Why did Oakland lose all of its sports teams? (Alameda: crime, salaries)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

With the A’s move to Vegas, it got me wondering why Oakland lost all 3 of their teams in such a short time. Granted, the Warriors were right across the bridge to San Fran so on a regional level it’s not a loss. But it’s just odd how close in time all 3 teams left the city. What happened?

[mattja]

No one wants to go to Oakland to see a game.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by mattja

No one wants to go to Oakland to see a game.

This.

[Natural510]

Other cities are willing to put public money into building arenas for their sports teams, because they falsely see them as a public institution. Then, 20 years later, they’re shocked when the team leaves town because some other foolish city offered to do the same. Alameda County was burned once by the Raiders and were smart enough not to do it again. It’s an endless game of blackmail…Milwaukee is already getting it from their baseball team because a stadium built 22 years ago is no longer good enough.

[MechAndy]

There is just not enough money there to be enticing enough to keep a team from leaving.
Any other reason is just jibberish.
There are plenty of other places that have much more money than a ghetto town like Oakland that can offer them better deals come or incentives to stay.

What exactly does Oakland have to offer?
It’s not lots of money and it darn sure isn’t public safety.

The sport teams leaving is similar to bad relationships where those involved start to want different things.

Oakland can still come out ahead and make a lot of money with the teams leaving.
All that land could be developed into a huge housing/rental/retail tax bonanza if it were handled properly.
How many units do you think could be fit onto all that land.
The money could be amazing, but I’m sure somebody will play a “shell game” and fleece the people out of it.
I mean it is Oakland after all.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by mattja

No one wants to go to Oakland to see a game.

Wrong.

Greedy ownership and TV media revenue were the motivating factors, for the Raiders at least.

[blameyourself]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Wrong.

Greedy ownership and TV media revenue were the motivating factors, for the Raiders at least.

Laughable how people always call a business "greedy" when they look out for their best interest
.
I was a season ticket owner for the Raiders and can say first hand that the fan experience was terrible. The Oakland Football Marketing Association were a bunch of morons I turned them in, subscribed to the NFL Sunday Ticket and never looked back.

[BeerGeek40]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

With the A’s move to Vegas, it got me wondering why Oakland lost all 3 of their teams in such a short time. Granted, the Warriors were right across the bridge to San Fran so on a regional level it’s not a loss. But it’s just odd how close in time all 3 teams left the city. What happened?

I'm going to take a wild guess.
1. Attendance was terrible. The A's are dead last in attendance again this year and have been at, or near the bottom every year for the past 15 years or so.
2. Quality of life issues, crime, etc has gotten a lot worse and it's gotten a lot more expensive to attend the games.

[moguldreamer]

The only people who voluntarily live in Oakland are in the Federal Witness Relocation Program.

[Hemlock140]

Although I agree with the crime in that area, I think it has a lot more to do with the venue itself. I was in the Bay Area when the coliseum was built in 1966, worked in Oakland for 17 years, went to many concerts and other events and many A's games. Even the last time I went in 1992 the stadium was a dump. People go to Oracle Park, and also T-Mobile in Seattle regardless of the team's record because it's a fun place to be. There was never any of that atmosphere in the Oakland coliseum and with age it only got worse. It's hard for a team to make enough to pay the player salaries without butts in the seats. Selling out requires either a winning team, or a welcoming, fun atmosphere.