John Fisher and the Oakland Athletics are set to face another challenge to their Las Vegas relocation plans tomorrow morning.
The Nevada State Supreme Court will review the case between Schools Over Stadiums, the PAC backed by the Nevada State Education Association, and the A's.
Schools Over Stadiums has been trying to get the $380 million currently allocated to the A's put onto a ballot referendum, which would allow the voters to decide whether the Nevada tax payers will finance a portion of Fisher's new stadium.
Earlier this winter, a Nevada circuit judge shot down the initial appeal based on technical language in Schools Over Stadiums' claim. If the State Supreme Court rules in favor of Schools Over Stadiums, then the PAC will have roughly two months to gather 100,000 petition signatures to advance the measure to the ballot in November.
Just last week, the voters in Jackson County, MO voted to reject a public financing proposal to build a new stadium for the KC Royals, as well as finance a major renovation project for the KC Chiefs.
There's evidence that when these decisions are left to the tax payers, the results typically do not favor the teams or their owners. Voters are more wise to this schtick and understand that publicly financed stadiums aren't the economic drivers that team owners have been claiming they are for decades.
Could Fisher and the A's overcome a loss on Tuesday?
If the Nevada State Supreme Court were to rule in favor of Schools Over Stadiums, it will be a massive roadblock for Fisher and the A's in their attempt to build a ballpark at the Tropicana site.
It would force the team to go back to the drawing board. Bally's, the ownership group of the Tropicana Hotel site, would be extremely unlikely to gift the outstanding money to Fisher. And given the reports about Fisher's inability to finance his portion of the remainder to begin with, it would likely be a death knell for the Tropicana project.
That doesn't mean that the team wouldn't seek other avenues to finance a project at a different location in Nevada, or to seek alternative locations such as Sacramento, Salt Lake City, or elsewhere in Northern California.
It's possible that if the court rules against Fisher, he'd more strongly consider selling the team. As Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated pointed out this week, Fisher's attempted move to Las Vegas doesn't seem like a major financial win for him in the short term.
Fisher has made a series of baffling decisions regarding this relocation already, so it's anyone's guess what their next move would be in this scenario.
One thing is for sure, however: the voters in Nevada are doing everything they can to prevent Fisher from building a park in Las Vegas. If you're wondering how this relocation is going for the A's, that should tell you everything you need to know.
There are very few people in Nevada and in Las Vegas who seem to be working hard to get this project accomplished. Maybe Fisher should read the room and look for an alternate solution.