Imagine if the Oakland A’s had an owner who cared about winning. That dream could have been a reality.
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob had a chance to own the A’s back in the day. He was one of the finalists when the team was being sold back in 2005, only for the team to end up in the hands of Lew Wolff and John Fisher. Wolff sold his stake to Fisher in 2016, leaving the A’s in the mess they currently find themselves.
Joe Lacob not giving up on Oakland A’s ownership
One would understand if Lacob had given up on owning the A’s. After all, then commissioner Bud Selig spurned his offer to sell the team to his old college buddy Wolff. But Lacob is not giving up on the dream, saying that he has a standing offer to purchase the team from Fisher if/when he decides to sell.
Lacob also said that the A’s would not be in the situation they find themselves in. He stated that he would have built a new stadium himself without requesting funding from Oakland and the government, expediting the process. In fact, he claimed to be the one who suggested Howard Terminal as the location of the new stadium during one of the lunch get-togethers that he and Fisher have.
Maybe these dreams can come true. Fisher is looking to pocket as much money as possible, so maybe he will be willing to sell once the new stadium is built and he can get as much money from the fanbase as possible. It is not as though Fisher is going to put that money into the team despite their cries of poverty being blamed on the Coliseum; he did pocket the revenue sharing that he received from the league.
Lacob would certainly do his best to bring the A’s back to their glory days. He would look to lock in their star players and be a force in free agency. And he would certainly be a better option than Fisher. Of course, that is not exactly a high bar, but it is one that he could easily overcome. The A’s just have to be put up for sale.
Joe Lacob still wants to purchase the Oakland A’s. Hopefully, his dream can come true and the team can have ownership that cares.