Oakland Athletics President Checks Out 30 Sites For Ballpark In Metro Las Vegas, But Public Funding Sources Not Discussed
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com talked with Dave Kaval, president of the Oakland A’s, about his recent visit to Las Vegas look at prospective sites for a baseball park.
Here is a live stream video of Kaval answering my questions today. Kaval called in from the Texas Rangers-Oakland Athletics game in Texas.
Kaval’s audio quality isn’t ideal, but you should be able to understand his responses. The biggest non-answer was when I asked Kaval whether he is using his trips to Las Vegas as political leverage for an Oakland City Council vote July 10 on the Athletics’ Howard Terminal waterfront ballpark proposal.
Below the video are the top dozen takeaways from our interview.
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— Visited 30 sites during two trips to metro Las Vegas: Up and down the Strip and the hotel-casino corridor; in Summerlin including chats with Howard Hughes Corporation officials; Henderson; and downtown Las Vegas where Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants to redevelop the Cashman Center area.
— Looking at retractable-roof ballpark in the $1 billion range.
— Too early to talk about public contribution of funds.
— There will be an Oakland City Council vote on the $12 billion Oakland Athletics ballpark development project at Howard Terminal in a month.
— “It’s Howard Terminal or bust.”
— Team has worked 20 years to develop ballpark in metro Oakland.
— As of right now, “no point of view” on lining up public funding in Las Vegas market.
— A’s can co-exist with their Triple A team Las Vegas Aviators in same market. (He pointed to Vegas Golden Knights and Henderson Silver Knights).
— A’s looking for $850 million in public contributions in Oakland market.
— He’s well aware that on some night the crowds at Aviators games in Summerlin are bigger than the crowds at the Coliseum in Oakland.
— The Howard Terminal ballpark proposal is modeled after the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park waterfront concept.
— He will be back in Vegas in early July for more chats and meetings.
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