It's official: the Oakland Athletics are moving to Vegas.
On Thursday, MLB owners approved the relocation in a unanimous vote, dampening Bay Area fans' hopes that the voice of loyalty, rather than financial motives, would prevail.
The A's aren't the first MLB team to move homes, and they probably won't be the last. Here's a short list of every MLB team that has relocated since 1953.
Oakland A's move to Vegas, TBD
The "Sell the team" chants have never been louder, but owner John Fisher got his way in the end. The A's are set to move for the third time; they started in Philadelphia, moved to Kansas City, moved to Oakland in 1968, and will move to Las Vegas, the exact year of which remains unknown.
The A's lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and Fisher plans to move the team into a new stadium on the Las Vegas strip ahead of the 2028 season, at the earliest. Where the team will play from 2025-2027 is anyone's guess. The fans likely won't have a say in the matter.
Montreal Expos move to Washington, 2005
O, Canada. The Montreal Expos were the first MLB franchise to be located outside the U.S., and they eventually moved to Washington D.C. in 2005, where they were rebranded as the Nationals. This was due to declining attendance at Olympic Stadium, among a few other reasons.
Fun linguistic fact: Back when they were in Montreal, the French play-by-play announcers had to develop a French language glossary of baseball terminology to describe the sport to the French-speaking city-dwellers. "Home run" was "coup de circuit". A "knuckleball" was "balle papillon", or "butterfly ball".
Washington Senators move to Texas, 1972
The Washington Senators were one of the AL's eight charter franchises. After a confusing era of name changes that saw the Senators become the Nationals and then go back to the Senators, the team moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 1972. They are now known unequivocally as the Texas Rangers.
Seattle Pilots move to Milwaukee, 1970
The Seattle Pilots were a one-season wonder (or more like dud). As part of a four-team expansion, the Pilots existed for just one season before relocating to Milwaukee in 1970 and becoming the Milwaukee Brewers.
Their home stadium was called "Sick's Stadium" and their official theme song went like, "You brought the majors to the evergreen Northwest; now, go, go you Pilots, you're going to be the best!"
Kansas City Athletics move to Oakland, 1968
The Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland for the same reasons the Oakland Athletics are moving to Las Vegas: increased revenue.
In 1968, team owner Charlie Finley moved the A's to Oakland, where the team got the Coliseum and a much bigger stream of revenue in radio and TV money. In Kansas City, the A's only raked in $50,000 a year through those revenue sources; in Oakland on the West Coast market, that number increased to $1 million.
Milwaukee Braves move to Atlanta, 1966
The Milwaukee Braves thrived in Wisconsin for 13 years and even won the World Series in 1957. In that season, righty Lew Burdette helped bring the championship to "Bushville", named such when one snotty Yankees player called the Milwaukee crowd "strictly bush".
The Braves still ended up moving to the more lucrative Atlanta market, where they are no longer "bush".
Washington Senators move to Minnesota, 1961
Remember when the Senators moved to Texas? Well, before that, the Washington Senators (the first version) moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.
For clarity, there was the first/ original Washington Senators team that became the Twins. When they left in 1961, they were replaced by an expansion Senators team that would later move and become the Rangers in 1972.
Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles and New York Giants move to San Francisco, 1958
The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California in the same year, 1958. Thus, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were born.
Then-Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley was extremely loathed by fans after moving to L.A. The following quote described fans' feelings: "If you asked a Brooklyn Dodger fan, if you had a gun with only two bullets in it and were in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and O'Malley, who would you shoot? The answer: O'Malley, twice!"
Philadelphia Athletics move to Kansas City, 1955
Here we have the birthplace of the A's. The Philadelphia Athletics played 52 seasons in Philly before moving to Kansas City in response to the rise of the crosstown Phillies. This first move, as some may see it, was the beginning of a tormenting owner-fanbase relationship.
St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore, 1954
The St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 to become the Baltimore Orioles, in part due to growing competition with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Browns' move is unique in a few ways: for one, they were the only team to move east instead of west. Also, they chose to change their entire identity after relocating, shedding the "Browns" name completely. The Browns, much like the current Cleveland NFL team, were very much associated with losing.
Boston Braves move to Milwaukee, 1953
Here is the birthplace of the Braves, as we know it. The Boston Braves blazed the path for several other franchises to relocate during the 1950s and 60s. After a whopping 77 seasons in Boston, the Braves set out for Milwaukee around the same time the Red Sox started winning. Damn you, Ted Williams.
