Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, born and raised in Las Vegas, is no fan of the Athletics' proposal to relocate there from Oakland in the coming years -- a plan that took the next step on Wednesday, when the $380 million public funding bill for a new stadium was approved by the Nevada Senate.
"I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland,'' Harper told USA Today. "It's just not right. They have so much history in Oakland. You're taking a team out of a city. I'm pretty sad because of all of the history and all of the greatness they've seen there."
Harper, along with teammate and fellow Nevadan Bryson Stott, voiced the belief that Las Vegas residents would be more welcoming of an expansion team -- as they were when the National Hockey League created the Golden Knights.
"But baseball, you have people in town liking the Dodgers, and the Angels, and the Padres, and the Diamondbacks. It will take a few generations before they have a real fandom in baseball," Stott said. "I'm sure they'll sell tickets for visiting fans, which is probably all they care about.''
Earlier this week, Oakland fans packed the stadium in a "reverse boycott." The motivation behind the reverse boycott was to convince franchise owner John Fisher to sell the team rather than relocate it elsewhere.
Governor Joe Lombardo still has to sign off on the public funding bill, although that's expected to be a formality. Same with the other 29 MLB franchise owners voting to approve the A's relocation.
The A's have expressed the desire to begin construction on a new stadium located near the Las Vegas Strip sometime next year. Should everything proceed to plan, they would open up the ballpark in time for the 2027 season.
The A's may have to relocate to Las Vegas before their new home is complete: their lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. In theory, the A's could play their games at a minor-league ballpark during the interim period -- their Triple-A affiliate is currently located in Las Vegas.
Whenever and wherever the A's end up, just don't count on Harper joining them.
"If I ever play there, then something really bad happened here," Harper told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. "I hope I die in a Phillies jersey."
