A's proposed relocation to Las Vegas a 'terrible idea' as MLB players blast owner John Fisher's plan

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The Oakland Athletics' proposed relocation to Las Vegas by way of Sacramento remains in a holding pattern. The efforts to that end, perpetrated in a ham-fisted and incompetent manner by club owner John Fisher and his hireling Dave Kaval, have been poorly executed in the extreme. 

Even so, there's no getting around the basic problem of money. Even after all the tax dollars he's been promised, Fisher needs a great deal of private financing to get his Vegas plot off the ground, and it's hard to get millions upon millions of dollars in private financing when your project doesn't pass the sniff test. Specifically, Fisher is seeking to abandon a shared spot in one of the largest markets in Major League Baseball for a place in what would be MLB's smallest market by a wide margin. Throw in the fact that the A's in recent years have been an abject embarrassment on and off the field -- thanks entirely to Fisher's sabotage -- and there's little prospect for fan enthusiasm when and if they actually get to Vegas. Sure, Fisher in Vegas would get the guaranteed revenue-sharing payouts he plainly covets, but nothing else about his plan makes sense, even down to the inadequate seating capacity of his proposed new ballpark. This is why, despite the posturings of inevitability issuing forth from Kaval and Fisher (on those rare occasions when he deigns to take questions), it's not to be assumed that the Las Vegas A's ever come to pass. 

Speaking of which, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times took advantage of the All-Star break to ask select players from Las Vegas what they thought of the A's proposed move to their native city. The responses proved illuminating and revealed a better grasp of the situation than you'll find in many other, supposedly more informed quarters. First, here's Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald: 

"I think it's a terrible idea. The whole thing, I fear, is going to be an abject disaster."

Sewald goes on to note that Las Vegas is already a very crowded market when it comes to professional team sports, and that's especially the case once you consider its small population base and similarly small media market size. Let's circle back to the likelihood that the A's are still going to be a bad team by the time their (very theoretical) arrival in Vegas comes to pass and that Fisher has never shown any willingness to invest in his team at levels befitting an owner who cares at all about winning baseball games. Then there's the veneer of unpopularity that goes beyond the A's struggles on the field. Giving Fisher, a billionaire thanks entirely to his inherited wealth, what figures to add up to more than $500 million in public money is roundly unpopular with the voting public, which is why the A's and their advocate elected officials are going to great pains to not make that funding package subject to a public referendum. This is not the way to win over a fan base that's probably already side-eyeing Fisher. As Sewald further notes, Vegas is Dodgers country when it comes to baseball, and there's no comparing the appeal of those two franchises right now. 

Vegas native Tommy Pham also had something to say about Fisher's reluctance to spend and how it could doom the club in Vegas if it carries over to the new home. "These owners are profiting, you know?" Pham said. "They cry broke.

"I do the same thing. I cry broke when people ask me for money but, deep down, I know I got it. It's what people with money do."

He's right, of course. Other than the Atlanta Braves, MLB franchises are not publicly traded and thus under no obligation to disclose their true finances. When owners do say anything about team finances, it's calculated to curry sympathy. It's also almost always a bunch of lies. Almost without exception, individual franchises are highly profitable, and only time-honored accounting tricks can make them appear otherwise. This is especially true once you see MLB franchises for what they really are -- investments and not cash businesses. The excuses for not spending, especially when they come from an established bad actor like Fisher, are not to be given any regard. 

Shaikin's piece has much more, including remarks from Bryce Harper and more insight from Sewald and others. Give it a full read. After that, continue to treat Fisher and his rickety half-measures with the skepticism they merit. 

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