A's will not be unveiling financing at upcoming Las Vegas meeting

Jason Burke | Oct 16, 2024

Feb 7, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Tropicana hotel and casino on the strip. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As we have said numerous times over the past several months, the only thing that matters to the A's plans to relocate to Las Vegas are how owner John Fisher plans to pay for the proposed project. Turns out we'll have to wait a bit longer.

As reported in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the finance plan is not listed on the agenda for the A's upcoming meeting with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Thursday. "The A’s must present that plan and have all stadium authority-related agreements approved before public money for the project is made available. The A’s must also enter into a development agreement with Clark County and spend the first $100 million on the project to open up the use of the public funding."

Of course, there was also the report that unofficial A's lobbyist Steve Hill looked over the financials and declared that the Fisher family, "have the ability to provide the financing for the stadium, period." Having the ability to do something and doing it are not the same thing for those keeping score at home.

The LVRJ also mentioned that they were told by Fisher recently that they will have their "financing plan out for everybody to see soon." So that should put everyone at ease after 18 months of wondering.

After Thursday's meeting with the Stadium Authority, the next scheduled meeting between the two parties is on December 5, which is presumably the "soon" Fisher is likely talking about for when he'll unveil this financing plan. Of course, the longer we wait until this unveiling, the less time that anyone will have to look over the plan itself before giving it the green light, which is undoubtedly the plan. It's always the plan for Fisher and company.

The A's were running out of time to secure a ballpark deal, so they decided to leave Oakland. Then they waited until the last possible moment to submit their work for what turned into SB 1, the funding for the ballpark. Even passing that bill required a special session because they'd run out of time.

Now, with the funding, the clock that they're up against will be starting construction of the proposed nine-acre ballpark on time. Everyone has to rush except for Fisher and the A's.