The Oakland A’s are broke. At least, that’s what the team wants us to think. They have no cash for players or upgrades to the coliseum. And yet, the organization seemingly keeps coming up with funds for various other things.
A recent report stated John Fisher was willing to forfeit tens of millions of dollars next year in regional television money from NBC Bay Area in order for the A’s to play in Sacramento, a city that doesn’t want them. How could the Oakland A’s afford such a move if they are broke?
Let’s not forget, the A’s and the Oakland city government were only $36M apart on the Howard Terminal infrastructure that would have gotten the project off the ground. In other words, the money the ballclub is potentially forfeiting in TV rights next year could have kept the team in Oakland with a new stadium already under construction.
What?
Of course, this isn’t the only dough Fisher and friends have seemingly found under their couch cushions in recent times. In December last year, they paid Alameda County $45 million as part of a deal that gave the team control over half the Oakland Coliseum. Great deal, Alameda County. Way to totally not screw everyone.
By the way, that $45 million is nearly double the amount the A’s have committed to player salaries in 2024. All this does is highlight the fact the team does, in fact, have money. Ownership just doesn’t want to spend it on things like making the ballclub more competitive or building a stadium in Oakland.
And really, why would you want to build a stadium in Oakland where people will hold you to account when you could just go down to Las Vegas and hand over menial amounts of petty cash to politicians and local officials who will give you a massive blank check to build a mythical facility that has zero renders and no plan for funding.
This explains why roughly a month after the A’s got the green light for handouts from the Nevada legislature, donations started to roll in from the team to various people connected to the plan’s approval—folks like Clark County Commissioner Michael N. Naft, Nevada State Senator Carrie Buck, and Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant.
It’s almost as if John Fisher and Dave Kaval were paying for yes votes (Allegedly). All told, the Oakland A’s paid out $23,000 to people connected with the stadium funding vote after it was approved. This is what corruption looks like folks.
But let’s not focus on that infinitely frustrating aspect of the process. The question I have is where was all this money when the A’s were trying to build a new stadium in Oakland? All Fisher and the team have wanted to do is cry about how poor they are and how tough they have it.
Broke people don’t drop $20,000+ on political contributions and pass up tens of millions of dollars in TV revenue. The Oakland A’s front office has the financial wherewithal of a college student who has just received their FAFSA disbursement. Sure, you could buy your books and save some money for the upcoming semester. Or you could buy a bunch of beer and throw a massive party.
Read More: Where will the Oakland A’s play in 2025? (It’s not where you think)
