Rob Manfred Not Making New Friends in Oakland with Latest Comment

Rob Manfred Not Making New Friends in Oakland with Latest Comment

24 June, 2023

Last-ditch efforts have been made by Oakland A’s supporters to stop the team from moving to Las Vegas.

Over 27,000 fans flocked to the stadium to watch an A’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays a few weeks ago as part of a “reverse boycott” by the fan base. Less than 10,000 spectators have attended an Athletics game on average so far this year.

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, though, believes that it is likely too little, too late, and that Oakland is to blame.

Manfred expressed his “sorrow for the Oakland fans” the day after the “reverse boycott,” but some took offense to his remarks that the crowd was “almost an average Major League Baseball crowd.”

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However, a single night will not undo “a decade worth of inaction.”

When asked if he regretted his statements, Manfred responded on Friday, “My comment about Oakland was that I feel sorry for the fans, that it was my initial and — preference that we find a solution in Oakland.” “My remark regarding the supporters that I made on a particular night was taken out of the context of those two more general statements: I feel bad for the fans. We detest moving. To preserve the team in Oakland, we took whatever action we could. Unfortunately, a single night cannot undo ten years of inaction.

Manfred’s remarks reaffirm his feelings from the previous week when he stated that he did “not like this outcome.”

Manfred stated last week, “I see why people feel the way they do. The actual question, in my opinion, is what Oakland was willing to do. No Oakland offer exists. OK? They never had a plan to erect a stadium at any particular location. Not just John Fisher, either; the entire community needs to lend a hand. You eventually come to the conclusion that it’s just not going to happen.

Manfred has received criticism from Oakland municipal authorities, who label his statements as “false.”

Oakland’s mayor, Shen Thao, stated that the topic of discussion was “a very concrete proposal, and Oakland had gone above and beyond to clear hurdles, including securing funding for infrastructure, providing an environmental review, and working with other agencies to finalize approvals.” The A’s ownership had insisted on a multibillion-dollar, 55-acre project that comprised a ballpark, homes, businesses, and retail space, according to the truth. For whatever reason, people in Las Vegas appear content with a 9-acre ballpark on leased ground. We are convinced that a new ballpark would already be being built in Oakland if they had suggested a similar concept there. Because Oakland shown its dedication to the A’s, the team belongs there.

The months-long MLB approval process for the Athletics’ proposed relocation to Las Vegas is about to get underway. The $380 million in public funding for a ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip was authorized by legislation that Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed last week.

The 30,000-seat ballpark, valued at $1.5 billion, would be adjacent to T-Mobile Arena, where the NHL’s Golden Knights began play as an expansion franchise in 2017, and Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL’s Raiders will relocate in 2020.

With a 19-58 record, the A’s have the worst record in the major leagues. With 122 losses per season, the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who finished 36-117, would break the record for the most losses in a season in the modern era. They are on pace to have the second-worst winning percentage in contemporary times with a.247 mark. By 2027, they want to relocate to Vegas.