It could cost more than $1 billion to convince the Oakland Athletics to follow the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas. That’s an estimated price tag to build a new stadium for the team.
Team reps met with Clark County officials May 25 to discuss the possibility of relocating to Southern Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
A source familiar with the meeting said the A’s want a stadium near the Strip, and a public-private partnership similar to the arrangement made by the Raiders. That team got $750 million in public funds for a project that cost $2 billion. The money is coming from a 0.88 percent tax on hotel rooms in Clark County. It’s said the county has less appetite to fork over more public funds these days.
The A’s also met with Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and executives from Wynn Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, along with a contingent from the city of Henderson.
“It was a great first trip,” Athletics President Dave Kaval told the Review-Journal. “Everyone was really welcoming to us. We don’t have all the answers. We’re approaching this and are trying to listen to understand what could work here in Las Vegas for a major league team.”
Can it work like it has for the Raiders football team and the NHL Golden Knights? “It’s really about understanding the market feasibility,” Kaval said. “That’s really been a question of give and take in every conversation we had with everyone.”
Kaval and his contingent toured potential sites near the Las Vegas Strip, in Summerlin, in Henderson and at Cashman Field, and said he found the local fan base went deeper than anticipated. “In meeting with Bill Foley of the Golden Nights and the Aviators, just seeing the success of professional sports in Southern Nevada with locals has been very impressive.”
The two sides did not discuss financial specifics of a new stadium, Goodman said, but the A’s “certainly were very enthusiastic” about opportunities in Southern Nevada.
Henderson officials did not offer up potential sites that could host a ballpark, said a source. The city did discuss a prior stadium concept it developed in a past attempt to relocate the Arizona Diamondbacks to west Henderson, the source said.
The A’s are interested in a ballpark surrounded by mixed-use development, similar to what has been proposed in Oakland and what already has been built in Cobb County, Georgia, for the Atlanta Braves, the source said.
“Who can we add to the team? Who are the people we need to talk to?” Kaval said. “One thing we discovered on this first trip is that there’s still a lot of people to talk to.”
It could cost more than $1 billion to convince the Oakland Athletics to follow the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas. That’s an estimated price tag to build a new stadium for the team.
Team reps met with Clark County officials May 25 to discuss the possibility of relocating to Southern Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
A source familiar with the meeting said the A’s want a stadium near the Strip, and a public-private partnership similar to the arrangement made by the Raiders. That team got $750 million in public funds for a project that cost $2 billion. The money is coming from a 0.88 percent tax on hotel rooms in Clark County. It’s said the county has less appetite to fork over more public funds these days.
The A’s also met with Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and executives from Wynn Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, along with a contingent from the city of Henderson.
“It was a great first trip,” Athletics President Dave Kaval told the Review-Journal. “Everyone was really welcoming to us. We don’t have all the answers. We’re approaching this and are trying to listen to understand what could work here in Las Vegas for a major league team.”
Can it work like it has for the Raiders football team and the NHL Golden Knights? “It’s really about understanding the market feasibility,” Kaval said. “That’s really been a question of give and take in every conversation we had with everyone.”
Kaval and his contingent toured potential sites near the Las Vegas Strip, in Summerlin, in Henderson and at Cashman Field, and said he found the local fan base went deeper than anticipated. “In meeting with Bill Foley of the Golden Nights and the Aviators, just seeing the success of professional sports in Southern Nevada with locals has been very impressive.”
The two sides did not discuss financial specifics of a new stadium, Goodman said, but the A’s “certainly were very enthusiastic” about opportunities in Southern Nevada.
Henderson officials did not offer up potential sites that could host a ballpark, said a source. The city did discuss a prior stadium concept it developed in a past attempt to relocate the Arizona Diamondbacks to west Henderson, the source said.
The A’s are interested in a ballpark surrounded by mixed-use development, similar to what has been proposed in Oakland and what already has been built in Cobb County, Georgia, for the Atlanta Braves, the source said.
“Who can we add to the team? Who are the people we need to talk to?” Kaval said. “One thing we discovered on this first trip is that there’s still a lot of people to talk to.”
