Oakland Athletics to start looking at relocating elsewhere

ohiodevil · 05-11-2021, 03:25 PM

Jeff Passan is reporting that the A's have asked for the blessing of MLB to relocate. Nashville? Charlotte? Vegas? Another West Coast city?

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...re-sources-say

Déjà Bru · 05-11-2021, 03:51 PM

But here is the immediate goal: "a move that could put pressure on local government officials to greenlight a new stadium project that has spent years in limbo." With all of the money in professional sports these days, I fail to see the reason why government must subsidize team owners. They probably will, anyway.

pilight · 05-11-2021, 06:10 PM

Where could they relocate that isn't "elsewhere"?

albatross11 · 05-11-2021, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilight

Where could they relocate that isn't "elsewhere"?

Westheim · 05-12-2021, 01:53 AM

St. Elsewhere?

That's a 40-year-old reference. I'll show myself out.

BBGiovanni · 05-12-2021, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

But here is the immediate goal: "a move that could put pressure on local government officials to greenlight a new stadium project that has spent years in limbo." With all of the money in professional sports these days, I fail to see the reason why government must subsidize team owners. They probably will, anyway.

I can't believe how much press this all got, they can go have lunch with the mayor in Porland or Nashville whenever they want. They don't have a covenant in their lease like the Rays. And the Athletic reported today that Manfred offered to the A's that he'd do this months ago.

Zorian77 · 05-13-2021, 11:57 AM

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like they don't have a ton of leverage. Covid isn't even completely over yet, I imagine most municipalities aren't looking at spending money on a new stadium that might not even be in use in a few years due to pandemic boogalo 2.

dsvitak · 05-13-2021, 12:52 PM

Multipy the population of Oakland's fan base by their median income, and you will see why the St. Louis Rams moved back to Los Angeles, despite selling out EVERY game they ever played in St. Louis. ALL of them.

I can think of several metropolitan areas which would work beautifully for a new MLB team. Portland is on top of the list.

rudel.dietrich · 05-13-2021, 02:57 PM

I do not see them leaving the bay area. I think a more likely scenario is that they move south of the bay to the San Jose area.
There is a lot of money in that area

mitchkenn · 05-13-2021, 06:20 PM

There's an issue with San Jose, i think, being in the Giants TV rights. Portland is begging for a team, though i'm not certain it has a big enough fan base, and they may be looking more for an expansion team with the proposed ownership they're lining up. Vegas just built a new AAA ballpark a couple of years ago that could be redesigned for major leagues - probably in short order, and Vegas already has the Raiders from Oakland ..... my bet is Vegas if Oakland doesn't decide to do the improvements needed to allow a new ballpark to be built on the bay-front.

rudel.dietrich · 05-13-2021, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchkenn

There's an issue with San Jose, i think, being in the Giants TV rights. Portland is begging for a team, though i'm not certain it has a big enough fan base, and they may be looking more for an expansion team with the proposed ownership they're lining up. Vegas just built a new AAA ballpark a couple of years ago that could be redesigned for major leagues - probably in short order, and Vegas already has the Raiders from Oakland ..... my bet is Vegas if Oakland doesn't decide to do the improvements needed to allow a new ballpark to be built on the bay-front.

That stadium can only seat 10,000. I can't imagine it could be expanded to MLB levels within the current footprint.

BBGiovanni · 05-14-2021, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchkenn

There's an issue with San Jose, i think, being in the Giants TV rights.

Territorial rights and broadcast rights are not the same thing. In the MLB constitution, teams have the "exclusive right and obligation" to play home games in their assigned territory. So the Twins, for example, can't just rent out a field in Milwaukee and play a game any time they feel like it. The Giants have counties west of the SF Bay down to San Jose, and the A's have the counties in the East Bay. Minor league teams technically have territorial rights too, although with the dissolution of MiLB as an organization maybe that is also gone. In any case the SF Giants bought the San Jose Giants some years ago so they control the minor league territorial rights for Santa Clara County as well.

Broadcast rights are a ridiculous mess of overlapping blackout areas across states that have no teams or multiple teams. People in Southern Oregon are blacked out from Giants, A's, and Mariners games. People in Iowa are blacked out from Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Cardinals, and Royals games. These exclusivity windows are forced by regional sports networks. So, if you live in a Mets/Yankees broadcast area but your local cable channel does not actually carry SNY/MSG, you can't watch it on MLB.tv either. It's medieval.

mytreds · 05-14-2021, 12:54 AM

Problem with the As, and this is true ever since they moved West, is that the Bay Area can only support 1 team with its fanbase. Before the As came to Oakland, the Giants were selling out tickets every year. But once they came, attendance declined by half, because half the Bay Area were giants fans and the other became As fans. If anyone is old enough to remember, this is why the As owner came up with some real oddball promotions to get fans into the Coliseum. The Bay Area is deceptively small. In order for the As to thrive, they need to move, period. Move to a completely different place where they don’t have to compete for fans.

Westheim · 05-14-2021, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

Broadcast rights are a ridiculous mess of overlapping blackout areas across states that have no teams or multiple teams. People in Southern Oregon are blacked out from Giants, A's, and Mariners games. People in Iowa are blacked out from Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Cardinals, and Royals games. These exclusivity windows are forced by regional sports networks. So, if you live in a Mets/Yankees broadcast area but your local cable channel does not actually carry SNY/MSG, you can't watch it on MLB.tv either. It's medieval.

Nah, it's not. Things still made sense in 1346. I can logically explain to you why the Kings of England styled themselves Kings of France, too, all the way up to 1801, or why the descendants of Edward III beat another's heads in for a century and serially-murdered and betrayed another because of who descended from Eddie in a straight male line and who did not. Why Brewers games are blacked out in Iowa, but they can watch Mets games all they want? No.

The throne claims of the Yorks and Lancasters make sense. MLB blackout rules couldn't be further from anything vaguely resembling sense.

dsvitak · 05-14-2021, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westheim

Nah, it's not. Things still made sense in 1346. I can logically explain to you why the Kings of England styled themselves Kings of France, too, all the way up to 1801, or why the descendants of Edward III beat another's heads in for a century and serially-murdered and betrayed another because of who descended from Eddie in a straight male line and who did not. Why Brewers games are blacked out in Iowa, but they can watch Mets games all they want? No.

The throne claims of the Yorks and Lancasters make sense. MLB blackout rules couldn't be further from anything vaguely resembling sense.

When the Black Death hit Europe in 1341, it wiped out 1 in 5 people, dead.

The Plague was cycle, about every generation, for a full century or more.

The Dark Ages essentially ended when there were so few workers that their wages went up, HUGELY.

Call it a living wage. Either way, this led to the Renaissance, and the growth of the middle class.

Look at China, now. Their birthrate is negative, and this will result in extreme worker shortages in just a few years, as more and more of the workforce retires.

This retiring workforce doesn't have social security, and will be a MASSIVE burden for China. By the end of THIS century, China's population will drop...by HALF. No...this will NOT be "China's century."

Bub13 · 05-14-2021, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westheim

Nah, it's not. Things still made sense in 1346. I can logically explain to you why the Kings of England styled themselves Kings of France, too, all the way up to 1801, or why the descendants of Edward III beat another's heads in for a century and serially-murdered and betrayed another because of who descended from Eddie in a straight male line and who did not. Why Brewers games are blacked out in Iowa, but they can watch Mets games all they want? No.

The throne claims of the Yorks and Lancasters make sense. MLB blackout rules couldn't be further from anything vaguely resembling sense.

Losing the Black Prince didn't help things either. I'm sure things would've settled down if he'd ascended the throne.... or maybe not. A pretty bloodthirsty lot, those families.

mytreds · 05-14-2021, 07:59 PM

I highly encourage you all to watch Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation series, if you want to know more about the Middle Ages and The Renaissance.

Brad K · 05-14-2021, 10:55 PM

"Oakland Athletics to start looking at relocating elsewhere"

Just an observation that the TB Rays have been starting to look for a dozen years now.

I sincerely hope they'll finish looking and be successful.

rink23 · 05-15-2021, 12:22 AM

You have to throw Montreal into the mix as well.
Got to sit with a few former Expos fans a few years ago at a Nationals spring training game, and they seemed to really be in the know, and they believe the city will be getting a team.
A site is all picked out and ready to build, although this was before the world almost came to an end last March, they're just waiting on official word a team is heading their way.
At the time, they believed the Rays were ripe for the picking as the cities of Tampa and St. Pete refuse to work on anything together to improve their stadium situation.
Tampa has the Bucs and Lightning, and St. Pete doesn't see it as right as it should get the Rays as well.

dsvitak · 05-15-2021, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mytreds

I highly encourage you all to watch Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation series, if you want to know more about the Middle Ages and The Renaissance.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...nSzRzRz7D9A-fV

Here's the 12-part video series on YouTube. Starts with a terrific Gregorian Chant. Thanks for the tip.

05-11-2021, 03:25 PM	#1
ohiodevil OOTP Roster Team Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Rocky River, Ohio Posts: 2,423	Oakland Athletics to start looking at relocating elsewhere Jeff Passan is reporting that the A's have asked for the blessing of MLB to relocate. Nashville? Charlotte? Vegas? Another West Coast city? https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...re-sources-say Last edited by ohiodevil; 05-11-2021 at 03:31 PM.

05-11-2021, 03:51 PM	#2
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,291	But here is the immediate goal: "a move that could put pressure on local government officials to greenlight a new stadium project that has spent years in limbo." With all of the money in professional sports these days, I fail to see the reason why government must subsidize team owners. They probably will, anyway. __________________ - Bru

05-12-2021, 01:53 AM	#5
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,262	St. Elsewhere? That's a 40-year-old reference. I'll show myself out. __________________ Portland Raccoons, 90 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

05-13-2021, 06:20 PM	#10
mitchkenn Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Oregon, not by design Posts: 2,872	There's an issue with San Jose, i think, being in the Giants TV rights. Portland is begging for a team, though i'm not certain it has a big enough fan base, and they may be looking more for an expansion team with the proposed ownership they're lining up. Vegas just built a new AAA ballpark a couple of years ago that could be redesigned for major leagues - probably in short order, and Vegas already has the Raiders from Oakland ..... my bet is Vegas if Oakland doesn't decide to do the improvements needed to allow a new ballpark to be built on the bay-front. __________________ "This is my opening farewell " - Jackson Browne “They make a desolation and call it peace.” ― Agha Shahid Ali "Maybe she just has to sing, for the sake of the song - And who do I think that I am to decide that she's wrong." - Townes Van Zandt "I saw a young man leaning on his wooden crutch - He called out to me, 'Don't ask for so much' And a young woman leaning in her darkened door She cried out to me, 'Why not ask for more?' " - Leonard Cohen "Hello darkness, my old Friend ...." - Paul Simon Before Mays, before DiMaggio, there was Oscar Charleston. "All the lies about Babe Ruth are true." - Waite Hoyt Avatar is the late great Townes Van Zandt. rip. Last edited by mitchkenn; 05-13-2021 at 06:21 PM.

05-14-2021, 12:54 AM	#13
mytreds All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 1,115	Problem with the As, and this is true ever since they moved West, is that the Bay Area can only support 1 team with its fanbase. Before the As came to Oakland, the Giants were selling out tickets every year. But once they came, attendance declined by half, because half the Bay Area were giants fans and the other became As fans. If anyone is old enough to remember, this is why the As owner came up with some real oddball promotions to get fans into the Coliseum. The Bay Area is deceptively small. In order for the As to thrive, they need to move, period. Move to a completely different place where they don’t have to compete for fans. __________________ “Baseball isn’t statistics; it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second.” “Once, centuries ago, it was the beloved national pastime of the Americas, Wesley. Abandoned by a society that prized fast food and faster games. Lost to impatience.” “ The term ‘WAR’ should be replaced by ‘WAG’. WAR isn’t an actual measurement; it’s just a wild-ass guess” -Bill James RIP National League 1876-2022 Floreat semper vel invita morte. I make custom ballparks.

05-11-2021, 06:10 PM	#3
pilight All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Where the Action is Posts: 1,958	Where could they relocate that isn't "elsewhere"?

05-13-2021, 11:57 AM	#7
Zorian77 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2019 Posts: 58	Maybe it's just me, but I feel like they don't have a ton of leverage. Covid isn't even completely over yet, I imagine most municipalities aren't looking at spending money on a new stadium that might not even be in use in a few years due to pandemic boogalo 2.

05-13-2021, 12:52 PM	#8
dsvitak Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 5,292	Multipy the population of Oakland's fan base by their median income, and you will see why the St. Louis Rams moved back to Los Angeles, despite selling out EVERY game they ever played in St. Louis. ALL of them. I can think of several metropolitan areas which would work beautifully for a new MLB team. Portland is on top of the list.

05-13-2021, 02:57 PM	#9
rudel.dietrich Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Zürich, Switzerland Posts: 8,608	I do not see them leaving the bay area. I think a more likely scenario is that they move south of the bay to the San Jose area. There is a lot of money in that area

05-14-2021, 07:59 PM	#17
mytreds All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 1,115	I highly encourage you all to watch Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation series, if you want to know more about the Middle Ages and The Renaissance. __________________ “Baseball isn’t statistics; it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second.” “Once, centuries ago, it was the beloved national pastime of the Americas, Wesley. Abandoned by a society that prized fast food and faster games. Lost to impatience.” “ The term ‘WAR’ should be replaced by ‘WAG’. WAR isn’t an actual measurement; it’s just a wild-ass guess” -Bill James RIP National League 1876-2022 Floreat semper vel invita morte. I make custom ballparks.

05-14-2021, 10:55 PM	#18
Brad K Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2016 Location: St Petersburg Florida USA Posts: 6,658 Infractions: 0/2 (3)	"Oakland Athletics to start looking at relocating elsewhere" Just an observation that the TB Rays have been starting to look for a dozen years now. I sincerely hope they'll finish looking and be successful.

05-15-2021, 12:22 AM	#19
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 20,705	You have to throw Montreal into the mix as well. Got to sit with a few former Expos fans a few years ago at a Nationals spring training game, and they seemed to really be in the know, and they believe the city will be getting a team. A site is all picked out and ready to build, although this was before the world almost came to an end last March, they're just waiting on official word a team is heading their way. At the time, they believed the Rays were ripe for the picking as the cities of Tampa and St. Pete refuse to work on anything together to improve their stadium situation. Tampa has the Bucs and Lightning, and St. Pete doesn't see it as right as it should get the Rays as well.