The Differences Between the Sacramento Kings and Oakland A's Situations

Jason Burke | Jul 27, 2024

May 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; A general view of signage at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

For some reason over the past few days, there have been a number of fans of the Sacramento Kings saying on social media that what they did a decade ago is what kept their basketball team where they belong. "What have A's fans done besides complain?"

From the outside, that could certainly seem like a fair opinion to have, given that the Kings stayed and the A's are set to relocate to Sacramento for the next three or four years. The difference between complaining and getting things done is the end result.

That said, it's important to discuss some of the differences in the two situations as well. First off, the ownership of both franchises--the Maloofs and John Fisher--were looking for an easy way out. That may be where the similarities end.

Yes, Kings fans banded together and wrote letters and travelled to make their voices heard. So did A's fans. The difference is that David Stern wanted to help keep the Kings in Sacramento, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is going to do whatever Fisher tells him, including openly disparaging the fans in Oakland.

In early 2013, NBA owners voted 22-8 against relocating the Kings. Back in November, MLB owners voted 30-0 in favor of the A's relocation. Fans can argue that they made a difference, and maybe in the NBA they care about their fans a little more, but the A's approved relocation wasn't for a lack of trying from the Oakland side.

The reason those in Sacramento may be feeling animosity from their Bay Area neighbors is because the guy that is seen as their saving grace, Vivek Ranadivé, who bought the Kings in May of 2013, is now the same guy helping rip the A's out of Oakland. It also didn't help that NBC California provded the A's with a TV contract that was suitable enough for the A's to relocate up north.

Ranadivé is providing a safe haven for the A's--rent free--to escape some of the "Sell the team!" chants and maybe even lead to a small surge in revenue for the A's owner. That olive branch tanked negotiations with Oakland to remain at the Coliseum for the three or four year interim period, and if the Vegas deal falls apart, then the A's being elsewhere makes it that much harder for the team to return.

To make the deal work, they have to install a turf field at Sutter Health Park, which is going to lead to a dangerously hot playing surface for both the A's and River Cats in the middle of summer. Some will argue that other teams play on turf all the time, but they're missing the fact that these games will be played outside, and not in air conditioned domes.

We give those details to paint a picture of what is acceptable, not only for Fisher, but for Major League Baseball. They are willing to let a MLB team play in a minor-league facility for as long as it takes in order to make life a little easier for one of their owners. Every single possible door has been opened for Fisher and he has been greeted with a smile as he's walked through.

And he's still messing things up.

That is why A's fans are mad at the general idea of Sacramento. But it's also important to remember, especially in today's polarized world, that A's fans and Kings fans are neighbors that have fought the same battles with bad ownership groups. The circumstances have been different, but the fights have been eerily similar. The two fans bases are more alike than different, and it's important to remember that.

For Kings fans, it's important to remember the heartache that was felt when it looked like their team was headed to Seattle and how frustrating it would have been if the Warriors decided to help them move. For A's fans, the people of Sacramento are not the enemy. They didn't make this decision.

Fisher and MLB did.