MLB and the A’s Have a Massive Dodgers Problem in Las Vegas

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Big League Weekend has come and gone for the Oakland A’s in Las Vegas and it had a decidedly minor league feel to it. Neither game sold out and not even the promise of seeing the model of the team’s potential new stadium was enough to get people to turn out.
The most poignant comment about those proceedings was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would have sold those games out. Not even the A side with Shohei Otani and Mookie Betts. No, LA could have sent over some minor leagues and fringe starters and they would have packed Las Vegas Ballpark. It’s not even a matter of debate.
Jorge Castillo in an LA Times article wrote that Las Vegas might have the strongest Dodgers fanbase outside of Southern California. It may be a four-hour drive away, but LA is more rooted in Vegas than Oakland. You know have generations of Dodgers fans in Sin City.
For all intents and purposes, the Dodgers are Las Vegas’ baseball team. It’s not even like a loose affiliation like how Portland is kind of a Mariners town but not really. Vegas bleeds blue. And honestly, the Yankees would likely be the second most popular franchise, Hell, the A’s wouldn’t land in the top 15 of most popular ballclubs.
The Oakland A’s are supposed to be moving to Vegas but have no presence in the city, and will continue to have no presence in the city until their proposed move. I imagine Dodgers fans in Vegas having the same shocked reaction to the A’s showing up that Clark Griswold had when Uncle Eddie appeared in Christmas Vacation.
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[@leonardsr.1389]

It’s gross that the dodgers and giants both voted for the relocation, and mlb waiving the $400 million relocation fee is even worse

[@ChrisNoonetheFirst]

San Jose is so fkin pissed

[@dangerdare4114]

@@ChrisNoonetheFirst For real, San Jose would have been a great home for the A's because there hasn't been a SF vs SJ rivalry. SJ is big on their sports because of the Sharks and the Niners

[@lovejoyb20]

That vote was completely a "cover your own ass" process. Owners won't vote to "screw" another owner. no matter how terrible they. are out of the president that could lead to them being next.

[@luv2sail66]

Not surprised at all to hear this. The Dodgers are Neiman-Marcus level and the As under the current ownership aren’t even Wal-Mart. Maybe Dollar General if it was a dump of a store in a rundown neighborhood.

[@user-mw5vd2bi6w]

SELL THE TEAM!!!!

[@Julian_Wallis]

MLB teams that are more popular in Las Vegas than the A's: Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Padres, Angels, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Astros, Cubs, Cardinals, Braves, Mets, Phillies.

[@gadflyeducator]

The Raiders are an interesting case. The Cowboys are far and away the most popular NFL team here in Vegas, and the Raiders were always pretty well represented here as well. That said, they are 31st in the NFL in attendance. They draw about 60K to a stadium that seats 70K. It’s been pretty meh overall. The league can’t be pleased that an iconic franchise draws such mediocre numbers in a market they really want.

[@MrJSpicoli]

NFL attendance numbers are propped up by corporate purchase of tickets.

[@smokey5100]

All the more reason to stay HOME in Oakland!

[@halomo81]

not gonna happen 🙅🏽

[@Redpoppy80]

What I have heard is that Vegas would be far more receptive to an expansion team then receiving the disgraced A's at the hands of Fisher. I will never deny that Oakland has problems but we care a LOT about our Athletics and NO ONE will support this team as much as we have. Screw Fisher and SCREW MLB for allowing this!

[@alexjones6190]

It doesn't look like they have a clue what they are doing. They figure DEI will make it work.

[@SactoShane]

Funny how both Oakland teams that moved to Vegas can’t get a home field advantage.

[@stewgotz1]

reason.......their owners

[@jeffadventures1]

youve obviously never been to a Raiders game in Vegas lol

[@stewgotz1]

@@jeffadventures1 funny in Oakland, you would NEVER have the opposite team have more fans in house than Raider fans……’Sea of Red in Vegas when the Chiefs and 49ers played there during a regular season game….yeah, laugh at that Goober

[@jeffadventures1]

@@stewgotz1 all those teams do the same thing in EVERY NFL city.. except Oakland bc no one wants to visit that POS city and get shot lol

[@jeffadventures1]

@@stewgotz1 so happy the Raiders are in a real city and generating the best ticket revenue in the NFL!

[@jeremiah_12]

Yeah, this was so dumb. Everyone knows that Vegas is like an LA outpost.

[@ACasualRacer]

This is 100% true.... and its only going to get worse once the Brightline train connects LV and LA more closely.

[@Rob-L]

Brightline will mainly bring SoCal folks here, some to watch when the A's play their teams from their former hometown before they moved to SoCal. It will not add LV folks going to a Dodger game. Aside from the time going to the Brightline station, to the 2.5 hour trip and an additional 1.5 hours on Metrolink to get to the nearest station to Dodger stadium, then a 17 minute walk, And then repeat the whole thing after a game? Won't happen.

[@ACasualRacer]

@@Rob-L 100,000s of Las Vegas Dodger fans drive to LA and Dodger Stadium already.... typically a 5-6 hours experience each way. Nothing stops fans of the greatest team in baseball. But Brightline provides another option that some will use for sure.

[@Rob-L]

@@ACasualRacer Las Vegas Dodger fans do drive to Dodger stadium. I agree with the 5-6 hours estimate, I have no idea where you came up with the 100,000s. That would assume over 1,200 fans on the average go to each of the 81 home games. Seems pretty high, but whatever. Regarding Brightline: Ignoring waiting time at the stations, say 0.5 hours to get to the station, then 2.5 hours to Rancho Cucamonga, then 1.5 hours on Metrolink to get to the nearest station to Dodger stadium, then 0.5 hours to walk from the station to the stadium. That's already 5 hours, Including the long walk and not having a car. Then repeating the whole thing after the game. Add to that the train fare, which some have projected to be quite high. I just don't see that being a significant factor.

[@theleap2946]

This is just so sad. I feel embarrassed to be an Athletics fan. We’re gonna get roasted for at least another decade

[@LVScooter1]

This is true. Nobody really wants the A's here. Fisher thinks because of the Goldem Knights success he's be a success. I dont think so

[@therealjaystone2344]

Forget about the raiders too

[@kingmo8789]

Plus, the Golden Knights was built off of the ground in Las Vegas unlike the Raiders and A's

[@joebarr725]

@@kingmo8789 The phrase that is used is "Vegas Born", which is one reason why VGK are so popular.

[@huckaby316]

Fans Fest wasn't unauthorized. It was unaffiliated with A's. Precision matters.

[@freddyfigs]

This is a real good point that needs to be exposed more

[@EdwardMendes97]

Damn, you're on fire with this one. Even a Jim Crandle reference. Regarding the Giants, I believe they have played a huge role in this process. Bud Selig advocated retracting the A's in the late '90s, stating the Bay area is a one-team market and that team SHOULD be the Giants. WHY? I don't know what dirt the Giants have on the commissioner's office, but something is below the surface, and I would love to know what that is. Why do they seem to receive such special treatment?

[@Redpoppy80]

Yeah. I am a Giants fan but our current ownership S.U.C.K.S. Not only is our ownership running us into irrelevance record wise, but we have screwed over far too many people for me to call the Giants a good team for anyone in good conscience.

[@frv1995]

I always wondered why the giants were given such a strong advantage over the A's. It's not like the A's never won anything, they have 4 WS championships for crying out loud . I feel like San Jose would be the best place for the A's, East Bay fans will travel to the south bay . Oh wait! The giants won't allow that , God forbid we make them uncomfortable.

[@86byrdman]

@@frv1995 The Giants were in the Bay Area first, and play in SF so that's part of the advantage I would imagine. As far as San Jose goes, even if the A's got the go ahead to build in San Jose, I'm still not sure how much better things would've been for the A's in San Jose. We'll never know, but still. Yeah, the A's could've marketed nicer weather in San Jose than SF or Oakland during the summer time in baseball season, but how far can that really get you if you're not winning games? There's more Giants fans in San Jose than A's fans, and would San Jose/South Bay people be cool with the A's model; trading away future stars for unproven prospects, blowing up teams that would've been stacked if they kept everyone together? The A's probably would've gotten low attendance there too, if the A's didn't win consistently there either. The Niners had problems in Santa Clara when they weren't winning, and still do have an ongoing battle with Santa Clara. Yeah, San Jose is different from Santa Clara, but still. The South Bay is a different deal. Why do you think San Jose would be the best place for the A's?

[@86byrdman]

@@Redpoppy80 I'm a Giants fan as well, and agreed, the Johnsons suck. They'd rather support Trump than put real money into the team. I wish Joe Lacob could own the Giants, but he might make cheap MLB owners look bad. LOL. Mark Cuban wanted to own the Cubs, but that didn't come to fruition probably for the same reason Lacob may not own an MLB team. They would make cheaper MLB owners look bad and actually spend money.... If Lacob owned the Giants, the Giants finally could spend like the Dodgers and wouldn't have the CBA constraints that the Warriors currently have.

[@toastnjam7384]

Dad took me to a Dodger game the year it opened in 1962. They were playing the Phillies and a part of the crowed were cheering for the Phillies which confused me. I ask dad why aren't they cheering for the Dodgers? He said they're from Philidelphia and they're rooting for their old home team. LA had a big post WW 2 population boom from other states and the new Angelenos still supported their old home teams. The Dodgers were only in LA a few years at the time, so it took several years to developed hometown fans like me. Dad moved to LA from Connecticut post war and was a forever die-hard Yankee fan and hated the Dodgers. It might take several years for the A's to build a local fan base

[@tomcrown69]

That’s why MLB is not getting new fans. They’re also losing fans due to their attitude of screw you fans. You will like what we tell you to what to like.

[@Mr1stcat]

Rob Manfraud needs to go

[@sevendeadlysquids404]

If you had to move the Raiders, Vegas isn’t the absolute worst choice. But moving the As to Vegas just feels tone deaf. Even if you don’t move the As, there’s multiple cities probably healthier for that team to relocate to.

[@FranciscoRodriguez-ly9so]

I’m a dodger fan that lives in Washington, when they come up here to Seattle those games are dodger home games. Even when they had that 2021 Covid season and the stadiums were only half full…still a dodger home game. They were up here last season and I did almost truly feel bad for the mariner fans. Their team was playing okay and had a chance at the playoffs. Then the dodgers come and sweep the mariners, win the pointless NL west, and the mariners miss out on the playoffs by a few games.

[@MrJSpicoli]

Good for you

[@waifubreaks1572]

The Dodgers have the biggest fanbase west of the Mississippi lol.

[@pickleballchumps]

Wow, “Public Access” doesn’t even exist anymore 😂

[@AHomelessShoe]

MLB needs to realize that without local fans, their teams barely matter.

[@jnorris528e]

The Raiders never ceased to be popular in LA, so a lot of those Dodger fans are Raider fans in Vegas by default

[@kevintheomanharris]

Yeah, the doggers broadcast in LV, but so do 5 other teams (including the A's). The Las Vegas blackout policy is notoriously bad.

[@matthewjones4037]

Braves have huge influence in both Nashville and Charlotte both four hours from Atlanta as well but MLB needs those cities overtime they will become fans just got to win

[@mellow.madness]

There are a ton of L.A. transplants in Vegas. Obviously that would make most fans Dodgers and Lakers fans. The A's should probably move to Sacramento or Portland.

[@great-one0389]

They could have also gone to San Jose, anyway I wonder if the A's would retain any fans in the Bay area if they went to sacramento

[@richardlittle1663]

The “A’s” should move to Edmonton, Alberta Canada

[@billmcg1676]

A's ownership should consider teaming up with F1 for the next race - another popular event with the Vegas locals...😄😂😂

[@AALS96]

As a dodger fan in LA I would love to see the A’s moved to Vegas It will be best for business for the organization and also I will be going to their stadium once the Dodgers come to town.

[@user-hu6jr9xi9d]

This is a great store.! I loved it! I use to live in the east bay and I really had fun going to A’s games. Is so sad to see them leave Oakland. You just pointed out again how bad this team has been run.

[@travelingwithdave8214]

I hate the Dodgers.

[@doodchappin]

Funny how the dodgers can be such a pain in the ass to everyone. Go buy your team lose in the first round and keep being trash LA 😂

[@Gordys_Garden]

How about if we switch leagues Seattle and San Diego, so the A's in San Diego has a California rivals instead of the Giants having two.

[@sbeers88]

The A's AAA team is already in Vegas. Why move the MLB team there too?

[@LDQBBQ]

Lots of interesting points. Well done.

[@littlesame]

We’ll the team I feel awful for the loyal Oakland fan base

[@danmarsh5949]

I've heard this before, that Vegas is Dodger town, but I don't see it. And in any case, the Angels and Mets both moved into cities where there was an existing franchise, and they both do okay.

[@Mikesworldna]

I find that it matters not what team goes to Vegas.....I went to 2 Radiers games....and there were over I would say 30 or 40% of the stadium was the visiting team fans....look I was one of them...I love Raiders......but did I go to see Raiders.....no they had a crapy season didn't know who was quarterback...and so on ....but WOW ......when you get the chance to see Patric Mahomes....and also VIkings ....Fans had a GREAT weekend...went to Vegas for the weekend...lots of sales....and OMG the Stadium food was increadible....local resturants there and it was amazing and yes we pay Las Vegas prices but it was great food....but my statement is ....matters not who goes to Vegas....it's always going to be a visitors dream game...... :D

[@FranciscoRodriguez-ly9so]

Darren Dreifort Meet and Greet! That went deep.

[@daquandavis5498]

I know I’m in the minority but I seriously think the A’s should move back to Philly. Literally 1000s upon 1000s of Fans who have generational ties to the Philly A’s. If only Philadelphia was treated like the 4th largest market in the country that it IS😭 got two teams in “No one cares about ⚾️”-FLORIDA for gods sake🤣

[@frv1995]

The league wants this deal in the worst way . No matter how much red tape this deal is gonna be forced no matter what

[@michaelmaleta4512]

I mean both Phoenix and Denver were huge Dodger/Cub towns but the D'Backs and Rockies aren't going anywhere. 🤷

[@cg5968]

Can we all appreciate the clean cut, looking sharp. Also, Sell the team!

[@jaimeserrano9179]

True… But as a Vegas Local and life long Dodger fan grewing up in LA County, your statement is off when/if the A’s ever make it to the play-offs, Vegas locals become the biggest A’s fan! It happens with most of their fan base! So not to say there aren’t Dodgers Loyals like myself, but the non baseball Vegas Local all of a sudden becomes the biggest A’s fans!

[@SippyCupAdventures]

The A's making the playoffs in Vegas is not happening in our lifetime 😂

[@Super_Flea]

Dodgers are blacked out in Las Vegas always have been

[@kennethkossan5547]

Did they not know this?

[@SippyCupAdventures]

Wait. I want to hear more about Jim Crandall anointing you the "Crybaby" of the week! 😂😳Tell me more.

[@Rob-L]

To be polite, I'm a resident of the Las Vegas area who attended the Big League Weekend and you don't know what you're talking about. Friday night was a near sellout but the combination of the temperature and wind kept some ticket holders away and others stayed in the Concourse to stay warm. Saturday was a total sellout and the stands were full. The local media reported a very positive response, and even the San Francisco Chronicle did so by sending an honest reporter here. Las Vegas has many Dodger fans. I am one of them. But in our growing social media of A's fans, the overwhelming consensus is us Dodger fans will also root for and support the A's. Not only are they in different leagues, but supporting a baseball team is not like a religion where you can only root for one. More than just being Dodger fans, we are also baseball fans and having a local team is huge.

[@great-one0389]

Do you feel it is different in other sports?

[@Rob-L]

@@great-one0389 Not sure what you mean, but there are Raiders fans who are also Rams fans.

[@great-one0389]

@@Rob-L i meant that if the idea people can support more than one team in other sports like football, basketball, and hockey(I'll include soccer though that has different dynamics since the best talent is in Europe). You kind of answered it.

[@Rob-L]

@@great-one0389 I think it might depend as much about the region than the sport. For example, I understand from many comments to videos that in the Bay Area, A's fans don't like the Giants and visa versa because of specific issues in the past and maybe different demographics. In SoCal, while Dodgers are more popular, I don't think Dodger fans dislike the Angels and visa versa. In a freeway series, the SoCal fans will support their team, but not at the expense of disliking the other team.

[@ryanm1732]

@@Rob-L*raises hand*

[@littlesame]

You mean dodgers will have dodgers LV on Athletics stadium, why can Giants decide the San Jose area?

[@bullwinkle2380]

It's a done deal!!! The shovels are in the ground in Vegas!!! John Fisher you suck on ice!!!

[@TravellingTrav1025]

#sell #saveoaklandbaseball

[@seanmiles6991]

I don’t think, I’ve ever heard “Bugs Bunny” alias the Touchback make this much sense in a video. I mean he was still full of shit on a couple of parts of it, but was spot other parts.

[@jamesparker7729]

Say what you want about the Dodgers, but I think you can have strong argument that they have, of all sports leagues, the strongest fan base anywhere. They have the largest baseball stadium in Dodger Stadium which seats 56,000, and consistently draw close to 4 million fans every year. If Dodger Stadium raised its capacity to 100,000, they would still fill it. On top of that, their fan base travels like no other. They are notorious for taking over stadiums when the Dodgers are on the road. They travel! If Detroit is “Hockey Town,” Los Angeles is “Baseball City”!

[@LorenzoVonMAtterHorN838]

Oh well hahaha you get what paid for!

[@Trollyaccount]

Raiders fans get outnumber at alligent 😂😂😂

[@dangerdare4114]

The A's are gonna suffer through the same thing everytime they play the Giants, Dodgers, Yankees, or the Padres 💀

[@MrJSpicoli]

It's because they aren't playing at home. Home is in OAK.

[@waifubreaks1572]

Better yet, stay in Oakland lol

[@oliverfowler1441]

As a Vegas citizen this is all 100% the truth

[@ynotefil]

RAAAAAIIIIIIIDEEEEERRRRSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

[@rapalbumdepot7648]

Google Keenan Anderson

[@ronclark9724]

The Dallas-Fort Worth area were Houston Astros fans mostly before there were the Texas Rangers. White the DFW area had the minor league Spurs, Houston Astros games were being televised in the DFW market. Mind you long before satellite and cable became available. The song says, root root root for your home team... Las Vegas will too, and sooner than you think... Northern California rooted for the Giants long before the A's relocated to Oakland.

[@rainbowmade1880]

Amazing that Manfred didn’t consider this at all. What an ill conceived plan to relocate.

[@viffer94]

Santa Clara county and the south bay have always been Giant’s country. The Giants have always drawn a huge amount of fan support from that area regardless of how major league baseball defined the rights. A’s have always drawn their fanbase from the East Bay, nothing more. Marin County as well as Sacramento all the way to Reno are also Giant’s territory and have always had radio and TV broadcast affiliates for the Giants because they have large Giants fanbases. If you want the A’s to stay in the Bay Area then you better build them a stadium in Oakland because no one else wants them.

[@thetouchback]

Ah yes, all that huge Giants support that saw the team move to Toronto, Tampa and how many other cities prior to Pac Bell Park opening?

[@viffer94]

@@thetouchback Hey ownership and MLB does what they want regardless of what the fans want. No one wanted the Giants to leave and they were eventually saved. Can you say the same for your A's?

[@thetouchback]

The then-owner of the Giants wanted to leave the Bay Area and the move was blocked by MLB. Why didn't the Giants let the A's build a new stadium in San Jose? Especially considering the A's paid the Giants the same courtesy back in the day.

[@viffer94]

@@thetouchback Both you and the video creator are blaming the Giants for the A's woes? Building a stadium in Giant's territory where the fanbase is primarily Giants fans isn't going to solve the A's problems anymore than moving to Las Vegas. They need to build their stadium in Oakland and they need a change in ownership.

[@86byrdman]

@@viffer94 For real. Getting bothersome seeing A's fans blame the Giants for their problems. Plus, not sure how San Jose would've really worked for the A's anyway. The A's probably would've found issue with San Jose at some point if they moved there. LOL. Agreed that the A's should stay in Oakland.

[@user-pw3ji3rn3s]

More complete BS, The Dodgers don't even broadcast games to Vegas. If its such a great market, why lose that TV money?

[@markbennett1210]

What team are you a fan of?