In the continuing saga of the Oakland Athletics and their love affair with Las Vegas, team officials have zeroed in on the Tropicana hotel site for a stadium on the Strip. While the Tropicana is head of the class, a location owned by Wynn Las Vegas and another owned by Caesars Entertainment, according to a report from CNBC.
A’s President Dave Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the team had put an offer in on a site where it could look to build a $1 billion Major League ballpark. He said the team narrowed the search to as many as three locations.
The Tropicana site would be located within walking distance of Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.
“As we have seen with the NHL and the NFL, Las Vegas is a great place to have a pro team,” Clark County Commission Vice Chairman Jim Gibson said.
The CNBC report came just before the expiration of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement with its players and a management lockout.
The Tropicana sits on land owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc., which leases the property to Bally’s. In June, Soo Kim, chairman of Bally’s board of directors, said the company would consider the A’s interest.
“We are very creative, and there are 35 acres (at the Tropicana) … Vegas is an important market on a number of fronts. It’s also fast-growing and dynamic, which is what sports teams like,” Kim said.
Not just baseball. Las Vegas is considered a lock on being names Major League Soccer’s 30th team. During Commissioner Don Garber’s State of the League address, he confirmed Las Vegas is the front runner.
Still, talks continue with Phoenix and San Diego. Garber says a decision will be made within ten months.
“We’re making progress as has been announced, or as has been leaked in Las Vegas,” Garber said. “We’re excited about the market as are all the other leagues here in North America.”
A group led by billionaire businessmen Wes Edens and Nassef Sawris are believed to be the first option to own the club. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley toyed with the idea, but has pulled out, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal. Edens’ group was looking to build the stadium on 110 acres of land on Las Vegas Boulevard and Warm Springs Road, near where the planned Brightline high-speed train station is planned.
“Wes is a guy that we all have longstanding relationships with by the way he had looked at other MLS clubs over the years,” Garber said.
“What has been done with the Knights, what Bill (Foley) has done has been remarkable. I think it’s one of the great expansion team launches in the history of professional sports,” Garber said. “What Mark (Davis) has done with the Raiders, both on the field and what he’s done with Allegiant (Stadium), is just spectacular. We’re very bullish about the market. We’ll continue to plow forward.”
The 30th team will not be in play by 2023, Garber said. “That’s something everybody should be aware of.”
