While you were sleeping, the Oakland Athletics team President, Dave Kaval announced very late on Wednesday their team has officially finalized a deal to buy a 49-acre lot near the Las Vegas strip.
Is this shocking? Probably not.
However, I feel more for the fans than anything, who also saw their professional football team also move in 2020.
I think most people that are familiar with the situation in Oakland likely saw this coming.
An old stadium, unmotivated ownership, and lack of support have been just a few of the main causes for a future relocation in Oakland.
With the eventual move of the Athletics to Las Vegas, it got me thinking on my drive into the studios this morning how lucky we are here, in little old Milwaukee.
If you can go back and reach into your memory, it wasn’t that long ago, our teams here, in Milwaukee, had a cloudy future.
The Bucks, in 2014, sold to Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, but before that sale, the future of the Bucks was in jeopardy.
The team was not very good, the arena was outdated, and a move to Seattle or Las Vegas was a very REAL possibly.
The Brewers were kept safe in Milwaukee, a big thanks to former commish Bud Selig, and now owner, Mark Attanasio.
In comparison, the cities of Milwaukee and Oakland are VERY close in both size and population.
So, why has one small city kept their teams, and not the other?
Luck, really.
The Bucks hit the jackpot drafting Giannis in 2013, and with the new owners coming in the following year, the vision was set, and eventually put in to place.
The pay out? Multiple MVPs, and a 50-year in the waiting championship.
The Brewers, although no World Series, are in the midst of their golden age of baseball, making the playoffs the past 4 out of 5 years.
Bottom line – Next time you are at a game in Milwaukee, maybe watching it in your living room, soak it in a for a minute, we are very blessed in this sports city, and sometimes, maybe more than normal, we forget that.
