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Oakland mayor pushes back at Rob Manfred as MLB commissioner mocks A's fans

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 6/15/23

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with the media on Thursday, and in discussing the potential relocation of the Oakland A's to Las Vegas, he came across sounding like a cartoon villain as he mocked the fans recent reverse boycott, while also trying to argue that the city has made no effort to keep the team.

It all prompted the mayors office in Oakland to strike back with a scathing statement that outlined what the city actually did propose as a potential stadium solution.

Manfred said, via ESPN's Joon Lee: "The real question is, what is it Oakland was prepared to do? There is no Oakland offer. OK? They never got to a point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site. And it’s not just John Fisher. The community has to provide support."

Manfred on studies that say stadiums do not generate significant local economic growth:

"I love academics. They're great. Take the areas where baseball stadiums had been built. Look at what was around Truist Park before that was built. ... Academics can say whatever they want."
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) June 15, 2023

In response, the mayor's office offered this statement, via Lee:

"There was a very concrete proposal under discussion and Oakland had gone above and beyond to clear hurdles, including securing funding for infrastructure, providing an environmental review and working with other agencies to finalize proposals," said a spokesperson for Mayor Sheng Thao. "The reality is the A's ownership had insisted on a multibillion-dollar, 55-acre project that included a ballpark, residential, commercial and retail space. In Las Vegas, for whatever reason, they seem satisfied with a 9-acre leased ballpark on leased land. If they had proposed a similar project in Oakland, we feel confident a new ballpark would already be under construction."

Manfred also seemed to take a shot at A's fans for their reverse boycott effort on Tuesday night where they attempted to pack the stadium and show the league and team owner John Fisher they passionately care about the team.

"I mean, it was great. It is great to see what is this year almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night," Manfred said, clearly dripping with sarcasm. "That's a great thing."

The arrogance it takes to insult fans that are on the verge of losing their team is one of the coldest things a commissioner could do in that situation.

It also speaks to the arrogance of sports leagues and owners thinking fans should buy into a franchise that doesn't respect them. A's ownership has never shown a willingness to seriously invest in its roster, even when the team was good, and completely gutted this year's roster to an embarrassing degree all while attempting to move the team to a different city.

Can you blame fans for not flocking to the stadium every night for that product and situation?

It is difficult to see how any of this benefits the A's or Major League Baseball beyond getting more public funding for a stadium. Assuming the relocation takes place, the A's are going to remain a small-market team with a small-wallet owner playing in what will likely be the smallest stadium in Major League Baseball (expected capacity of 30,000). The on-field results and financials will likely remain the same.

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