vegas sometime this decade. Many of the logistics, however, remain a mystery — among them being exactly where the stadium will reside.
Kim told the Review-Journal that Bally’s is open to partnering with another resort operator to speed up the completion of a new hotel-casino on the same 36-acre land. The location of the replacement resort will have to be determined before the location of the ballpark.
The A’s proposed ballpark, a $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat stadium whose renderings were released in March, will take up nine acres at the southeast corner of the 36-acre site. The team’s plan to build on such a small plot has raised plenty of eyebrows. The Tropicana Las Vegas closed on April 2, paving the way for the construction of the proposed ballpark.
The inability to finalize the specific plans regarding the move to Las Vegas gives further credence to the bubbling theory that the team won’t end up making it to Sin City and, instead, establish long-term residency in Sacramento.
While Sacramento residents seem to be embracing the A’s temporary move up north, Las Vegas residents’ opinion of welcoming another professional team is murkier.
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Additionally, ESPN reported last month that Vivek Ranadive, the majority owner of the Sacramento Kings and the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants’ Triple-A minor-league affiliate, believes that the team’s move to Las Vegas will ultimately fall through, ultimately leaving the A’s staying in Sacramento.
While the A’s time in the Bay Area is coming to an end, the newly established Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League will keep professional baseball in The Town. The B’s, who will play at the recently renovated Raimondi Park, will begin their inaugural season next week on May 21, their home opener coming on June 4.
