How a billionaire STOLE a team and EXPOSED the truth about MLB | Athleticsgate 

What if??? What if Al Davis was alive today and was the baseball commissioner??????????

A’s fan since 1987 here. Outstanding job, Adam. You summed it all up.

I was shocked when researching this that he had so much involvement!

@AdamDoesNotExist people rip Rob Manfred about this mess, and he deserves blame himself but, Selig is more to blame, he allowed Lew Wolff to try to move to San Jose knowing the Giants would fight it at all costs. I think deep down MLB views the Bay Area as a 1 team Market and that is the Giants. They have showed the Giants so much favoritism the last 30 yrs, giving them territorial rights in San Jose and blocking their move too Tampa. The Giants are the preferred team in the Bay Area.

What sucks even more is just looking at what Joe Lacob would invest in the team. Lacob is one of the only owners in sports who knows how to spend. He finds talents and then builds around them by spending. And he can do it because winning makes money.

@@lmswentzeljrthe bit about MLB viewing the Bay Area as a 1-team market is laughable given that it is more than double the size of Vegas even before factoring in surrounding metros like Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, etc etc which Vegas has basically none of

Baseball barely survived its weakest and worst commissioner, Selig. When you come to a people business via having sold used cars you have the entirely wrong model, at least philosophically, to begin. I haven't watched much MLB in ten years now, and though I don't make excuses for that, or point fingers, I know what the time-line shows.

No, Oakland doesn't show up unless the team is good. Fairweather fans in the bay Area. Just ask the sharks.

I agree with @dingosean Fisher has done everything possible to make it seem like the fans are the issue. I’m not an A’s fan and can confirm that the fans absolutely love this team.

​@@AdamDoesNotExistbased on the historically bottom of the league TV ratings (backed by a terrible RTN deal) or the bottom third attendance during their best years?

@@leon_ekim food is more expensive at the coli and worse than it is at the chase center. I was at the game last night and ushers were telling people to sit down in the top of the 9th as the A’s were about to win. Going to games is bizarre for so many reasons. Meanwhile, I see A’s hats everywhere in the bay. They’ve done everything they can to alienate fans.

@@AdamDoesNotExist I understand that the Coli is a dump but that doesn't explain the awful TV ratings(even when they are good) nor the terrible local TV deal. Great production on the video. It was really well put together.

You bet! I think any baseball fan should be pissed.

Incredible that you were able to see those games live and in person!

Rickey Henderson's speech broke my heart. Instead of acknowledging Lou Brocks accomplishments he basically said how " Lou Brock was the best, now I'm the best." It was very selfish. Still, a great day.

Maybe go to the games and support your team through thick and thin. Then you have a gripe but since you guys average 8 fans a game as is even when good yiu got no platform to stand on. You aren't entitled to your favorite baseball team or to have one locally

I’d feel exactly the same if I lived in Vegas.

That's a fair comment and I appreciate your perspective. My one hope is that some kids in Vegas learn to love the team thr way I did as a kid in Oakland. But for me baseball is dead now.

Then why did you vote to give the A's money to move there?

I'm just happy we mugged oakland. Twice.

​​@@relyk4277hat's sad that it's dead for you mate... 😔. Are you sure?

Wow, can't believe I made that mistake. Thanks for pointing it out!

Thank you! Good luck on your journey as well!!!

I agree John Fisher should sell the team. I feel bad for the Oakland fans. I’m a Diamondbacks fan and I feel for you and your team. In that division, it’s the Dodgers and then everyone else

Yeah me too. What a troll.

You should break your phone over the fact that the A's have a garbage fanbase. Bay area people have no right to complain since they don't go to games. No support= no team.

Manfred was right.

@@jonathanrice1070 I'm not disputing the fact of what he said was numerically accurate. I think it's disgusting that he won't recognize that the fans have been actively boycotting for the past two years because of the actions of the ownership.

The Commissioner is a jackass plain and simple

I totally agree. Everyone looks bad right now.

Yeah, this whole thing just stinks. I think your right, this is just one of many more situations like this that are coming in the near future.

most real fans of a team love baseball. So sure they hate players on other teams, have teams they want to always lose etc. but a piece of garbage like Fisher is terrible for baseball and we all hate him for it. The fact he put a horrible product on the field, had attenence tank and then RAISED ticket prices and parking for next season while lowering the payroll further tells you all you need to know. I'm a Yankees fan btw and have no ideas to hate the A's or any of their players. That stadium is an absolute disgrace though.

As an A’s fan I’ve had such tunnel-vision with this situation that I haven’t considered the consequences for other teams. It sets a precedent, heck, even a formula of how to get away with fandom murder. I hope Milwaukee and Tampa get a better deal.

@@wetstinkysocks MLB let Jeffrey Loria by the Marlins AFTER he owned a huge chunk of the expos and we know what he did with them. So he put a non competative Marlins team on the field for 10 years, bilked the taxpayers for a new stadium and then sold them for 10x the price he paid. Yet MLB woudn't let Mark Cuban who would be a great owner buy a team bc he's outspoken. Other owners will continue to mlb their fanbases over bc MLB lets them. I couldn't stand Selig- but I'll say this much for him- he genuinely loves baseball. I honestly think Manfred hates it.

When you understand the history of race in America and that Oakland suffers solely because it’s considered black you’ll know why they have animosity towards teams and fans from rich white places that benefitted from slave labor… you’ll understand

Nothing was intentional! I first saw the point made here: www.joesheehan.com/2023/06/joe-sheehan-newsletter-june-12-2023-las.html#:~:text=Moving%20a%20baseball%20team%20from,what%20the%20Knights%20have%20done. Obviously, I'm no journalist. Joe points out that that they'd need to nearly sell out every game for this to work financially. If they're as good as the Golden Nights, that's great and this might work out... but the small stadium still caps the upside of having a good team. If they're bad which is more likely given NHL expansion advantages vs. MLB relocation; then Fisher wins and Vegas and Oakland both lose. You might not like Joe's argument, but it is wroth reading if you're interested in the details.

🤘

Yeah there's probably some truth to this. Fisher and the City both look terrible in relation to the A's. And Fisher is known to be much more conservative than the general population in Oakland or Portland. Probably another reason for the move.

Yeah I messed that up, an mentioned in the pinned comment. Mark's haircut is incredible.

The renderings of the Vegas stadium so far look really nice. I’m sure it will be a great place to catch a game as long as they keep that roof closed!

I can’t leave my house without seeing multiple A’s hats. It seems like no one wants Fisher so maybe this story isn’t over!

The constant building up of fan favorites only to trade them is a time honored A’s tradition dating back to the Philadelphia days under Connie Mack but especially in the Kansas City days with Charlie Finley

In the early 70’s the A’s won three straight World Series and they averaged 10-12k a night attendance for those years and the coliseum was considered one of the best stadiums back then, since 2000 the A’s have been one of the best teams and consistently relevant and they still didn’t draw any attendance so after all those years of winning and no one still comes out it’s time to move the team and the Rays will be next that’s another fan base that doesn’t support their team.

50-100k loyal fans isn’t enough to run a MLB franchise

A’s are one of the best MLB history in championships. 😂

Oh my bad. I was worried about waking your kids. I don’t have any. I definitely have to work on my RU-vid yell at the audience voice hahah!

I was more worried about your family. Would hate to wake the kiddos. Def gotta work on my RU-vid scream at the audience voice haha!

Yeah that’s my prediction as well.

If it weren’t for that pesky name rights deal they may have beaten the A’s to Vegas.

Its because Manfraud is a hypocrite and cares not for tradition or actually doing right for a team. All he cares about is money.

Actually, there’s bad history with the Marlins too! Remember the Expos?? Their newest owner came in and did everything possible to tank the team because he wanted to buy the Marlins after selling the Expos/Nationals. He got a stadium built by taxpayers in an awful location & then sold the team for a massive profit. Since then, ownership has sold off all their star players before they’d have to pay them big money.

@@lovesgucci1 what!? I had no idea. That’s so upsetting to hear!

That was just the cliff notes but it’s an interesting comparison. Great work by the way!!

Don’t forget the Seals!

Yeah, it’s crazy

You'd be a hero!

lol! It is crazy to see fiction become reality

That movie inspired him !!

I think it's because they don't really have to pay for their own teams. They can if they want, but it's pretty easy to avoid. Good luck with the Wolves!

The Golden Knights are doing great too. But the NHL has a crazy expansion draft, and the NFL is a very different event style than MLB. I hope everything turns out okay for sports fans in the bay are, sacramento, and vegas.

Not my claim, just repeating what a number of actual journalists have uncovered. And I guess the neighborhood doesn’t really effect me because I either take Bart to games or drive. It’s not like I’m walking through anywhere I feel uncomfortable.

@@AdamDoesNotExist It's your claim because you stated it as fact. Did you even double-check what they allegedly "uncovered"? Clearly not. Your on-screen graphics lists them as 40th, not "last". It took me 30 seconds to find the full article from CBS and they say there are six other cities with major professional teams - not including those in Canada - that have smaller "markets". They do claim it would be the "smallest that would be home to three teams." which is utter BS as well because they are listing them based on Nielsen DMA's which are obtuse at best. Going by actual GMA population Pittsburgh and Cleveland are smaller with Denver, Tampa, and Minneapolis being the same size. And what about the mayor's dishonesty and you covering for her? "We offered them 55 acres but in Las Vegas, they are satisfied with only 9 acres". The spot in LV is 45 acres with 9 of that going to the ballpark. The 55 in Oakland wasn't all for the ballpark, it was mixed-use. BTW, you come off as an ivory tower elitist with your "It doesn't affect me because I don't walk there" statement. For everyone else who doesn't understand the BART is elevated in that area and there is a skywalk to the park. You never have to be at surface level with the commoners. FWIW, I grew up in the Midwest (Cub's fan) but lived in the Bay Area for 20 years. I took my kids to A's games when they were little. My wife is from Berkeley and a lifelong A's fan. I get that the owner is a business first guy but it IS a business and if you think this isn't entirely the fault of the Oakland government you have not been paying attention to the years of bait and switch they have played with the A's.

Ugh. You’re probably right and that makes me even more sad

lol@ thinking this is the 1960s

@@tomf5823 no, it is much more sophisticated corruption now. I actually dealt a cards at Belligo and watched it happen right in front of me. Cash in cheque out

100%!!! Lot's of Miller fans these days!

They sure did!

This is a really well thought out look at the situation. I agree with a lot of what you’ve said.

Yeah teams moving has been a thing for a long long time. The circumstances are always nuanced though.

How was it!

Really I think Bud Selig is the worst of all time. He let Steroids be used and it got out of Control and they only released they had a problem when Barry Bonds was hitting home runs at a higher pace than Sosa and McGuire but the Strike in 94 had a part in that as well and they were at high level of popularity in a good while since the 60s. The current commissioner has actually help the game with putting in a pitch clock.

Totally. Baseball in Baltimore is great!

Yeah I think it's a little more complicated than that but thanks for watching!

This is a really important point

100%! This man should just not be allowed to own a team.

@@AdamDoesNotExist i would love to see a protest outside of every Gap store until Fisher sells the team - he is a pirate

Glad you liked it! There's some old footage of A's games where fisher is in the crowd right behind home plate, but I couldn't find anything usable.

I don't doubt Southern Nevada sports fans at all. But It does look like the broader community has some concerns with building the smallest MLB stadium in the smallest TV market.

@@AdamDoesNotExist I agree when I seen how little land that it has to be on I could not belive it and I agree with you it's the owners falt he's wanted to move them from the beginning

@@nealroberts5844 I could see them finding another site in Vegas before they break ground. Now we just have to wait and see!

Agree!!!

Sad to hear but I know exactly how you feel

Appreciate the frank feedback, and thanks for watching!

Thank you! That's really kind!!

That would be really cool to see, but I feel like there's no chance of this happening. What current owner would be okay with the chance of relegation? Maybe Hal Steinbrenner?

Yeah they sure did. It hurts a little bit less the way he did it. It's still close, he didn't blame the fans, and he didn't play two cities agains each other to get more money.

Crazy how similar it is

Yeah you're right. I've got a lot to improve on my videos, and that's towards the top of the list.

It was a ‘reverse’ boycott. The point was to show there are fans.

Thank you!

Yeah, he's a great executive.

Fisher has done a lot of conservative politics work so I suspect this is a big part of his motivation

It would be really interesting to see an expansion team in Oakland after the A's leave... but I'm not counting on it

Preach! If I was a gambler I’d say the A’s are ending up in Vegas but who knows at this point.

I honestly can’t blame Vegas for wanting the A’s relocation; Fisher & all. Everyone keep saying “Just wait for an expansion team”, but it’s not that simple. Manfred said he expected 2 expansion teams, 1 on each coast (after the Rays & A’s situation is locked up.) That means Las Vegas is fighting against larger cities with deeper pockets. Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Austin & Portland would be vying for 1 relocation spot! These aren’t just cities to choose from but are cities that are ready, willing and able. Vegas is hoping that once the A’s move there, Fisher will sell. I can understand that perspective. BUT, is anything signed? What about legit renderings? Will Fisher change his mind on locations again? Oakland elected officials need to take some blame for this too. Are they much further along than Vegas? By miles! While the Howard Terminal location is great, city council is making insane demands! Here’s just a few: - All the new condominiums need to be allocated for low income housing. It’s sounds great but how does the city expect to get some of that tax revenue back? Use the Coliseum to build lower income housing instead. Win win. -Environmental studies. Again, sounds great but one councilman said that they expect it to take 2 years to study the environmental affects. 2 years just to over pay people. The whole new stadium could go under if some kid says that area hurts penguins. -street signs and specific walk ways. Another study for where to place these crosswalks and caution signs Fisher is to blame but some (besides US congresswoman Bass) Oakland elected officials are getting off way too easy. They speak out on Twitter but behind closed doors don’t care enough to have the A’s stay. Haha sorry for the novel!

@@lovesgucci1it’s almost as if Vegas isn’t actually a viable MLB market

​@@lovesgucci1If the Howard Terminal stadium was JUST for a stadium then it would've passed years ago. But it wasn't: it included residential, commercial, and retail property, all which have their own requirements and approval processes. The affordable housing requirement isn't optional: it's a mandate signed by Governor Newsome. The City of Oakland can't just sign off on such a big project while breaking state law without facing major consequences from the state. So in that sense, it is easier to build in Vegas as there isn't as much red tape. But that has nothing to do with the City of Oakland but with California in general. Also, are you referring to Karen Bass? She never represented Oakland: she represented LA (and is currently the mayor of LA). Were you referring to Barbara Lee?

JOOS helping other JOOS, a cult

I'm afraid it might be too late for that. But sounds like the Tropicana team isn't rushing to demo the resort...

Yeah I don't totally agree but that's certainly an opinion that many have

No they didn’t from 1987-1992 they were top ten in league attendance. Just stop

27k for what is essentially a joke felt pretty good to me. Certainly felt like a lot more than that as well.

Look at Baseball reference and you will see in the early 70’s they won three straight World Series and still only averaged 10-12k a night that’s pathetic and you can’t blame the coliseum it was considered one of the better stadiums until the early nineties, they have a very small but loyal fan base not enough to sustain an MLB team that can consistently spend money and contend, John Fischer may be a lousy owner but a lack revenue will turn any owner into a rat. I don’t think a brand new stadium would still draw any fans.

@@mrbournias1how about in the early 90s when they were in top ten attendance?

@@scottcarroll1913 three years and top ten out of 14 teams isn’t an accomplishment

They don’t draw fans period the city lost all three teams within 5 years that’s never happened anywhere else in the history of American sports at some point we have to admit the obvious

There’s a lot wrong with a lot of sports. I hope the turn it around in time.

I think almost all baseball fans are united against Fisher!

Quite a bit more than that!

I don’t think that you’ll have to hope too hard, Vegas is in no way large enough to be a four or five-sport market and the coming recession is going to screw it hard

It will definitely be interesting!

I should have known!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hahaha. Not sure how I messed up the Al Davis quote!

Not only does Manfred tolerate this, he’s one of the main players!!

@@AdamDoesNotExist it pisses me right off I cant describe how much I hate both of them

At this rate the Oakland Roots are going to be the most professional team in Oakland. So getting a Triple A team would be great!

Hahaha, thank you! That's such a good video.

It might! Only time will tell

I think there are a lot of reasons for leaving Oakland, and while there is some overlap each team has had unique reasons. Even the Seals!

Not surprised really, just annoyed at how blatant and in your face it is in this case.

It’s pretty crazy in parts of the stadium!

Yeah that’s him. Nice catch! He’s been an outspoken critic of the move to Vegas.

*fail financially. The A's could win the world series (which will never happen with Fisher as an owner) and still struggle to make money.

@@AdamDoesNotExist and the Knight made money

Yeah everyone looks bad right now. Mt. Davis certainly isn't helping anything.

Definitely an issue

lol. Don't tell Fresno

Yeah I think you're right. The Howard Terminal site has been in consideration for over 20 years, before Fisher even owned the team. There was an uptown site under consideration, the coliseum site and more. At one point the city was pushing for Howard Terminal, but the A's didn't want it. Two mayors later it looks like the A's were pushing for Howard Terminal, but without any intention of actually building there. From an outsider's prospective it looks like Fisher decided to move the team a long time ago.

You are wrong

Sure is

Thanks! You’re right though, I’ve definitely got to work on my RU-vid voice.

I hope not!

Until this whole A's saga, neither did I!

Yup!

Yeah I agree with a lot of this actually. One things for sure - no one, not fisher the city, the fans, the league look good in this.

Yeah, this video ignores that the A's are leasing the coliseum and actually put 10 million of their own dollars into some "upgrades". That means the city is responsible for the now terrible stadium upkeep. The city clearly isn't doing it.

Couldn’t get much closer to that airport

@@AdamDoesNotExist I don’t know the exact location on the strip, but you can often see hotels on the strip from the Las Vegas runways. The free bus that goes up and down is probably better than BART too.

The stadium in Vegas will be like a block away from the runway. Public transit is probably better in Oakland, but my point was more that transportation options at Coliseum site are better than Howard Terminal

@@AdamDoesNotExist absolutely. I thought it was part of your argument that Oakland as a whole is better. Maybe I misunderstood

Let’s hope!!

They will approve of the deal. The only hope is that the Giants share the rights to San Jose once again. The A's gave up the share agreement when the Giants were about to bolt to Tampa.

I just hope they don't wait to make the movie until a new stadium is built. Feels like I could be dead by then!

@@AdamDoesNotExist I'd be cool with it not being released until after I'm dead... Actually now that I think about it that's the only way I'd be cool with the movie being made.

@@idontknowleavemealoneplease hahaha

I messed this up, it was actually Al's son Mark who said that. But they seem to have the same mindset