Oakland Athletics: Plans for new ballpark keep team Rooted in Oakland
The Oakland Athletics unveiled their plans for a new “jewel box” stadium that keeps the team very much “Rooted in Oakland.”
The seemingly endless pursuit of a new home for the Oakland Athletics may finally be over. The A’s released information today on a potential new waterfront stadium located at Howard Terminal, less than one mile from Jack London Square, set to open in 2023.
It has been a long road to get to this point for the A’s. From the talks of moving to San Jose, to Fremont, and more recently, to the Peralta Site.
All of the A’s efforts in acquiring new land for a ballpark have been in vain, seemingly up until now.
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If there is any team that deserves a new ballpark, it is the Oakland Athletics. The Coliseum is, and this may surprise some, the fifth oldest stadium in baseball.
And while the A’s current home does display some character, it does not project the same nostalgia as Wrigley or Fenway, and is outdated and unreliable.
That has not stopped the A’s, however, from achieving consistent success on the field in recent years. Since 2000, (we’re picking 2000 because it’s a round number to go off of/ the Coliseum’s bad rap seems to be more of a recent thing) the A’s have been to the postseason a total of nine times, more than all but four other teams — Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, and Dodgers.
Within the last decade, teams like the Marlins and Twins have gotten new homes, so it is long overdue that a team like the A’s, who have competed more often than both, get new grounds.
Additionally, while constantly labeled a small market club, it is not like the A’s actually play in a small market, at least population wise. According the the census, the Bay Area is home to around seven million people.
Seven million people is more than enough human capital to support an MLB franchise.
Another point that should be made is that the A’s are coming off of a surprising 97 win season, and possess a solid and likeable core with exciting prospects on the horizon.
Coming off such an exhilarating season, now truly does seem like the best time to push for and receive community support for a new ballpark.
A new facility in Oakland would not only provide a better experience for fans, but for players as well. The A’s have sometimes seemed to have a certain level of difficulty in attracting players through free agency in the past, but a new and improved place to play could help potentially solve the issue.
After all, the Bay Area is a highly desirable place to live, especially if you have money. Therefore, a new ballpark could theoretically translate into better players being either retained and/or recruited, which in turn would create long term success and stability that fans could attach themselves to.
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To round it out, it should be mentioned that the address of the stadium is not a 100 percent go at this point, but it does sound like there is more promise than there was with previous ballpark rumors. If you would like to see, there are photos of the potential stadium, and it is a sight to behold.