John Fisher's Statement on A's Relocation Misses the Mark

A's fans are in pain and John Fisher has a hard time grasping reality

After Major League Baseball's owners voted unanimously to approve the Oakland A's move to Las Vegas, John Fisher's team sent out a press release from the A's owner himself.

"I want to express my gratitude to the owners and Commissioner for their thoughtful deliberation and positive votes in favor of our relocation to Las Vegas."

Right off the bat, not exactly who needs to be thanked or even thought of first. Save the thank you and the mentions of Las Vegas for the end if you're attempting to sound like this day is a big one for the fans in Oakland as you rip away their team, which he does next. Lead with that stuff.

The statement continues, "Today marks a significant moment for our franchise, and it’s met with mixed emotions - sadness for this change and excitement for our future. I know this is a hard day for our fans in Oakland. We made sincere efforts to keep our team in Oakland, but unfortunately, it did not work out."

We've heard John Fisher say that he's searched for a solution to the A's ballpark situation for 18 years, and while that is technically true and definitely the number he wants you to think about when he says the team has made sincere efforts to keep the team in Oakland, it's also not the number of years he tried to keep the team in Oakland. Fisher spent the first 13 of those years looking to relocate to Fremont or San Jose. It wasn't until 2018 that Oakland became part of the picture. Covid hit in 2020, and then Las Vegas was part of the mix the rest of the way. 

So sure, he has owned the A's for 18 years, but he has not been looking to keep the team in Oakland that entire time. If anything, he gave the city closer to 18 months without direct competition.  

"I am grateful to the fans who have supported our team throughout the years and the home Oakland provided. The storied history of our franchise includes three cities over the past century: Oakland, along with Kansas City and Philadelphia, will always be part of this franchise’s DNA."

This part can be taken one of two ways. The optimistic version would be that even though we are leaving Oakland, the city will always be part of our DNA. 

The cynical version would be that this team has moved repeatedly over 120 years--get over it. There is one version that he was going for and one that he probably meant. 

"We are excited to begin this next chapter in Las Vegas. I want to thank the Las Vegas and Nevada community for welcoming us. We will continue to work hard to bring home more championships for our fans and for our new home in Vegas."

The sentiment in Nevada has seemed to be indifferent following today's vote. So they're already not thrilled about A's baseball. Just wait until Fisher's ballpark fails to meet projections and it starts to cost them.