The Oakland A’s are polling Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A West) fans on their feelings about a Las Vegas Strip ballpark, as the team is getting closer to some decisions about the fate of the Athletics.
No surprise that the focus is on a Las Vegas Strip ballpark: In September we reported that local politicians and business leaders thought that the team would end up on the Strip, based on their negotiations with Athletics ownership. You can read more about these sites in our original story, but basically the three locales were at the north and south ends of the Strip, with a third right about in the middle. There are good arguments for all three sites, and now that the A’s reportedly have warmed to the idea of working on development as part of the ballpark plan, the rationales for all three sites are pretty apparent: the north site may be closer to casinos and the Convention Center, but the south site may end up making the most sense in terms of development that could attract locals and tourists. Vegas has already broken some long-standing assumptions regarding sports teams on relying on tourists for sustained ticket sales; Las Vegas is clearly an event-driven economy, and the NFL and NHL draw well catering to those tourists. Whether this can be sustained over the course of a long MLB season is another matter, of course. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
The A’s emailed Aviators fans a relocation interest survey, asking a bevy of questions regarding the franchise’s possible move to Las Vegas Valley, including questions about a Strip-located stadium. The Aviators are the A’s Triple A affiliate.
The survey stated the team was looking to possibly construct a ballpark “on or near the Las Vegas Strip,” but did not note any specific sites.
Another question asked what impact having an open-air, retractable roof or a fixed roof stadium would have on fan interest in attending games in Las Vegas.
After Alameda County Supervisors voted to support the Howard Terminal waterfront development on a nonbinding vote, things have been relatively quiet on the A’s ballpark search. We expect that to change after the World Series, when team president Dave Kaval promised to release a list of potential ballpark sites.
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