A's to Las Vegas Now a 50-50 Bet

The A's ballpark bill has gone from a done deal to a maybe in Las Vegas

The Nevada legislature is hours away from closing, with the 11:59 p.m. deadline looming on Monday evening. The state has yet to solidify its budget, which means that the A's ballpark bill (SB509) hasn't had a vote.

Last week, the Twitter account Vital Vegas said that one source (unconfirmed) said that the A's ballpark was a "done deal." They have been pretty spot-on with their coverage of the situation so far, so there is some credibility with the account, and Oakland fans were left demoralized. 

However, this afternoon, Las Vegas Locally, another credible outlet for ballpark news in recent weeks, tweeted this out: 

The Oakland Athletics' $380 million Las Vegas stadium subsidy has gone from "done deal" to "maybe" according to 2 sources in the Nevada state government. pic.twitter.com/3J02tZI8bv

— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) June 5, 2023

One reason: the deal is *much* more unpopular among Nevada residents than legislators had anticipated. #nvleg pic.twitter.com/CSnSIvPQJN

— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) June 5, 2023

Going from a "done deal" to a "maybe" is definitely the wrong direction for John Fisher, much like Las Vegas is the wrong direction for the A's franchise. LV Locally also notes that the amount of opposition from the public is one of the reasons this deal could be falling apart. 

The Sporting Tribune is also reporting that a veteran legislative insider is giving the A's Vegas bill a 50-50 shot. "It doesn't seem like a priority." 

Former president of the Miami Marlins David P. Samson thinks that this is how the A's start to pivot back to Oakland. 

Shocking…all part of the process…of staying in Oakland. There will be apologies and mended fences. And announcements. #waittosee https://t.co/CMqBW2cK16

— David P. Samson (@DavidPSamson) June 5, 2023

The first order of business for the legislature is getting a budget approved. Nothing will happen with SB509 until they know how much money they have to spend. From there, we'll see what happens. 

If John Fisher does indeed strike out in Las Vegas, or the special session necessary to get his bill voted on (and potentially voted down) is months in the future, does he attempt to mend fences with Oakland, as Samson suggests? 

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has left the door open to resume negotiations with the A's, and even gave them a timeline for when shovels could be in the ground in Oakland. It's comparable to the one that Las Vegas is also presenting. 

For now, we just have to wait and see, but there is some renewed optimism among the A's faithful, and if nothing has been decided by June 13, the fan's "reverse boycott" could be pretty rowdy as they try to keep their team rooted in Oakland.