by Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
Speculation of Las Vegas landing a Major League Baseball team took a major stride toward reality when the Oakland Athletics signed a binding agreement April 19 to acquire 49 acres from Red Rock Resorts.
The team with the lowest average MLB home attendance and worst record plans to build a 35,000-seat stadium with a partially retractable roof on the site at Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, within a mile of Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL Las Vegas Raiders, and T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights. It would open in 2027.
The A’s are Leaving Oakland
The A’s have been battling the city of Oakland for six years overbuilding a new waterfront stadium. Negotiations have reportedly ended, and the A’s are leaving Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum that has served as their home field since 1968. Previously, they were in Kansas City and Philadelphia.
News of bringing another professional sports franchise to Las Vegas, a city banned by governing leagues for decades because of its gambling reputation, created a media buzz, but not everybody is on board.
Still in Serious Discussions
For starters, financing of the estimated $1.5 billion stadium is up in the air, with a public-private partnership among the early proposals. Nevada residents got stung in a similar deal for Allegiant Stadium, picking up part of the bill when the late Sheldon Adelson, owner of Venetian Resort and Sands Corp., pulled out of his $650 million commitment.
“We’re not all the way there in Nevada,” A’s President Dave Kaval tells The Athletic. “We are in serious discussions with the elected leaders and public policymakers at the state level and at the county level, for an incentive package for a public-private partnership, for their contribution. And so that part isn’t done yet.”
The Elephant in the Room
Then there’s the elephant in the room, Culinary Union Local 226, which represents about 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno. The union has been meeting with the A’s for over a year and has yet to reach agreement for card check neutrality, which means the team has not agreed to be neutral on whether workers at the stadium can choose to join the union.
“That is concerning, especially since every baseball player on the Oakland Athletics’ roster is protected by a union contract,” says Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge. “Hospitality workers serving customers and players at any future stadium should also be protected and have a choice on whether to be union.”
The Culinary union has been in communication with the Clark County Commission and Nevada Legislature on this topic, especially in regard to any potential public funds being utilized as a deal continues to be worked out.
“We encourage all stakeholders to continue to perform the necessary due diligence to ensure the interests of Nevadans are protected,” Pappageorge adds. “Culinary Union will advocate to ensure that any proposed stadium is built by the local building trade unions, operated with good union jobs, and that any taxpayer funds – which are needed for community benefits, public services, and education – are protected and all proposals thoroughly vetted.”
Entertainment Capital of the World
Relocation of the A’s to Las Vegas would take the Entertainment Capital of the World to another level for sports entertainment. That’s enough to gain endorsements from the Las Vegas, Henderson, Latin and Asian chambers of commerce. Several casinos in the downtown and resort corridor have also expressed support for the stadium.
The A’s Las Vegas stadium could add meeting, conference, and events space, much like Allegiant Stadium, which offers 182,000 square feet of meeting space and 10 different event spaces that can host anywhere from25 to 65,000 people. It’s got a loading dock and staging area, onsite catering, AV capabilities and Internet access.
Las Vegas Becoming a Sports Destination
Growing as a sports destination, Las Vegas announced a slew of major events coming to the city over the next few years, starting with the CONCACAF Nations League soccer finals at Allegiant Stadium in June.
Some 300,000 Formula One race fans are expected to attend the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. Tickets start at $500, not including a reserved seat, and hotel packages are going for more than $10,000. Super Bowl LVIII will be played at Allegiant in 2024, and the NCAA Final Four is coming to Allegiant in 2028.
Las Vegas hosts two NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at LVMS. It’s also home to the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, NBA G-League Ignite, Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A for the A’s), USL Las Vegas Lights FC, AHL Henderson Silver Knights, XFL Las Vegas Vipers, Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League, and Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League.
Sporting events are boosting Las Vegas’s economy in relation to visitor spending, which reached a record $79.3 billion in 2022, up 24.9 percent from the previous record in 2019, according to a new report from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The report measures revenue gained from conventions and meetings, hotel rooms, dining, shopping, sports, transportation, and other activities.
