Could the Oakland A’s temporarily become the Utah U’s?
The Athletics, who are looking for a stadium that will house them after their lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season and before their new ballpark in Las Vegas opens in 2028 (they hope), are making a stadium tour that took them more than 700 miles.
A’s executives met Thursday with Steve Starks, CEO of the company that built Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City, just an 11-hour drive from A’s fans in Oakland.
Smith’s Ballpark is home to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, a team that plans to move to a new ballpark in nearby South Jordan in 2025.
The A’s lease in Oakland ends after the 2024 season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
According to Starks, the A’s are interested in temporarily moving into the new stadium, which would require the Bees to stay at Smith for three more seasons.
“We hosted team officials on Thursday and demonstrated that we can accommodate their approximate needs,” a statement from the Larry H. Miller company said. “Our organization and the state are excited and able to host the Athletics until their new stadium in Las Vegas is completed.”
The new baseball stadium is expected to accommodate 7,500 spectators.
The A’s averaged fewer than 11,000 fans in 2023. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
As putrid as Coliseum attendance has been since the A’s owners refused to work on cleaning the park and refused to put a team with any hope of winning on the field, the A’s still drew an average of 10,276 fans during home games last season. .
Led by owner John Fisher, the A’s appear determined to leave Oakland and are looking for detours en route to Vegas.
The stadium tour also includes Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, home of the Triple-A River Cats.
A’s team president Dave Kaval told the Nevada Independent in August that other options include a return to the Coliseum, sharing Oracle Park with the Giants and Las Vegas Ballpark, where the Triple-A Aviators play.
2024-01-20 20:34:09
#Oakland #explore #playing #Utah #Las #Vegas #stadium #ready
