PHOENIX ― They were born in Las Vegas, raised in Las Vegas, and still are Las Vegas residents.
They have become avid fans of the Vegas Golden Knights, the city’s first professional franchise, frequently attending the NHL games during the winter, and wish they were in attendance Tuesday night to celebrate with the rest of the city when they won the Stanley Cup.
Soon, they’ll be able to have their friends and family watch them play in person, too, when the Philadelphia Phillies come through their hometown.
Well, pardon Phillies MVP Bryce Harper and shortstop Bryson Stott for not sharing in the excitement of Nevada residents over the news Wednesday night that the Oakland A’s are all but officially relocating to Vegas.
Harper and Stott don’t like it.
They’re skeptical, even cynical, that the franchise will have any chance of succeeding in their hometown.
“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland,’’ Harper told USA TODAY Sports. “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.
“I don’t see them as Vegas.’’
The A’s relocation plan to Las Vegas became almost a formality when the Nevada State Assembly and the State Senate approved the bill of spending up to $380 million in public money towards the construction of a new baseball stadium on the Las Vegas strip. The bill is now awaiting the approval of Gov. Joe Lombardo, a strong proponent of the bill.
It will become official once MLB owners vote on the relocation plan, which is expected to be unanimously approved by the 30 owners.
“We would rather see an expansion team than a relocated team,’’ Scott 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.’’
Stott points to the Raiders, who averaged 62,045 fans last season, which ranked just 30th among the 32 NFL teams, playing in the 40th-largest market.
“I went to a lot of their games,’’ Stott said. “It’s at best, 50-50 Raiders fans and whoever they’re playing. You’re selling tickets, but you want your own fans in the ballpark.’’
Besides, it’s not as if Las Vegas is inheriting a winner. The A’s are tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in baseball. They have MLB’s smallest payroll at $58 million. And they are years away from being remotely close to a playoff team.
“That’s why it should have been an expansion franchise, not the A’s,’’ Harper said. “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.
“It’s just going to be tough for those guys. It was tough for the Raiders last year. People thought the Raiders would be successful. Maybe they will be, but you have to build a fanbase. Those 5-and 6-year-olds are going to grow up as Raiders’ fans or A’s fans, so by the time they are 16-, 17-years-old, they’re going to have fans.
“And they better spend money to win.
“Vegas loves a winner.’’
The Phillies will see the fans’ heartbreak first-hand this weekend when they play a three-game series against the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s have a lease through 2024 at the Coliseum, but who knows where they’ll be until a ballpark can be built by 2028?
Who knows, it could be the last time Harper and the Phillies play the A’s again in the Coliseum.
“Those fans are so passionate, they bleed green,’’ Harper said. “I’m not sure what they’re going to be, or how they’re going to be in Vegas, but it won’t be the same. Pretty small market. The 30,000-seat stadium helps out a little bit, but at the same time, I’m going to be pretty sad they’re moving because of all of that history and all of the greatness they’ve seen there.’’
Former All-Star outfielder Dexter Fowler, a Las Vegas resident who won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs, shares the same sentiment, telling USA TODAY Sports that he wishes the A’s would have just stayed in Oakland, letting baseball place an expansion team in Las Vegas.
“I feel like Vegas should have had an expansion team,’’ Fowler said. “This is a small city with a big city vibe. The people here love their hometown teams. If they want to do OK here, they better put a better product on the field, spend a little more money, and show the fans that they are committed to winning, not just being here.
“But, I just feel so bad for Oakland. They already lost the Raiders to Vegas. Now this. Those people are going to hate Vegas.
“It’s like, Vegas got us again!
“Sad.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.
