Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott share opinions on possible A's relocation to Las Vegas
Las Vegas is slowly but surely becoming a hot spot for professional sports teams. The city is currently celebrating the Stanley Cup victory of its first professional franchise, Vegas Golden Knights, who won just days ago on home ice. The Raiders made the transfer from Oakland to Las Vegas prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season — and soon enough, MLB will be making its mark on the iconic strip.
While it’s not set in stone, it appears the Oakland Athletics will be making the move once MLB owners vote on a relocation plan.
It has become quite an interesting topic among Vegas fans when looking at homegrown teams versus teams being relocated. So, how does it fare for Vegas natives Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott? Does it make that big of a difference?
The short answer: yes, it does.
Harper and Stott shared their honest opinions with USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale, as the Phillies prepare to visit Oakland on their current road trip.
"We would rather see an expansion team than a relocated team," Stott said. "That's why fans are so crazy about the Knights. It's Vegas' first team. It's ours. It was kind of easy for people to gravitate towards that. Vegas wasn't a big hockey town. It is now.
“But baseball, you have people in town liking the Dodgers, and the Angels, and the Padres, and the Diamondbacks. It will take a few generations before they have a real fandom in baseball. I’m sure they’ll sell tickets for visiting fans, which is probably all they care about.’’
Team relocations are a rarity across all professional leagues, but it’s an interesting dynamic once delved into. Not only is it a difficult situation for the city acquiring the team, but also for the one losing it.
"I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland," Harper said. "It's just not right. They have so much history in Oakland. You're taking a team out of a city. I'm pretty sad because of all of the history and all of the greatness they've seen there.
"I see the A's as Oakland.
"That's why it should have been an expansion franchise, not the A's. Look at the Knights, they won the Cup, but they were an expansion franchise. They were Vegas-born, as people would say. It's the first team that came to Vegas. I don't think you can really match that.”
The Phillies head to Oakland to face the A's following the conclusion of their series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. The A's lease with the Oakland Coliseum is up in 2024, so this could very well be the last time Philly makes the trip.
