21 April 2023 , 17:13
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The Oakland Athletics look set to join the formerly known Oakland Raiders in Las Vegas, and the owner of the NFL franchise is furious.
The Raiders left Oakland and relocated to Vegas in 2020, and they now call Allegiant Stadium their impressive new home. But the region are now set to lose another sports team, as MLB side Oakland Athletics have revealed plans to head to the desert themselves.
The Athletics claimed that they did their best to remain in Oakland, which is a similar story to the one told by the Raiders before they packed up and left. But Raiders owner Mark Davis has slammed the MLB side for not being genuine, and 'slapping them in he face' along the way.
The City of Oakland woke up to devastating news on Thursday morning, as the Athletics confirmed plans to relocate to Vegas after signing an agreement to purchase land for a new ballpark near the famous strip in Nevada. The Athletics plan to build a new $1.5billion (£1.2bn), 35,000-seat stadium after admitting that any hopes of remaining in Oakland were no longer achievable due to a lack of "progress".
Later that day, the Raiders owner spoke to John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review Journal, and claimed that the Athletics were the reason for why the NFL side had to move in the first place. "They marketed the team as ‘Rooted in Oakland,’ that’s been their mantra through the whole thing," Davis said.
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"The slogans they’ve been using have been a slap to the face of the Raiders, and they were trying to win over that type of mentality in the Bay Area. Well all they did was f—- the Bay Area.
Davis is furious with the Athletics for leaving Oakland (David Becker/Getty Images)"We ended up in Las Vegas, which is absolutely fantastic and couldn’t be better. But the A’s never gave us a real good chance to stay up in Oakland."
Davis has no problem with any of the Athletics team members, but has already informed the MLB side that he is not interested in collaborating with them in the future. "I just have, again, a lot of personal animosity toward the front office," Davis added.
The Vegas area have always struggled to entice major sporting teams to their region due to the stigma of gambling, but when Vegas Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017, it broke down the barrier. The Raiders joined them three years later, and now the Athletics look destined to move too.
There's still speculation that an NBA side could be founded in Vegas, although it would likely smash the record financially for a new franchise. But there's certainly something cooking in Vegas, in what's been a statement seven-year period.