The Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982, returned to Oakland in 1995, then relocated to Las Vegas in 2020.
The Golden State Warriors have played in Oakland since 1971 but moved across the bay to San Francisco’s Chase Center for the 2019-20 season.
Oakland also had an NHL team, the California Golden Seals, who joined the league as an expansion franchise in 1967 and played nine seasons in Oakland before moving to the Cleveland Barons, but closed after two seasons.
Vip Roberts, a former MLB player and Oakland native who is now a real estate investor in the East Bay, said he’s not convinced by the argument that his hometown doesn’t have the fans or money to support a major league team.
“We have everything in place to be successful in Oakland,” Roberts said. “For those of us who grew up here, who live here, we can afford to go to any sporting event, regardless of ticket price? To leave a big market like this and go to a smaller market (Sacramento) and an even smaller market (Las Vegas) is, in my opinion, just not a good business deal.”
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According to the most recent Census data, Oakland’s median household income is $96,828, and Alameda County’s is $119,931 — both of which are among the highest in the state ($95,521) and the nation ($80,610), but lower than San Francisco’s median household income of $126,730 and neighboring Marin ($139,644) and San Mateo ($151,485) counties.
But in recent years, Las Vegas has evolved into something of a sports capital: The city, home to the Athletics, Raiders and NHL’s Golden Knights, hosted its first Super Bowl seven months ago and last year hosted the Stanley Cup Final and Formula One Grand Prix.
Las Vegas is also seen as a future expansion destination for an NBA franchise.
The Athletics’ departure gives the San Francisco Giants complete control of the Bay Area market, leaving just four markets with two MLB teams each: New York, Chicago, the Washington DC/Baltimore area, and the greater Los Angeles area.
In terms of in-game records, the Athletics have historically been at least even with the Giants. Entering Thursday’s game, the Oakland Athletics were 4,613-4,384 (.513) ahead of the San Francisco Giants, who were 5,473-5,119 (.517).
The Athletics won six American League pennants and four World Series championships, while the Giants won six National League pennants and three World Series championships. The Athletics swept the Giants in the 1989 Fall Classic.
But the Giants, who could end up with a sub-.500 winning percentage for the seventh time in eight seasons, are sticking with the status quo.
The Giants, baseball’s fifth-most valuable team with an estimated worth of $3.8 billion, play in one of MLB’s most admired ballparks and have eclipsed the Athletics in attendance since Oracle Park opened in 2000.
Athletics fans have rebelled against Fisher and have been absent in droves this season, with the team ranking last in MLB attendance, averaging just 10,942 per game as of Thursday.
Mr. Roberts put the blame on the Athletics’ management, which even before Mr. Fisher and real-estate developer Lewis Wolff bought the team in 2005 had a reputation for prioritizing profits at the expense of long-term talent.
Some of the biggest examples of stars lost include Reggie Jackson in the ’70s, Mark McGwire in the ’90s and Jason Giambi in the early 2000s. More recently, East Bay native Marcus Semien left as a free agent in 2021 and went on to win a World Series with the Texas Rangers last year.
“It’s something that’s ingrained in the organization that players have so much backing and support in the city and then they leave,” Roberts said. “I think that’s what wore people down.”
He added that the sense of loss is profound as the Athletics’ final game approaches and fans share their memories of the Oakland Coliseum on social media and elsewhere.
“I’m saddened by what’s to come,” Roberts said. “I’ve been suppressing my emotions for a long time.”
Dana Valinsky reported from Oakland and David K. Lee from New York City.
Susan Baek and Madelyn Urabe contributed.
