BREAKING NEWS: The MLB owners have approved the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas…..

The MLB’s Oakland A’s announced they are moving to Las Vegas, three years after the NFL’s Oakland Raiders left Oakland for the city.

The A’s are not anticipated to play in Vegas until 2028, but the owners of the league’s thirty teams unanimously approved the move on Thursday.

The Oakland Coliseum will host games for the team in 2024. However, the team stated that their lease at the stadium expires after that and that they have not decided where they will play while the Las Vegas stadium is being built.

“Today marks a significant moment for our franchise, and it’s met with mixed emotions — sadness for this change and excitement for our future,” John Fisher, the owner of A’s, said. “I am aware that today is difficult for our Oakland supporters. We sincerely tried to keep our team in Oakland, but sadly, things were not meant to be.

Fans of the A’s have been miffed about rising ticket costs, disappointing seasons, and salaries that are too low to attract elite players—a problem that was the focus of both the 2011 movie and Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball.

The Coliseum’s age has also been a source of grievance for many years, but the team and the city were unable to come to an agreement on a new stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred revealed on Tuesday that he traveled to Oakland to look for a stadium fix as soon as he took office in 2015. However, he stated that there was “not a viable path forward” in the California city, despite efforts that had lasted for more than ten years.

“It did not occur. There was a lot of back and forth, but in Oakland, there was never a deal, he stated.

“I know this is a terrible day for fans in Oakland,” he stated. “I understand that and that’s why we’ve always had a policy of doing everything humanly possible to avoid a relocation, and I truly believe we did that in this case.”

The Tropicana casino and hotel will be demolished to make way for the construction of the $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas. It will feature 33,000 seats and a partially retractable roof. Up to $380 million in public funds were authorized by the Nevada legislature for the project.

The Nevada Independent reports that on the 35-acre Tropicana property across from the ballpark, a brand-new 1,500-room hotel and casino will be constructed.

In 1901, the Philadelphia Athletics were established as a member of the newly formed American League. In 1955, they relocated to Kansas City, and in 1968, to Oakland.

Nine World Series championships have been won by the team, including two consecutive titles in Philadelphia and a three-peat in Oakland during the 1970s.

Not just the Oakland A’s felt Vegas was a more alluring option. In 2020, the Raiders of the NFL moved there.

“We do believe over the long haul Las Vegas will be a great asset to Major League Baseball,” Manfred stated.