A’s will have shovels in the ground in Las Vegas next month, right?

By Jason Burke

Sports Illustrated

It’s go time for the Athletics ballpark dreams in Las Vegas. Despite many skeptics doubting John Fisher’s vision in Las Vegas, team officials have repeatedly said that they plan to break ground at the Tropicana site in June. Turns out that’s next month, yet there hasn’t been much in the way of details—the thing that the skeptics have been asking for.

Instead, we keep getting the same playbook. A piece of news comes out that may not put the Vegas plan in the best light, and then an A’s friendly outlet posts some fluff that is being recycled as new news.

The most recent example of this was a piece from the Sports Business Journal, which reported that Aramark has had talks with the A’s about “investments in the team and its new Las Vegas stadium.” According to their reporting, Aramark has proposed putting in $100 million for the ballpark project, and potentially another $100 million as an investment in the team.

The logic for them would be to be able to provide their services to the A’s at a better cost for the company via lower team commissions. As David P. Samson put it, “Think of it like a bank loan when banks won’t give you more money.”

In March it was reported that the A’s had landed some investors in their ballpark project to the tune of $200 million based off of a $2 billion valuation. The big question now is whether that $200 million is coming from Aramark, or another interested party. If it’s the latter, then Fisher may be on the right track.

However, if it’s Aramark that’s his sole investor and he’s giving up team commissions to get those funds, then at some point this is just a bad deal financially for Fisher. The financials are already sketchy, even without someone taking away some of its earning power.

The fluff piece ran with a social media headline that read: “Initial estimates cite that 70 percent of fans attending games at the planned $1.75 billion Las Vegas Strip ballpark will be Southern Nevadans. The remaining 30 percent of attendees are expected to be visitors to the Silver State.”

These are all things that have been discussed as far back as two years ago when the Athletics were attempting to get their public financing from the Nevada Legislature. The numbers that are being used are also completely made up. Based off of the social media engagement that the paper of record in Nevada receives on any A’s-related post, 70 percent local fans is pure fantasy.

There does not appear to be an appetite for the A’s in Vegas. The residents there either have their own allegiances (like to the Dodgers), or want to get an expansion team for their city. The A’s are not the Dodgers, and they aren’t an expansion team.

The other bit of fluff to distract from other news happening was from the team itself.

“The A’s announced today that they will open an Experience Center at UnCommons this fall, providing fans an up-close look at their future ballpark. The interactive space will showcase seating options, premium experiences, and hospitality packages, allowing fans to envision what it will feel like to be part of the team’s next chapter in Southern Nevada.

“Designed by Advent and built by Burke Special Projects, the A’s Experience Center will provide a customer-centric audience journey where fans can explore seating and ticket options through interactive exhibits, detailed models, and digital tools. The space will also serve as a flexible venue for hosting events throughout the year.”

This sounds like going to a timeshare presentation, but the only potential perk is a ballpark that doesn’t have readily available details and is still looking for investors a month before ground is supposed to be broken.

At the Experience Center, interested fans will also be able to spend $19.01 “to secure a spot in the season ticket sales process.”

The fine print for that access still reads, “You understand that your purchase of priority access is non-refundable and does not place you on a numbered waitlist or provide specific priority in terms of when you will be contacted or which tickets, if any, may be available to you.”

Ground will almost assuredly be broken at some point next month in a showy presentation. Whether or not an actual ballpark is built there is still seemingly up in the air.

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Jason Burke has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.