LETTER: Las Vegas should be happy to welcome the A’s
In his Saturday letter, Jim Veltri reads the mind of Oakland A’s owner John Fisher when he claims Mr. Fisher knew he needed financial help. Forbes has estimated Mr. Fisher’s wealth at approximately $3 billion and his family’s wealth at approximately $7 billion. Any argument about what he could make available for the stadium is speculative. The fact is, Major League Baseball desires a public option.
Arguments about the Las Vegas TV market do not take into account the impact of tourism or the viewing area. For example, the Golden Knights viewing area includes the entire states of Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Montana. The market has not hurt the Raiders, which are near the top of the NFL in gross ticket revenue.
Mr. Veltri’s comment of “as this drags on” ignores Steve Hill, Stadium Authority CEO, who was quoted in the RJ saying the project timeline is consistent with that of projects of similar size.
Mr. Fisher’s reputation has been slandered by those who ignore that the Bay Area market is not able to support two MLB teams, especially with most fans supporting the Giants. They have also ignored the team’s attempts to get a stadium over a 20-plus year period. Many of us look forward to the A’s arriving and appreciate the confidence Mr. Fisher has in the area. We will work to make the team successful.
