I don’t often get the opportunity to publish personal accounts, however, I was asked by the Oakland A’s organization to share my recent experience with the team. After spending a week in Arizona earlier this year, with the organization, I’m finally getting this out there.

You don’t necessarily need to be a baseball fan to appreciate this, and who knows, you may just become an Oakland Athletics fan after reading this.

The impetus behind this though has much to do with the current state of the Oakland Athletics organization. The two MLB teams I’ve rooted for in my life are the NY Metropolitans (having grown up in NY) and the Oakland Athletics, one National League, one American League. Initially captured by the green and gold uniforms, my mind was set on players like Catfish, Vida, Fingers, Lansford, Steinbach, Zito, Reggie, Ricky, Stew, Sal, Henderson, Dallas and a huge cast of others that helped me realize baseball is the ultimate game, full of excitement, especially as an A’s fan. Baseball like few other sports mirrors life.

Former owner, Lew Wolf, sought to move the A’s to a new location within Oakland, in 2005. Realizing the Coliseum, now the oldest MLB stadium, was in dire need of repairs, updates and just about everything else, tried but eventually failed to complete a deal with the City of Oakland. Since that time, John Fisher, the current owner has been trying to figure out where the A’s should play ball and is now seeking to move the team to Las Vegas, alongside the Raiders, leaving Oakland without a professional sports team. Obviously, it’s a complex issue and impacts more than just the team. The economic impact would be devastating to Oakland, if they fled, not to mention the fan base. Claims about the City not supporting the team moving locally is riddled with debate. Ultimately, it must make sense for everyone. As I write this, the team is now poised to move to Las Vegas. They have cleared major hurdles around public funding in Las Vegas which Oakland claims they have also done. Only left is for MLB owners to approve the move.

If the improbable A’s make the move, I will still remain a fan. As sad as this sounds, the only constant in life is change. Don’t get me wrong, the A’s moved to Oakland in 1968 and became one of the most successful baseball franchises, winning fans from a wide span. The rivalry with the SF Giants, including the Bay Bridge Series will be one on many missed gems in baseball history. When the A’s tried to move the team to San Jose in 2013 the Giants ownership fought the move over territorial rights. The City of San Jose even went on to sue MLB, claiming MLB was conspiring to create a Giants monopoly blocking the A’s move. So, it hasn’t been without a constant fight and uphill battle.

Not quite the same, but take a moment to understand what’s going down with LIV golf and the PGA. LIV backed by the Saudi-Arabian sovereign wealth fund, valued at over $600B (yes, billion) was drowning the PGA in lawsuits, with $300M, in the bank, (yes, million). Literally, no contest. Despite the number of human-rights issues, lack of civil liberties and political freedom - the Saudi’s win again and further strengthen their global geopolitical footprint. The PGA execs stand to make more then imaginable as do the players. Regardless of what side you are on in both of these scenarios, the fact remains, change is inevitable.

It's just a fantasy...or is it?

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