Besides the Oakland A’s making headlines this offseason by making nine trades involving 27 players, the Athletics are in the news once again as their stadium saga continues. In early January, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the Oakland A’s should not be allowed to move to San Jose and upheld that the San Francisco Giants have territorial control over Santa Clara County. Thus, the Oakland A’s are ready to battle back once again.
In early February, the San Jose City Council declared that they wanted the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a lawsuit. The decision to appeal was unanimous. The Oakland A’s need a new ballpark and San Jose is the most desired location.
However, the new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred thinks that the Athletics should stay in Oakland. After the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Oakland A’s and in favor of the MLB, Manfred told that press that he is optimistic about a new stadium in Oakland and that it could happen quickly. Additionally, with the help of the new mayor, the chances of the Athletics’ new stadium landing Oakland are high.
So, should the Oakland A’s continue to pursue a stadium in San Jose or look to build a new stadium in Oakland? Thankfully, we already have an example of a team moving from the city to Silicon Valley. The San Francisco 49ers were moved from Candlestick Park to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA and played their first season in the new facility this year. Even though the facility was state-of-the-art and technologically savvy, there was limited parking, terrible public transportation, and impossibly high ticket, food, and beverage prices. Could this happen to the Oakland A’s if a new stadium was built in San Jose?
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For one, the stadium would be a good 45 minute drive from Oakland not counting the horrendous Bay Area traffic. Additionally, there is no easy way to get to San Jose via public transportation. Right now the BART stops right outside the O.co Coliseum which is extremely convenient for fans. Lastly, although this is a question I cannot answer, would the ticket prices go up and would it discourage die-hard Oakland A’s fans from attending the games? Even though the Athletics might attract new fans by having a stadium in the South Bay, would it be worth losing life-time season ticket holders due to higher ticket prices like what happened with the 49ers?
Even though San Jose would welcome baseball with open arms, I do not think it is worth moving down there. The South Bay is already so crowded with tech companies, universities, and startups that finding room for a new stadium, parking and public transit while also keeping the price of tickets, food, and beverages low will be nearly impossible. If the Oakland A’s want to retain their fans, they should stay in Oakland.
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