Whether John Fisher wants it is another story.
The city of Oakland has updated its “Frequently Asked Questions about the Waterfront Ballpark District at Howard Terminal” and the FAQ can be interpreted this way. Joe Lacob, if you still have that standing offer to buy Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics and somehow John Fisher decides to sell the team to you, come on down. We would like to partner with you to build a baseball stadium at Howard Terminal. Lacob, who owns the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors franchise, has been interested in buying the A’s business since 2005. If Fisher decides to take the offer from Nevada and move his business to Las Vegas, Oakland could be in play for an expansion franchise, if MLB decides to add two teams. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who works for the 30 MLB owners and carries out their wishes, might be upset with Oakland and Alameda County officials for not getting a deal done with Fisher but if there is a chance to build a waterfront baseball facility and Lacob appears and wants to buy an MLB Oakland franchise, his money will get Manfred’s attention.
Meanwhile, Athletics’ lobbyists are working the politicians in Carson City, Nevada with the hope of prying hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars out of the elected officials to help fund a Las Vegas baseball park. Fisher is looking for up to $380 million in public money to go toward construction for the estimated $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat retractable roof ballpark. In Sacramento, California’s capital, local lawmakers are hoping the Las Vegas stadium deal falls through and they get a crack at negotiating a Sacramento stadium deal with Fisher and his team president Dave Kaval. Barry Broome, the CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, claims Fisher will listen to a Sacramento pitch if nothing materializes in Las Vegas.
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