Las Vegas Mayor Rips A’s Stadium Plan, Then Issues Statement Touting City's Sports
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After criticizing the Oakland Athletics’ stadium plan in Southern Nevada, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman issued a statement this week touting the area as “a spectacular market” for pro teams.
Earlier this week, Goodman said during a podcast that the “congested” site on the Las Vegas Strip selected as a new home for the Oakland A’s “doesn’t make sense.”
"I personally think they've got to figure out a way to stay in Oakland,” she said during the podcast.
The Southern Nevada site chosen as a new home for the A’s is on nine acres where the Tropicana hotel-casino now stands. The Tropicana is slated to close April 2 so that location near Harry Reid International Airport can be cleared for a Major League Baseball stadium.
Mayor Praises Las Vegas
Goodman’s remarks created a stir, coming during Super Bowl week, with the sports world focused on Las Vegas. The game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs is set for Sunday at Allegiant Stadium just west of the Strip. The 49ers are -2 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
After the Front Office Sports podcast appearance, Goodman sought in a tweet to clarify her position. Goodman and her husband, attorney and former Mayor Oscar Goodman, have been part of the effort to attract pro teams to Southern Nevada.
She stressed that her seven-minute discussion about the A’s included her belief that Oakland officials and team ownership should “listen to their great fans” and try to keep the team there.
“Should that fail, Las Vegas has shown that it is a spectacular market for major league sports franchises,” she wrote in the tweet.
According to media accounts, efforts to keep the A’s in Oakland fell apart last year. Major League Baseball owners have unanimously approved the team's desire to relocate to Southern Nevada.
Pro Teams Locate Outside Las Vegas City Limits
Under current plans, the A’s intend to move into a new ballpark at the Tropicana location in time for the 2028 season. The team’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires at the end of the 2024 season. Meanwhile, the A’s are scouting locations for a temporary home.
The Tropicana, which first opened in 1957, was for years a Mob-connected resort but now is operated by publicly traded Bally’s Corp. of Rhode Island.
On the podcast Tuesday, Goodman, while dismissive of the Tropicana site, touted a city-owned location with 60-100 acres in the “historic, old part” of town, saying it would have been a better choice.
Like most of the large resorts on the Strip, the Tropicana is in Clark County south of downtown Las Vegas, outside city limits. The city government, with Goodman as mayor, does not have jurisdiction beyond city limits. However, most people refer to the entire area, including the Strip south of the city border at Sahara Avenue, as “Las Vegas."
The major pro teams in Southern Nevada make their home in the county outside Las Vegas city limits.
These teams include the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, whose home games are at Allegiant Stadium, and the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The defending Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights make their home at T-Mobile Area on the Strip near the New York-New York and Park MGM casinos.
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