The Athletics are coming to Las Vegas, and that’s probably not a good thing. While some might want to see the A’s, several things are working against them. These include everything from low fan interest to a notoriously cheap owner. There’s also the fact that they have one of the worst records in the MLB.
Meet John Fischer: The most controversial owner in MLB
According to Sporting News, “Fisher’s net worth is one reason he’s become the target of criticism. Despite being a billionaire, Fisher routinely keeps the A’s payroll among the lowest in baseball, even trading low-cost players to avoid giving them significant contract extensions. While running a major league team is more complicated than just having a high net worth and using it to pay players, the $2.2 billion figure leaves little doubt that Oakland doesn’t need to have a league-low $59 million payroll.”
The A’s owner claims that Las Vegas is the fresh start they need to turn things around, but how can people trust that? This is the same team that has one of the most run-down stadiums in the MLB. The same team traded player after player because they didn’t want to give them what they deserved.
InsideHook.com claims that “the highest-paid player — a man named Chad Pinder — makes just $2.5 million. That’s half the major league average. Overall, the team’s payroll is as low as it’s been since 2003. This despite the fact that John Fisher and Lew Wolff bought the team in 2005 for $180 million, and it’s now worth six-and-a-half times that amount, at $1.18 billion.”
Problems with the stadium proposal
The proposal Fischer gave to Las Vegas officials calls for a 30,000-seat stadium and an annual attendance of 2.5 million. The problem with that is only 11 teams in the MLB have those kinds of numbers. Fischer is basically predicting a perfect storm that’s not going to happen. These teams are also miles more competitive than the A’s.
The worst part is Fischer’s numbers are supposedly based on the A’s selling out their stadium every game. This is the same team with the worst attendance record, and they think they will suddenly have packed crowds? They barely even have a fanbase right now. If the A’s do move, their schedules will coincide with the Aces, the Raiders, and the Golden Knights. That’s just way too much competition.
Related: Are the Las Vegas Raiders worth rooting for in 2023
Las Vegas sports fans have better things to watch
Are Las Vegas fans really going to pay to see the A’s? Now fans might go once for the experience, but what will make them return? Not their 25-67 record and the fact that they are last in their division.
No one will want to see this team full of rookies and middle-of-the-road players.
Las Vegas sports fans can expect a dumpster fire when the A’s arrive
Looking at the MLB stats, the A’s only make the top five with stolen bases, which isn’t much to be proud of. Sports fans want brilliant triple plays, baseballs flying out of the park, and close games.
The only people who will watch this mess are those who like watching dumpster fires. They’ll watch to see how bad it gets. As long as Fischer is the owner, there is nothing to root for when it comes to this team. Las Vegas will be the new backdrop for their crap show.
