Reggie Jackson is placing blame on the Oakland city government — not the A’s — for the franchise’s potential move to Las Vegas.
Jackson, who won three straight World Series titles with the A’s from 1972-74, ripped city leaders for their failure to keep the team in Oakland during a conversation with Sportico on Thursday
“You’re going to lose the team,” Jackson said. “The city, I thought, really needed to do something. Save the A’s. You lost the Warriors. You lost the Raiders. What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t see that coming? The fans don’t deserve that … I blame the people running the deal. You’ve got to keep the team for the benefit of the city. They lost all three of them.”
Jackson was drafted by the then Kansas City Athletics in 1966.
He played for the franchise for nine seasons from 1967 to 1975 and was named AL MVP in 1973, in addition to the three championships.
After spending time with the Orioles, Yankees and Angels, Jackson returned to the A’s in 1987, his final season.
Jackson recently claimed that he, Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and former Vancouver Canucks owner John McCaw attempted to buy the team in the early 2000s, only to be blocked by former commissioner Bud Selig.
“Bud didn’t give me the team, and I think we could’ve gotten something done in Oakland,” Jackson told Sportico. “In the same sentence, I think the Fishers [the A’s current owners] did their best trying to get something done. At the same time, no matter how wealthy you are, you can’t continue to lose money every year. So, you have to go whether you want to stay or not. I always thought they bought the team to try to keep it there.”
The A’s still play at Oakland Coliseum, which opened in 1966 and had MLB’s lowest attendance last season at less than 10,000 fans per game.
The 2023 version has the lowest payroll in the majors at around $60 million and is tied for the sport’s worst record at 4-16.
The A’s signed a binding agreement last week to purchase land near the Las Vegas Strip for a new retractable roof ballpark.
The team is expected to work with the state of Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium and hopes to break ground by next year and play in their new stadium by 2027.