The Raiders left for Los Angeles in 1982, returned to Oakland in 1995 and then moved to Las Vegas in 2020.
The Golden State Warriors moved across the bay to San Francisco's Chase Center starting in the 2019–20 season after playing in Oakland since 1971.
Oakland also briefly had an NHL team: the California Golden Seals, which joined as an expansion franchise in 1967 and played nine seasons in Oakland before becoming the Cleveland Barons, which ceased operations after two seasons.
Oakland native and former MLB player Bip Roberts, now a real estate investor in the East Bay, said he doesn’t buy the argument that his hometown lacks the audience or money to support a major league team.
“Oakland has everything you need to be successful,” Roberts said. “When you think about people like us who grew up here, people like us who live here, we can go to any sporting event regardless of the price of the ticket, right? Leaving a big market like this and going to a smaller market is a no-brainer. [Sacramento] and then in a small market [Las Vegas]In my opinion, this is not a very 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 median household income is $119,931, which are among the tops in both the state ($95,521) and national ($80,610). However, they are lower than San Francisco's median household income of $126,730 and nearby Marin ($139,644) and San Mateo counties ($151,485).
However, in recent years Las Vegas has evolved into a sports capital of sorts. The city — which will house the A's, Raiders and NHL's Golden Knights — hosted its first Super Bowl seven months ago, and last year it hosted the Stanley Cup Final and the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Vegas is also being eyed as a destination for a future expansion NBA franchise.
The A's departure gives the San Francisco Giants full control of the Bay Area market, leaving New York, Chicago, the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, and Greater Los Angeles as the only markets with two MLB clubs.
According to on-field metrics, the A's have historically been at least on par with the Giants. Through Tuesday night's action, the Oakland A's were 4,613-4,383 (.513) while the San Francisco Giants were 5,473-5,118 (.517).
The A's have won six American League pennants and four World Series, while the Giants have won six National League pennants and three World Series. The A's defeated the Giants in the 1989 Fall Classic.
Yet it's the Giants — who are likely headed for their eighth season at .500 or worse — who are holding on. The fifth-most valuable club in baseball at an estimated $3.8 billion, the Giants play in one of MLB's most beloved ballparks, which has helped the team surpass the A's in viewership since Oracle Park opened in 2000.
A's fans, disappointed by Fisher's move, have stayed away in droves this season. The franchise ranks near the bottom of MLB in attendance, drawing an average of just 10,635 fans per game.
Roberts placed the blame on the A's management. Even before Fisher and real estate developer Lewis Wolff purchased the team in 2005, the franchise had a reputation for focusing on profits at the expense of retaining talent long-term.
Prime examples of lost stars 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, then won a World Series ring with the Texas Rangers last year.
“It was such a thing in the organization, to have these players have so much support and backing in the city, and then they're gone,” Roberts said. “And I think that upset people.”
He said the depth of the loss grows as the A’s final game draws closer and fans share memories of the Oakland Coliseum on social media and elsewhere.
“I'm starting to feel sad about what's going to happen,” Roberts said. “I've been repressing my feelings for a long time.”
Dana Warinsky reported from Oakland and David K. Lee from New York City.