Photo: Icon Sportswire
The Oakland Athletics shared the first renderings of their new ballpark project in Las Vegas ahead of their pending relocation via MLB.com.
The A's, Bjarke Ingels Group, which serves as the design lead, and HNTB, which is the sports/hospitality designer and architect of record, shared the designs of the upcoming stadium set to be located on the Tropicana site, on Tuesday (March 5).
"The collaboration between BIG’s creativity and HNTB’s technical expertise allows for a truly innovative and bold design while ensuring an unmatched fan experience,” said Athletics Managing Partner and Owner John Fisher. “We hope to add to the dynamic atmosphere and liveliness of the Las Vegas Strip, creating a welcoming environment for all of Southern Nevada.”
MLB owners voted "unanimously" to approve the A's move to Las Vegas, USA TODAY reported on November 16, though the team has not yet figured out where it will play in 2025 and beyond before the completion of its new Las Vegas stadium. In June, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed a bill pledging $380 million in taxpayer money to building a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
The A's, who had previously relocated from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955 and Kansas City to Oakland in 1968, will be the first MLB relocation since the then-Montreal Expos moved and rebranded as the Washington Nationals in 2005, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported.
SB1, the bill calling for public funding of the A's proposed Las Vegas stadium, was approved by the state Senate and Assembly after additional amendments were included to have the franchise guarantee $2 million be annually invested into the local community, as well as funding other small concessions. The approval came hours after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred provided a tone deaf response to A's fans' "reverse boycott" on June 13.
Las Vegas has already added three professional sports franchises in recent years, which includes the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, who moved from Oakland in 2020, the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history this week, through expansion in 2017 and the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, who relocated from San Antonio and rebranded in 2017, having since won back-to-back WNBA championships in the last two seasons.