I came across this article at ESPN yesterday:
Where are the NBA's Golden State Warriors going?
Back in the mid-70's, you could argue that Oakland was the (West Coast) King of the Sports World.
The Oakland A's won the World Series in three consecutive seasons, 1972, 1973, & 1974. Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter were household names.
The Oakland Raiders were one of the most feared teams in the NFL and won the Super Bowl in 1977. John Madden's record as the coach of the Raiders was 103–32–7 when he retired in 1978. He never coached another NFL team.
The Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship in 1975, led by NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. The Warriors were in the playoffs nearly every year between 1971 and 1977.
The California Golden Seals were, well, they were awful. But Oakland had a hockey team.
The Oakland Stompers were, well, they weren't much better than the Seals and quickly moved on to Edmonton. But Oakland had a soccer team.
Back in 1970, Oakland was the 38th largest city in the nation, today the 48th. Oakland is still part of the 11th largest metroplex in America, but the problem is they are now the EIGHTH largest city in California. Yet either 1st or 2nd in crime (depending on your sourcing).
Can you name all of the cities larger than Oakland today? Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Fresno, and Sacramento. And there's the problem.
Los Angeles will have 10 (!!!!) sports franchises by next year.
San Diego will only have the Padres.
San Jose will have the Sharks, Earthquake, and the San Francisco 49'ers.
Sacramento was barely able to hold onto the Kings a few years back.
And San Francisco has the Giants and they're grabbing the Warriors
Oakland is losing the Raiders to Las Vegas next year, so Oakland is desperately trying to find a new home their last remaining team, the Athletics.
The Athletics were the originators of Moneyball because attendance was always so low. This year they made the Wild Card and were still in the bottom 5 in attendance. Moneyball is a perpetually losing proposition, because it takes time for young players to develop, then when the player blossoms, they move on in their peak years, due to their cost.
Now that the Athletics are the last game in town, they can play Hardball with Oakland. They want a new ballpark on the waterfront.
The A’s are negotiating with the Port of Oakland for a ballpark plan at Howard Terminal that they hope to announce by year’s end. They are also working on plans for the Coliseum property and have offered the city of Oakland and Alameda County $137 million to buy the 111-acre site.
The problem is that Oakland nearly went bankrupt in 2009. And in 2013. And earlier this year.
So until the Athletics and Oakland sign on the dotted line, the situation is still fluid, like it has been for the past decade. The Athletics could still end up in Sacramento or San Jose if Oakland doesn't act fast. If Oakland cries poor, you think a city like Fresno might like to get into the Pro Sports Game?
The Fresno Athletics?
As I was getting ready to post this article, yet another story came up on ESPN.
It never stops, does it?
Rumors: Irvine Angels, Tustin Angels, or Las Vegas Angels.
Cleveland's population is currently 51st in the nation, behind modern metropolises such as Tulsa, Wichita, Omaha, AND OAKLAND. I'm not saying today, I'm not saying tomorrow, but in 10-20 years I could be writing the SAME EXACT article about my hometown.