Reggie Jackson Blames Oakland For Losing the A’s, Not The Team
Former A’s legend Reggie Jackson blamed the city of Oakland’s government for the A’s decision to relocate to Las Vegas.
Oakland is officially losing its third and final sports franchise. The A’s have resided in Oakland and have played at the Coliseum for 55 seasons, winning four World Series titles in that time span. A’s legend Jackson helped the team to a three-peat between 1972-74. He also won the AL and World Series MVP in 1973.
In a conversation with Sportico on Thursday, Jackson thrashed Oakland city officials for losing not just the A’s, but two other sports franchises.
“You’re going to lose the team,” Jackson said on Thursday. “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.”
There is no denying that the city of Oakland has had more than enough time to figure out an agreement for a new stadium. Proposals for stadiums in Oakland at Howard Terminal and Laney College failed. Other failed concepts included Bay Area relocation to San Jose and Fremont. Jackson shared the same frustrations as Oakland sports fans with their city officials.
“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 said.
The A’s decision to leave Oakland is not a result of lack of trying on the organizations part.
Jackson Attempted To Buy the A’s
Jackson recently revealed that he was part of a group that tried to buy the A’s when they were sold in 2005. The group included Bill Gates, Paul Allen and former Vancouver Canucks owner John McCaw. Jackson implied that his group would have had the intention of building a new home in Oakland.
“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.”
For almost two decades, the A’s ownership has tried to give their fans a stadium they deserve. The A’s following in the Raiders’ footsteps to Las Vegas is the result of almost two decades of failed negotiations. City of Oakland officials only have themselves to blame for losing three professional franchises.
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