Author Topic: The Vegas Athletics  (Read 4626 times)

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The Vegas Athletics
« Topic Start: April 20, 2023, 08:54:29 AM »

Offline imref

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #1: April 20, 2023, 08:56:32 AM »
Looks like the A's might be leaving Oakland for Sin City.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36241520/oakland-agree-purchase-land-las-vegas-strip

they are going on the small side with only a 30k seat stadium.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #2: April 20, 2023, 09:58:46 AM »
they are going on the small side with only a 30k seat stadium.

It makes sense. They probably won't attract a huge local fanbase, but on the strip with a stadium focused on premium seating and amenities may attract a lot of tourists

Offline imref

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #3: April 20, 2023, 10:35:20 AM »
It makes sense. They probably won't attract a huge local fanbase, but on the strip with a stadium focused on premium seating and amenities may attract a lot of tourists

yeah, they are saying about 80% of attendees will be local and that the team will bring an additional 400k people a year into Las Vegas. I find that hard to believe. There's a lot of competition for entertainment dollar and I don't think people are going to go to Las Vegas and spend money to see the A's play versus going to a show/dinner/etc. And they will be competing against the Golden Nights and Raiders for a good chunk of their season.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #4: April 20, 2023, 10:52:14 AM »
yeah, they are saying about 80% of attendees will be local and that the team will bring an additional 400k people a year into Las Vegas. I find that hard to believe. There's a lot of competition for entertainment dollar and I don't think people are going to go to Las Vegas and spend money to see the A's play versus going to a show/dinner/etc. And they will be competing against the Golden Nights and Raiders for a good chunk of their season.

It works with football because a fan may decide to build a trip to Vegas around their team. I could see A's tickets being given away by casinos as low cost incentives to gamblers, but I wonder how viable they will be there

Offline nfotiu

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #5: April 20, 2023, 10:59:41 AM »
All sorts of Western Canadian hockey fans I know regularly schedule Vegas and Phoenix trips are when their team will be there.   I can see baseball fans doing the same, especially Red Sox/Yankees/Blue Jays fans.

Offline Five Banners

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #6: April 20, 2023, 11:47:46 AM »
All sorts of Western Canadian hockey fans I know regularly schedule Vegas and Phoenix trips are when their team will be there.   I can see baseball fans doing the same, especially Red Sox/Yankees/Blue Jays fans.

It seems something that could very easily be integrated into various trip packages

Offline machpost

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #7: April 20, 2023, 02:05:31 PM »
yeah, they are saying about 80% of attendees will be local and that the team will bring an additional 400k people a year into Las Vegas. I find that hard to believe. There's a lot of competition for entertainment dollar and I don't think people are going to go to Las Vegas and spend money to see the A's play versus going to a show/dinner/etc. And they will be competing against the Golden Nights and Raiders for a good chunk of their season.
That stadium will soon have similar attendance to what we see in Miami these days, I would guess.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #8: April 20, 2023, 02:37:28 PM »
35,000 is a good size. Even Nats Park is bigger than it has to be.  Load up on high roller seats, but leave enough bleachers for locals and parents with kids.  I wonder if they will schedule some day games enclosed so as to not compete with the casinos at night?

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #9: April 20, 2023, 03:08:41 PM »
Or make it like a casino, all closed up with no windows.  Put ashtrays in the seats.
35,000 is a good size. Even Nats Park is bigger than it has to be.  Load up on high roller seats, but leave enough bleachers for locals and parents with kids.  I wonder if they will schedule some day games enclosed so as to not compete with the casinos at night?

Offline Dave in Fairfax

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #10: April 20, 2023, 03:31:03 PM »
Strippers on the foul poles.

Offline Count Walewski

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #11: April 20, 2023, 08:14:48 PM »
I saw a Vegas 51's game back in 2011, or was it 2012. Aideny Hechevarria and Jedd Gyorko were in that game as minor leaguers. Despite such star power, nobody in Vegas seemed aware that they had a minor league baseball stadium. This was a bit before Uber and not even the taxi drivers knew it was there. I had to give them directions.

Of course, it was a bit off the strip. I had to take the bus all the way to one end of the strip and then take a taxi the rest of the way.

I think there's plenty of proof that if you build something on the strip, people will come.

Offline Mattionals

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #12: April 20, 2023, 10:36:45 PM »
I saw a Vegas 51's game back in 2011, or was it 2012. Aideny Hechevarria and Jedd Gyorko were in that game as minor leaguers. Despite such star power, nobody in Vegas seemed aware that they had a minor league baseball stadium. This was a bit before Uber and not even the taxi drivers knew it was there. I had to give them directions.

Of course, it was a bit off the strip. I had to take the bus all the way to one end of the strip and then take a taxi the rest of the way.

I think there's plenty of proof that if you build something on the strip, people will come.


I'm pretty sure the 51's became the Aviators and now are out West by Red Rock.

Offline Count Walewski

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #13: April 21, 2023, 02:15:38 PM »
It makes sense. They probably won't attract a huge local fanbase, but on the strip with a stadium focused on premium seating and amenities may attract a lot of tourists

I'm pretty sure the A's are the most popular baseball team in Nevada, or at least were a few years ago when they were still good. A disproportionate number of the professional gamblers I know are A's fans, some even with no ties to California whatsoever. I guess if you're a by-the-numbers guy chasing positive EV, Billy Beane appeals to you.

Offline welch

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #14: April 28, 2023, 12:49:08 PM »

Article in SF Chronicle says that the SF Giants worked to forced the A's out of the Bay area.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/a-s-leave-las-vegas-giants-deserve-blame-17916455.php

Offline Count Walewski

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #15: April 28, 2023, 03:29:54 PM »
Huge win for the Giants who prevented the A's from moving to San Jose where they might have thrived.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #16: April 28, 2023, 04:14:56 PM »
Interesting.  I just assumed that it was all Dodgers fans there. 
I'm pretty sure the A's are the most popular baseball team in Nevada, or at least were a few years ago when they were still good. A disproportionate number of the professional gamblers I know are A's fans, some even with no ties to California whatsoever. I guess if you're a by-the-numbers guy chasing positive EV, Billy Beane appeals to you.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #17: April 28, 2023, 06:01:02 PM »
Sounds like the perfect setting for parking lot stabbings.

Offline IanRubbish

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #18: April 29, 2023, 05:03:00 PM »
Huge win for the Giants who prevented the A's from moving to San Jose where they might have thrived.

San Jose is big time Giants country. Doubt that many people would have switched, especially when even most of the East Bay is Giants fans.  Walnut Creek, a major East Bay shopping area, has a Giants store but not an A's one.  The Giants hold camps there for kids even though it's technically closer to Oakland.

Fremont is 10 miles from San Jose but in the same county as Oakland, and the Giants didn't kill that proposed stadium, the A's ultimately did. 

The A's have quite a few diehards, but they've always been the working class team, a stadium elsewhere in the Bay Area wouldn't have changed that.

Offline IanRubbish

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #19: April 29, 2023, 05:08:48 PM »
And they will be competing against the Golden Nights and Raiders for a good chunk of their season.

Vegas is tapped out.  It's not big enough for MLB now that it has an NFL team.  It'll turn into another Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincy, Baltimore, KC, small markets where the NFL dominates and there's not enough $ left over to support MLB.  Moreover, those roofed stadiums in Texas, Miami, Houston when they're not winning WS, and Phoenix all underperform their markets.  Better weather for baseball and less local competition in Salt Lake, which would have been a much better choice.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #20: April 29, 2023, 07:16:14 PM »
Vegas is tapped out.  It's not big enough for MLB now that it has an NFL team.  It'll turn into another Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincy, Baltimore, KC, small markets where the NFL dominates and there's not enough $ left over to support MLB.  Moreover, those roofed stadiums in Texas, Miami, Houston when they're not winning WS, and Phoenix all underperform their markets.  Better weather for baseball and less local competition in Salt Lake, which would have been a much better choice.

I’m guessing a San Francisco rich guy probably prefers flying to Vegas for a game or two a month than SLC


Offline Five Banners

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Offline imref

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #23: May 16, 2023, 05:11:09 PM »
The Oakland A's announced a paid attendance of 2,064 for last night's game.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: The Vegas Athletics
« Reply #24: May 16, 2023, 05:49:08 PM »
The Oakland A's announced a paid attendance of 2,064 for last night's game.

I’m surprised it was that high. The team sucks and is moving