Joe Lacob carefully answers question about buying the Oakland A’s
Oct 7, 2023, 7:00 AM
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 06: (L-R) Golden State Warriors owners Joseph S. Lacob and Peter Guber sit courtside for the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in game three of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has added another sports franchise to his portfolio.
On Thursday, the WNBA announced they’ve awarded Lacob and the Golden State Warriors an expansion team in the Bay Area. The team is expected to join the league for the 2025 season.
After the WNBA’s press conference announcing the team’s addition to the league, Lacob was asked if the Oakland Athletics were to go up for sale, if he would be interested in purchasing the team.
Lacob’s name has long been attached to buying the A’s. He even told the San Francisco Chronicle that he has had a “standing offer” to buy the team for over the past decade. According to the East Bay Times, Lacob said chose his words carefully.
“You have to have someone who wants to sell something to be interested in buying it,” Lacob said. “John [Fisher, Oakland A’s owner] is very interested in being successful. He’s dogged about it, and he’s going to Vegas as far as I understand it, so I don’t want to comment on that because, as a person, I hope he’s successful. I don’t want to get in his way and say anything. We’ve over the years been obviously very interested. You all know that I’ve said it, and if for whatever reason (Fisher) decided it wasn’t going to work, sure, we might be interested. But I’m not throwing my hat in the ring, and I don’t want Major League Baseball to be mad at me, either. So I don’t want to get in their way.”
Where do Oakland Athletics relocation plans stand?
Plans to relocate accelerated this year when the organization changed direction after years of trying to work with the city of Oakland and a new stadium at Howard Terminal and announced multiple binding agreements with Las Vegas properties.
Ultimately, the team landed a spot at the Tropicana where a $1.5 billion, nine-acre stadium is expected to be built. The ballpark, which was granted $380 in public funding for construction earlier this summer, would include a retractable roof and roughly 30,000 seats. Early estimates claim the ballpark could open in time for the 2028 season.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he hopes a vote takes place this November.
Las Vegas would be the fourth home for the franchise. The team originates from Philadelphia where they played from 1901-1954. The Athletics then moved to Kansas City until 1968, when they relocated to Oakland. The A’s have been looking to either update or move out of the Oakland Coliseum for years.
If and when the team is relocated, they will need a temporary home because the Athletics’ lease at the Coliseum concludes at the end of the 2024 MLB season.
Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
