U.S. Bank says John Fisher can afford pricey new A’s stadium

The Athletics’ new Las Vegas ballpark will cost $250 million more than originally projected, but team owner John Fisher is still expected to foot his share of the bill.

In a letter to the Las Vegas’s stadium authority, U.S. Bank senior vice president Stephen Vogel wrote that Fisher, whose net worth is an estimated $3.2 billion, and his family can comfortably afford the now $1.75 billion project.

“We conclude that the Fisher family and their related entities have financial assets (excluding their interest in the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise) more than sufficient to fund the equity portion of the proposed capital structure for the Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium,” Vogel wrote.

The price of the Las Vegas Athletics stadium has skyrocketed to $1.75 billion — a quarter billion dollars more than originally estimated — due to inflation and “the addition of 70,000 square feet of ballpark features,” per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. pic.twitter.com/rBSwiCbFur

— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) December 2, 2024

U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs are loaning Fisher $300 million for construction costs, while the public sector is chipping in $380 million, per Front Office Sports.

Fisher is still recruiting minority equity investors but has not yet given a clear picture on how he will fund the rest of the project. Fisher has said he and his family will contribute as much as $1.1 billion.

The ballpark was originally slated to cost $1.5 billion, but improvements to fan and player amenities — including suite spaces — have raised the bill.

Construction on the stadium is scheduled to start next spring. The A’s hope their new home will be ready for Opening Day 2028.

Until then, the team will play its home games at Sutter Health Park, a minor league stadium in Sacramento, Calif., that seats about 14,000 fans.

The A’s had called Oakland home from 1968 to 2024, but Fisher elected to move the team after failing to agree with the city on terms for building a new stadium in the Bay Area.

–Field Level Media

More A’s coverage from Sactown Sports

Countless people around baseball already held reservations about the Oakland Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas, and many on the fence could soon sway in a similar direction.

According to Mick Akers of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the cost of the A’s planned ballpark has increased by a quarter billion dollars, raising the projected price tag to $1.75 billion.

The A’s are responsible for all cost overruns, which adds another layer to the situation. The notoriously penny-pinching ownership group headed by John Fisher will be on the hook for more expenses as the franchise also focuses on upgrading Sutter Health Park, its new, temporary home in Sacramento, to Major League standards.

Read more below:

Report: Price for A’s ballpark in Las Vegas swells to $1.7 billion

Upcoming 2024-25 MLB Offseason Dates

• MLB free agency begins the day after the final World Series game
• Players can sign contracts with new teams five days after the final World Series game
• December 8-11th – MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas, TX
• February TBD – Pitchers & catchers report for Spring Training

Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Newsletter