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The Athletics' run in Oakland is over and they will be temporarily moving to Sacramento. Fans and pundits say that John Fisher is to blame for their move, saying he could have stayed in the East Bay if he truly wanted to. They have somewhat gotten their wish for Fisher to sell the team. The New York Post is reporting Fisher is looking to sell 25% of the Athletics before they move to Las Vegas.
Billionaire Oakland A’s owner John Fisher is looking to cash in on the team’s move to Las Vegas by selling off a minority stake that values the franchise at $2 billion — a whopping 66% increase from its most recent valuation,” Josh Kosman reported.
The shovels are not in the ground on the Athletics' stadium in Las Vegas. They will not move there for at least another three years and be in a minor-league stadium until then. Fisher trying to “cash in” on something that has not happened yet. He is also overvaluing his team, according to Kosman. Forbes valued the franchise at $1.2 billion while he values them at $2 billion.
Wherever the Athletics play, they are still a professional sports team and the value of francishes is exploding. The Washington Commanders were sold for $6 billion dollars when they did not have a team name. The Arizona Coyotes went for $1 billion and the White Sox could go for $2 billion.
Future of the Athletics looks dark
The Athletics will be playing without a city name for their time in Sacramento. No Sacramento A's or California A's, just the A's. After their three-year jaunt in the AAA ballpark of their biggest rival, the San Francisco Giants, they'll move to Las Vegas. The plan is to build a partially-domed stadium on the site of the former Tropicana Hotel. The plans include a 33,000 seat capacity, the smallest in Major League Baseball.
When the Athletics do move to Las Vegas, it will almost certainly explode their valuation. The Golden Knights of the NHL have had tremendous success in Vegas and the Raiders have done well financially. A new stadium and a new city will not attract fans forever, however. Oakland had great fans but were not going to the park because the product was not attractive.
John Fisher needs to improve the Athletics' roster to bring fans to their Las Vegas stadium. Selling a portion of the team to increase cash flow, and therefore payroll, would be a great first start. The timing is interesting, as nothing is promised in Vegas right now, but fans should be happy with this move overall.
