White Cleat Beat
Fansided

Oakland A’s see their plans come to fruition

By David Hill

July 9, 2020; Oakland, California, United States; Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval watches during a Spring Training workout at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
July 9, 2020; Oakland, California, United States; Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval watches during a Spring Training workout at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Yes, the Oakland A’s are saying all the right things about sticking around. They have continued to publically press for the Howard Terminal Project to come to pass, with that new ballpark as being vital to their ability to remain. Team president Dave Kaval has been pushing for a vote on a binding resolution to happen as soon as possible regarding the project.

At the same time, the A’s have publically courted Las Vegas as a relocation spot. They have questioned the team’s long term viability in Oakland while looking for a larger market. Las Vegas would certainly be that, but the A’s need to prove that they cannot draw in their current location to potentially much such a move a reality.

Oakland A’s seeing their moves this offseason pay off

In order to force their own hand, the A’s needed to make moves to drive people away. This offseason was spent doing exactly that. Ticket prices were doubled while popular promotions were eliminated. The A’s gutted their roster, claiming that they could not afford a payroll near $90 million, despite ownership being worth billions.

That plan is coming to fruition. The A’s had a grand total of 3,748 fans at the Coliseum for their second home game of the year. 3,748. As a counter, the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators drew 5,607 fans on Tuesday night. There are plenty of great seats still available! Ya know, if anyone wants to support an ownership group that obviously does not care about the fans…

But this is likely what ownership wants. They want to keep fans away from the Coliseum as much as possible. If they do not show up, they can point to the empty seats as a reason why they need the new stadium. If that does not work, they can claim that the city does not support them, again pointing to those empty seats to justify a move to Las Vegas. Everything is progressing just how Dave Kaval and John Fisher want it to.

Next. A's getting hammered with COVID. dark

The Oakland A’s had a plan to determine their stadium issues. Based on Tuesday’s attendance, that plan is working to perfection.