To win over Las Vegas, A’s need to loosen the purse strings

My mea culpa: I guess it wasn’t always a leverage play. At least not anymore.

That was my first reaction when hearing another major professional sports team had its eyes on relocating to Las Vegas. It appears much more serious than that now.

It seems the Oakland A’s really might be coming to town. Which could be a good thing for Southern Nevada.

And a potentially bad one considering the team. Unless it changes how it does business.

Get serious

The A’s are serious enough about a move that they have signed a binding purchase agreement for land west of the Las Vegas Strip, where a $1.5 billion partially retractable-roof ballpark would be raised.

Let’s hope the worst team in baseball is also serious about spending money for the on-field product more than it has been in what seems like forever.

It won’t work if not.

Look. This is a more than solid deal for the A’s if passed at the state and local levels. A terrific one, in fact. The team might be covering the cost of the ballpark initially, but it will benefit greatly while a tax district is created around it. Perhaps to the tune of $500 million in credits.

Score one for property taxes from ancillary development if you’re the A’s. Not a bad payday.

Which means we now know certain details of a public-private partnership.

What we don’t know: If the A’s will indeed loosen their purse strings, and if the revenue associated with a new stadium will alter a fundamental way of thinking about payroll. Theirs ranks dead last in the majors this season at around $60 million. We don’t know whether owner John Fisher and his fat checkbook would alter his business model.

“I’ve been in countless meetings on this and that’s one of the 10 questions always asked of them,” Aviators president and Chief Operations Officer Don Logan said of the Athletics. “Yes. They want to invest in the team. They know they have to do it. (Fisher) wants to win. I know everybody says that, but he does.”

Las Vegas would be the smallest market in the majors. I also don’t know how many folks (or politicians for that matter) have been clamoring for major league baseball to take up shop here, but I believe people would attend games to start.

They will care if the team does.

“You have to have a good plan in place,” Logan said. “One that makes sense and is thoughtful.”

Baseball is unique in many ways. It’s a summer sport. You have 3½ months to yourself on the calendar. You play series, which could entice fans of visiting teams to make the city and local hotels home for a few days.

What the A’s need to do is lean on their Triple-A affiliate for guidance, to use the Aviators as a resource (not to mention their data base of thousands of ticket holders) as a network from which they can benefit.

To use whatever political influence the Aviators can provide locally.

Shovel in ground

Some, however, aren’t so convinced about the A’s being willing to compete for top-tiered talent.

“This is more than anything a search to be loved,” longtime Bay Area sports columnist Ray Ratto said. “They’ve never been loved anywhere they’ve been as (an organization). As long as that stays true, they’re not going to spend. They’ve always enjoyed the illusion they’re in a small market. And they’ve made money every year they’ve done this.

“I think they’d rather be in Las Vegas than Oakland because there is more upside. But they’ve proven nothing. They’ve shown nothing unless they actually show us they have rented a shovel.”

There appears to be land now in which to put one in the ground.

It’s the biggest step yet in turning leverage into reality.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter