Manfred: The fate of athletics in Auckland will be decided soon | Sports

0

Denver (AFP) Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said that it will be decided whether athletics has a future in Oakland in the coming months.

John Fisher, managing partner of athletics, as well as David Caval, club president, have proposed building a new park in Terminal Howard in Auckland. Manfred said that if the stadium project is not approved, the team will move to Las Vegas or expand the search for a new home to other cities.

“John Fisher and Major League Baseball have done everything humanly possible to build a stadium in Oakland,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) before the All-Star Game. “The moment you come to the conclusion that this can’t be achieved, whether you like it or not, you have to find another place to play, because you need an attachment. It’s easy.”

Athletics has played at the Colosseum since 1968, and the lease expires after the 2024 season.

After proposing and withdrawing plans to build stadiums in Fremont and San Jose, the team announced in November 2018 that it had found a site for a new park in Terminal Howard, near Jack London Square. The stadium will cost more than a billion dollars.

From the inside, it will be possible to see part of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and the port of Oakland.

The Auckland Assembly will review the non-binding provisions of the proposal on July 20.

“The Auckland operation is coming to an end,” Manfred said. “John Fisher, Dave Cavalle has dedicated literally millions of dollars to the initiative to structure a park proposal backed by the City of Oakland and Alameda County. This proposal is before the corresponding government authorities. There are truly critical votes to be made in the past two months that will determine the future of baseball in Oakland.”

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *