Las Vegas A’s New Stadium Finances
The Las Vegas A’s haven’t even played a single game in their new city, but their future home is already facing serious challenges.
The franchise, formerly the Oakland Athletics, is currently planning to relocate full-time to Las Vegas in 2028. In the meantime, they’ll play in Sacramento from 2025 through 2027. The new ballpark is supposed to rise on the site of the old Tropicana Hotel, right across from the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip.
The state of Nevada pledged hundreds of millions in public funding to support the project. However, recent reports suggest that the stadium’s development is far from secure.
Rising Costs and Fake Groundbreaking Raise Eyebrows
In June, team owner John Fisher held a flashy groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction. But it turns out the heavy equipment used was nothing more than rented props, according to a new investigation by The Guardian.
That’s not the only red flag.
Economist JC Bradbury, who specializes in sports venues, says the situation is murky:
“It’s unclear what the endgame of John Fisher is. Whether he miscalculated, doesn’t understand, doesn’t care about money, or there’s something I’m just totally missing in all of this.”
The original cost estimate for the ballpark was $1.5 billion. That figure jumped to $1.75 billion by late 2024 and could hit $2 billion due to inflation and rising material costs.
If Fisher can’t lock down more financing, the A’s could be forced to explore a new owner or even a different city altogether.
For now, the only thing certain about the Las Vegas A’s future is uncertainty.
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