What Portland's missing as the Athletics inch toward Vegas
The Oakland A's have been working on a plan to move to Las Vegas, which could have a big impact on Portland.
After five decades and four World Series victories, the Oakland Athletics are on their way to leave the Bay Area. They also have some of baseball's coolest uniforms.
The news that the A’s are reportedly heading to Las Vegas is felt in Portland on a number of levels. It's an initial blow to Portland's recent efforts to attract a Major League Baseball team. Portland Diamond Project representatives dismissed the news and said that it would be better for the Rose City to acquire an expansion franchise rather than an existing team.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred publicly supports the expansion of MLB to 32 teams.
Five years after their arrival, the group still hasn't identified a funding source (it will take billions of dollars) to pay for franchise fees, a stadium and land for a ballpark.
The San Francisco Business Times (a PBJ sister publication) covered the A's development extensively this week. This is a selection of the best pieces from that publication.
Here are a couple of PBJ articles from years past about the city's MLB initiatives.