The A's decision to make their temporary home in Sacramento while awaiting a new ballpark in Las Vegas has “rippled through the Sacramento area, leaving residents conflicted,” according to Letourneau & Bollag of the S.F. CHRONICLE. A’s owner John Fisher turned to his friend, Kings and Triple-A PCL Sacramento River Cats owner Vivek Ranadivé, who “helped arrange” for the team to play at the River Cats’ Sutter Health Park for the 2025-27 seasons. But several Sacramento sports fans said that they “felt uncomfortable about robbing their neighbors of a historic franchise.” The city -- part of the greater Sacramento region with a 2.4 million population -- is also “one of the two top 20 media markets nationally with only one major pro sports team” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/5).
MISERABLE OUTCOME: In a S.F. CHRONICLE roundtable discussion, Ann Killion wrote most diehard Bay Area A’s fans “don’t want to spend any more money, including gas or train money, to support John Fisher.” Scott Ostler wrote the novelty “will make the A’s a peppy attraction ... for a while.” Ostler added fans “will be motivated to show up” knowing Sacramento is “auditioning for a real MLB team.” John Shea: “I don’t think the fan reception in Sacramento will be as rah-rah as Thursday’s celebratory announcement at the River Cats’ ballpark.” Shea added fans in the capital are “hip to how miserably longtime A’s fans have been treated by the A’s ownership and MLB.” Susan Slusser: “I think they will turn out the first year and once the novelty wears off, if the team isn’t performing well or playing an AL Central team or something, they might not sell out the, what, 10,000 of actual seats? (The rest is berm seating).” Killion added the team is already planning to lay off staff and the A’s “will truly be minor league” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/5).
