While the Oakland A’s have reached a tentative agreement with Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state’s egislative leadership for funding to help build a $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas, the deal isn’t exactly a sure bet.
The agreement includes a funding plan that will be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days, but it still needs approval from both the state Senate and Assembly.
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Why it Matters: Observers warn that the state’s financing is not a sure thing, and the threat of a special legislative session looms if lawmakers can’t agree on the bill by the end of the regular session on June 5.
- The A’s have been looking for years for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season.
- Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54, and it would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.
- The team and the city are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas annually to help fill the stadium.
What they’re saying: The joint statement did not give a specific number for the amount of public assistance the A’s will ask for, but the project includes the most private investment of any stadium in Major League Baseball, according to Nevada state treasurer Zach Conine.
- Earlier this month, the A’s reached a deal with the Culinary Union, Nevada’s most politically powerful union that represents more than 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas area, which guarantees that A’s workers have the right to organize and negotiate union contracts.
