For the first time since the Athletics’ establishment in 1967, they are homeless. After spending 57 years in Oakland, they are spending the 2025-2028 seasons in West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, sharing the minor league venue with the River Cats. The A’s owner, John Fisher, is using Sacramento as a home temporarily as he chases the bright lights of Las Vegas. But what if Sacramento could be more than a pit-stop? What if it became the permanent address?

For decades, Sacramento A’s fans have made the journey down I-80 westbound, cooler in the trunk, A’s flag on the window, fighting Bay Bridge traffic despite the team’s painful history. 

Sacramento has already proven they’ll show up. In their home opener in Sacramento, the A’s drew in 12,199 fans, in a stadium built for a 10,000-person capacity, among the top attendance per capacity in Major League Baseball (MLB). This is despite the ownership trying to reject Sacramento by refusing to take the Sacramento namesake while the city hosts them. The atmosphere feels real again, not the empty echo chamber of the Oakland Coliseum. 

In the 80s, a mixed-use NFL/MLB Stadium was proposed next to Arco Arena in Natomas to lure in the A’s or Raiders, or possibly even an expansion team. In August 1987, 21,000 fans traveled from the capital city to Oakland in the ‘Sacramento March on Baseball’ to show their desire for a major league team. The fans traveled 90 miles down Interstate 80 in a convoy that included 273 buses and thousands of cars. They helped fill the stadium with 48,129 customers as the New York Yankees shut out Oakland 4-0. Greg Luckenbill, architect of the proposed stadium, claimed that the people of Sacramento preferred an expansion team and chose Oakland because it was closest.

The numbers also add up: Sacramento is the 20th largest TV market in America–bigger than Las Vegas (40), San Diego, and half of the current MLB markets. Corporate headquarters  and the state capital are minutes away from Sutter Health Park right now. In 2024, the A’s sold out every patch and sponsorship, something they couldn’t do in Oakland in years. 

And Vegas? It’s a mirage. Tourists don’t buy season tickets; they’re in for three drunk nights, not 81 summer dates in 110-degree heat. The proposed dome, on the old Tropicana site, is minutes away from the famed Las Vegas Strip, and is a $2 billion gamble with $380 million publicly subsidized for billionaire investors. Allegiant Stadium has also proven that Raiders fans will disappear when the team is bad, with 68% of attendees from outside the Las Vegas Valley, and a staggering 50% of attendees showing out for the visiting team. There’s no question Sacramento fans are loyal—just look at the Kings.

The money in Sacramento is also real. Wilton Racheria, local tribe and owner of Sky River Casino, has just acquired a majority stake in Sacramento Republic FC and is funding a new stadium downtown. Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has also said multiple times that he’d love an MLB team. The same playbook that brought the Kings’ arena downtown in 2016 is ready to go again. 

For a permanent stadium site, there are two main options:

The Railyards in Downtown Sacramento has 244 acres—the largest urban infill project in the U.S—and will also host Republic FC’s MLS-caliber stadium in 2027, possibly creating one of the best sports complexes in the country. 

Another option is Cal Expo, with 350+ acres of flat, state-owned land, and no private land disputes. Sac State already has plans to build a new football stadium at the fairgrounds, forming an excellent sports culture. There are also 12,000-15,000 available parking spots and transit available on site from SacRT’s Gold Line. 

Imagine September 2031. Division race on the line. Sun drops behind the Tower Bridge as 35,000 pack the Railyards Ballpark. Walk-off homer. Fireworks over the river. Green and Gold confetti all over the field. 

Oakland let them go, and Vegas is a gamble that’s already cracking.

Keep the A’s in Sactown for good.