It’s an open secret, the Athletics will leave Oakland and move their household in the direction of the Nevada desert, in order to find the Raiders and the Golden Knights, in Las Vegas.
Until then, a problem arises. With the team’s lease to the dilapidated Oakland Coliseum ending at the conclusion of the 2024 season and the finalization of their future residence set to coincide with the start of the 2028 season, the A’s may well find themselves homeless in the interval.
Where will the Athletics play their home games in the 2025-2027 seasons? There is a strong possibility that they will share the stadium with their neighbors, the Giants in San Francisco.
The A’s could therefore play their local games at Oracle Park for a few seasons before moving permanently to Vegas.
A few other possibilities are being considered, including that of re-signing an agreement to occupy the Coliseum again or even playing temporarily at the Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the Aviators, their subsidiary at the AAA level.
However, a monetary reason would tip the scales in favor of San Francisco, as by playing in the immediate Oakland area again, the A’s could continue their television contract with NBC Sports. An agreement valid until 2033 and which brings them nearly 60 million dollars annually.
It remains to be seen whether the Giants organization is ready to welcome roommates for such a long period? What transpires at the moment of the discussions is that the team would be open to allowing partial use of the premises, that is to say for approximately 30 to 40 games per season. The facts are that the Giants already occupy the stadium to play their 81 home games, not including rentals for shows and other activities when the team is on the road.
This is without taking into account the fact that it would be necessary to consider the construction of a third locker room in order to avoid numerous manipulations of the equipment of the two teams.
Staying in Oakland for a few more seasons is tantamount to securing an icy vibe in front of empty seats. No professional athlete, whoever he is, wants to experience such a situation.
Playing at the Aviators’ home is also a bit of a challenge, as the stadium only holds 10,000 seats, severely limiting the club’s revenue.
In short, there is no miracle solution in connection with the situation and the leaders of the A’s will have to go through a difficult transition before moving into a brand new stadium.
