Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., announced the introduction of the «Moneyball Law» Wednesday, and it’s a direct hit on Oakland A’s owner John Fisher.
Fisher is determined to move his team to Las Vegas, and the Nevada Senate put it in motion Tuesday when it approved helping finance Fisher’s new stadium in Sin City with $380 million in public tax money.
However, Lee and DeSaulnier believe that Fisher will have to pay a premium for the relocation.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)
The Moneyball Act is described as «legislation that would require the owners of any professional baseball club seeking to relocate to compensate the state and local authorities from which they relocate. If the owners fail to do so, Major League Baseball would be subject to the laws antitrust». laws from which they have been exempt for over a century.
Lee also sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
«The City of Oakland and Alameda County have been the home of the A’s for five and a half decades,» Lee wrote. «Multiple generations of Oaklanders have grown up identifying with the team’s dogged efforts and hard-earned victories. The A’s organization adds significant tangible economic benefit to our region, including numerous high-paying jobs at the Oakland Coliseum. But just as important is the sense of a unique shared cultural identity that surrounds the team and its home base (sic)».
NEVADA SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND LAS VEGAS STADIUM AT NIGHT FANS RUN ‘REVERSE BOYCOTT’
«MLB’s continued active encouragement for the A’s to leave Oakland and the East Bay runs counter to the logic supporting MLB’s century-old exemption from federal antitrust law. I urge you to reconsider efforts to subsidize or encourage relocation of the Oakland A’s out of the East Bay».
With this act, Lee wants «no city and community to be left behind when billionaires decide that lining their pockets is more important than the community that supports them.»
Added DeSaulnier, «I am proud to introduce this bill with Congresswoman Lee on behalf of the East Bay and communities across the country that stand to lose as a result of corporate greed in sports.»
Oakland Athletics fans received free jerseys labeled «SELL» before a «reverse boycott» game against the Tampa Bay Rays at RingCentral Coliseum on June 13, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
Atlético fans want the team to stay, but Fisher will almost certainly get what he wants. Fans held a «reverse boycott» Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum, packing the stadium to show Fisher that the fan base is still there; they just want him to sell the team so he can stay in Oakland.
The A’s ended up defeating MLB’s top rated Tampa Bay Rays that night, increasing their winning streak to seven straight games.
A’s WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT GAME BEHIND THREE-RUN DOUBLE OF SHEA LANGELIERS
But Fisher, who employs the league’s lowest payroll at $60 million, has his Las Vegas plan in motion right now.
A 42-person Nevada Assembly now needs to vote to approve the state’s $380 million funding, so Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has been a supporter of bringing an MLB franchise to Las Vegas to join the NFL’s Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights (who just won the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night), can sign him.
A general view of the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds at RingCentral Coliseum on April 30, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The A’s have been in Oakland since 1968, starting in Philadelphia in 1901 before moving to Kansas City in 1955.