The Oakland Athletics are living baseball’s strangest nightmare. After 57 years calling Oakland home, they’re now squatters in Sacramento playing at a Triple-A ballpark until 2028, when they hope to move to Las Vegas. It’s a disaster that makes you wonder: how did a Major League Baseball franchise end up as nomads?
The answer is simple. Owner John Fisher wanted the money and potential of Las Vegas more than building a winning team in Oakland. Now everyone’s paying the price.
Sacramento: The Reluctant Host to the A’s
Starting in the 2025 season, the Athletics play in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento with just over 14,000 seats compared to Oakland’s 63,000 seat Coliseum. The early optimism was misplaced. Sacramento leaders predicted near-nightly sellouts. That lasted exactly one game.
The A’s called their home opener a sellout with 12,119 paid tickets, but nearly 1,300 were comped to player families and executives. The next two games drew 10,095 and 9,342 fans. Now, over two months into the season and 32 home games later, the honeymoon phase has ended. Attendance has dropped and fans don’t have the same excitement.
The numbers tell the story. The A’s hit a new attendance low with just 8,487 paid fans, making them second to last in MLB attendance. They’ve averaged 10,048 fans over their first nine home games and haven’t sold out a single game since opening day.
Why aren’t Sacramento fans showing up? The team refuses to embrace the city. The Athletics won’t even use Sacramento in their name. They’re known simply as “Athletics” during their three-year stay, with Sacramento barely mentioned in the stadium beyond a patch on one sleeve. There’s a Vegas patch on the other sleeve and Las Vegas advertisements on the outfield wall, constant reminders that the A’s have their hearts set elsewhere.
It seems the A’s haven’t given people a reason to come to the games. How can anyone in Sacramento love the A’s if the A’s don’t love it’s city back?
Oakland Fans: Heartbroken but Loyal
The most devoted A’s fans are driving 90 minutes from Oakland to watch their team in a parking lot ballpark. Diehard fans would welcome the new city, new stadium, but the same team. The A’s are the A’s. If fans handled the depreciating Oakland Coliseum, they’d probably watch them play anywhere.
But that loyalty has limits. Many Oakland fans are starting “Let’s go Oakland!” chants in Sacramento, unable to stomach cheering for a team that abandoned their city. The team has proposed shifting to a generic “Let’s go A’s!” chant, but early attempts have seen limited success, with fans defaulting to the familiar Oakland cheer.
These fans understand what Sacramento is learning: Fisher’s ownership destroyed what made Oakland special. Through years of dormancy and refusing to spend money on talent, Fisher and Athletics management sucked the life out of what was once a fiery baseball city.
Las Vegas: Waiting for Something That May Never Come
Las Vegas should be excited about getting its first MLB team, right? The reality is more complicated.
At the stadium groundbreaking ceremony in June, owner John Fisher seemed to declare. “We are Vegas’ team” and “We are a local team”. However, construction on the $1.75 billion, 33,000-seat stadium only began in late April 2025, with hopes of opening for the 2028 season.
That timeline is optimistic. A new report suggests the Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium is already in serious financial trouble. Fisher has no renderings ready, no concrete plans, and the $380 million from Nevada is contingent upon building on the Tropicana site, which may be too small for a proper MLB stadium.
Las Vegas fans are cautious. They have baseball fans, not necessarily A’s fans, but one could imagine they are somewhat ready for Las Vegas to get a professional team. That lukewarm thought captures the challenge: Vegas wants a team, but they’re getting the Athletics.
The 15-Year-Old Problem
A 15-year-old today will be in college by 2028. That kid represents the core problem. The Athletics are asking three cities to care about a team that’s proven it doesn’t care about anyone.
In Oakland, 15-year-olds watched Fisher gut their team for years. In Sacramento, they’re watching a team that won’t even acknowledge their city exists. In Las Vegas, they’re being promised a stadium that may never get built by an owner with a track record of broken promises.
Why would any teenager invest emotionally in this franchise?
The A’s Are in No Man’s Land
The Athletics aren’t just between cities geographically—they’re in no man’s land competitively and culturally. They’re below .500 this season, sitting 11 games back in the AL West, and have gone 1-19 in their last 20 games. Season ticket holders in Sacramento are threatening to opt out after confusing policies leave them losing money.
According to The Athletic’s 2024 Player Poll, the franchise easily had the worst reputation among league players, with many players questioning the move to Sacramento for three years.
Nevada isn’t managing this situation—they’re just hoping it works out. The $350 million in public funding comes with a 30-year, rent-free lease and the option for the Athletics to buy the stadium. But what happens if Fisher can’t deliver?
If Fisher can’t get this situation figured out quickly, the Athletics might be looking for a new owner and another new destination. Salt Lake City, Portland, Nashville, Austin, Charlotte…come on down.
The Real Disaster with the A’s
The Athletics situation exposes everything wrong with modern baseball ownership. Fisher prioritized profit over community, treated cities as disposable, and turned a historic franchise into a traveling circus that no one cares about.
Sacramento hasn’t embraced the Athletics because why would they? If you can’t sell out even one game in a 14,000-seat stadium against attractive opponents like the Cubs, Mets, and Padres, you can forget about attracting a major league team permanently.
The most telling detail? The A’s are wearing three patches this season: Rickey Henderson’s number 24, Sacramento’s Tower Bridge, and a Las Vegas sponsorship patch. It’s the Vegas patch that faces the camera when hitters step to the plate, not Sacramento.
That says everything about where this franchise’s heart really is—chasing the next dollar, not building lasting connections with fans who would support them for decades.
The Athletics aren’t just a team without a home. They’re a franchise that forgot what home means. Until that changes, they’ll remain in no man’s land, unwanted wherever they land.
Oakland Athletics Sacramento Move Disaster: Why A’s and Las Vegas Fans Couldn’t Care Less
The Oakland Athletics are living baseball’s strangest nightmare. After 57 years calling Oakland home, they’re now squatters in Sacramento playing at a Triple-A ballpark until 2028, when they hope to move to Las Vegas. It’s a disaster that makes you wonder: how did a Major League Baseball franchise end up as nomads?
The answer is simple. Owner John Fisher wanted the money and potential of Las Vegas more than building a winning team in Oakland. Now everyone’s paying the price.
Sacramento: The Reluctant Host to the A’s
Starting in the 2025 season, the Athletics play in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento with just over 14,000 seats compared to Oakland’s 63,000 seat Coliseum. The early optimism was misplaced. Sacramento leaders predicted near-nightly sellouts. That lasted exactly one game.
The A’s called their home opener a sellout with 12,119 paid tickets, but nearly 1,300 were comped to player families and executives. The next two games drew 10,095 and 9,342 fans. Now, over two months into the season and 32 home games later, the honeymoon phase has ended. Attendance has dropped and fans don’t have the same excitement.
The numbers tell the story. The A’s hit a new attendance low with just 8,487 paid fans, making them second to last in MLB attendance. They’ve averaged 10,048 fans over their first nine home games and haven’t sold out a single game since opening day.
Why aren’t Sacramento fans showing up? The team refuses to embrace the city. The Athletics won’t even use Sacramento in their name. They’re known simply as “Athletics” during their three-year stay, with Sacramento barely mentioned in the stadium beyond a patch on one sleeve. There’s a Vegas patch on the other sleeve and Las Vegas advertisements on the outfield wall, constant reminders that the A’s have their hearts set elsewhere.
It seems the A’s haven’t given people a reason to come to the games. How can anyone in Sacramento love the A’s if the A’s don’t love it’s city back?
Oakland Fans: Heartbroken but Loyal
The most devoted A’s fans are driving 90 minutes from Oakland to watch their team in a parking lot ballpark. Diehard fans would welcome the new city, new stadium, but the same team. The A’s are the A’s. If fans handled the depreciating Oakland Coliseum, they’d probably watch them play anywhere.
But that loyalty has limits. Many Oakland fans are starting “Let’s go Oakland!” chants in Sacramento, unable to stomach cheering for a team that abandoned their city. The team has proposed shifting to a generic “Let’s go A’s!” chant, but early attempts have seen limited success, with fans defaulting to the familiar Oakland cheer.
These fans understand what Sacramento is learning: Fisher’s ownership destroyed what made Oakland special. Through years of dormancy and refusing to spend money on talent, Fisher and Athletics management sucked the life out of what was once a fiery baseball city.
Las Vegas: Waiting for Something That May Never Come
Las Vegas should be excited about getting its first MLB team, right? The reality is more complicated.
At the stadium groundbreaking ceremony in June, owner John Fisher seemed to declare. “We are Vegas’ team” and “We are a local team”. However, construction on the $1.75 billion, 33,000-seat stadium only began in late April 2025, with hopes of opening for the 2028 season.
That timeline is optimistic. A new report suggests the Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium is already in serious financial trouble. Fisher has no renderings ready, no concrete plans, and the $380 million from Nevada is contingent upon building on the Tropicana site, which may be too small for a proper MLB stadium.
Las Vegas fans are cautious. They have baseball fans, not necessarily A’s fans, but one could imagine they are somewhat ready for Las Vegas to get a professional team. That lukewarm thought captures the challenge: Vegas wants a team, but they’re getting the Athletics.
The 15-Year-Old Problem
A 15-year-old today will be in college by 2028. That kid represents the core problem. The Athletics are asking three cities to care about a team that’s proven it doesn’t care about anyone.
In Oakland, 15-year-olds watched Fisher gut their team for years. In Sacramento, they’re watching a team that won’t even acknowledge their city exists. In Las Vegas, they’re being promised a stadium that may never get built by an owner with a track record of broken promises.
Why would any teenager invest emotionally in this franchise?
The A’s Are in No Man’s Land
The Athletics aren’t just between cities geographically—they’re in no man’s land competitively and culturally. They’re below .500 this season, sitting 11 games back in the AL West, and have gone 1-19 in their last 20 games. Season ticket holders in Sacramento are threatening to opt out after confusing policies leave them losing money.
According to The Athletic’s 2024 Player Poll, the franchise easily had the worst reputation among league players, with many players questioning the move to Sacramento for three years.
Nevada isn’t managing this situation—they’re just hoping it works out. The $350 million in public funding comes with a 30-year, rent-free lease and the option for the Athletics to buy the stadium. But what happens if Fisher can’t deliver?
If Fisher can’t get this situation figured out quickly, the Athletics might be looking for a new owner and another new destination. Salt Lake City, Portland, Nashville, Austin, Charlotte…come on down.
The Real Disaster with the A’s
The Athletics situation exposes everything wrong with modern baseball ownership. Fisher prioritized profit over community, treated cities as disposable, and turned a historic franchise into a traveling circus that no one cares about.
Sacramento hasn’t embraced the Athletics because why would they? If you can’t sell out even one game in a 14,000-seat stadium against attractive opponents like the Cubs, Mets, and Padres, you can forget about attracting a major league team permanently.
The most telling detail? The A’s are wearing three patches this season: Rickey Henderson’s number 24, Sacramento’s Tower Bridge, and a Las Vegas sponsorship patch. It’s the Vegas patch that faces the camera when hitters step to the plate, not Sacramento.
That says everything about where this franchise’s heart really is—chasing the next dollar, not building lasting connections with fans who would support them for decades.
The Athletics aren’t just a team without a home. They’re a franchise that forgot what home means. Until that changes, they’ll remain in no man’s land, unwanted wherever they land.
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Sources for Oakland Athletics City Problem: A’s, Sacramento, and Las Vegas Fans Checking Out
Related Reading: Oakland Athletics Sacramento Move Disaster: Why A’s and Las Vegas Fans Couldn’t Care Less