• Loading stock data...
Sunday, February 23, 2025

Missing in Action: New A’s Stadium Rendering Excludes Many Key Pieces

  • The club’s highly anticipated facility drawings feature many notable omissions.
  • The release of four planned stadium views marks the latest chapter in a long-running saga
Oakland A’s/Bjarke Ingels Group/HNTB

The newly released A’s renderings for the club’s planned new stadium in Las Vegas were aimed significantly at quelling rising doubts around the planned franchise relocation and signaling that the much-maligned plan was still on track.

Mission not accomplished.

Instead, the highly anticipated drawings for the planned $1.5 billion facility showed an extensive series of omissions and only heightened questions about whether the stadium will actually become a reality. The latest renderings, developed with veteran architecture and infrastructure development firms Bjarke Ingels Group and HNTB, show a fixed-roof dome with five overlapping layers and a sail-like design similar to Australia’s Sydney Opera House. The A’s insist that the global landmark was not an influence but rather the 33,000-seat stadium design was described by Bjarke Ingels Group as a “spherical armadillo.”

But that design also leaves out many critical elements of any MLB facility such as: 

  • A batter’s eye
  • Bullpens
  • Infrastructure for air conditioning
  • Luxury suites
  • Stadium lighting 

Perhaps because of all these issues, the A’s turned off social media comments on X and LinkedIn for their posts of the renderings. Other parts of the design were widely mocked online, such as the sun shown setting in the east, only one umpire on the field, a base runner facing away from the depicted game action, and different ethnicities for the player at bat and the same one featured on the scoreboard.

It’s also highly questionable that such an ambitious design can be executed for the stated cost of $1.5 billion. The Sphere, newly opened last fall near the planned A’s stadium site, cost $2.3 billion and, while highly groundbreaking in its own right, doesn’t have as elaborate a roof design as this facility. 

Not the First Time

The saga of the A’s renderings already holds a rather tortured history. An initial set of drawings last fall—developed largely to secure $380 million in public funding toward the project—was later dismissed by the team as garbage. The subsequent set of renderings was then due in December but delayed following the deaths of two Nevada state troopers in the line of duty.

Many key questions, such as how the stadium will work on a tight, 9-acre site at the location of the current Tropicana Las Vegas resort, still aren’t fully answered considering a planned adjacent hotel is not depicted in the new drawings. 

Already, there are serious doubts it can work. Last month, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said on the Front Office Sports Today podcast that the current ballpark plan “does not make sense.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Fox Reports Big Sports Profits, Eyes New Streaming Service

Football and baseball helped power surges in company revenue and net income.

NFL Aims for Eight International Games in 2025 but May Fall Short

The league wanted to expand from five to eight international games next season.
Feb 2, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; AFC wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars (7) carries the ball against NFC return specialist KaVontae Turpin of the Dallas Cowboys (9) during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium.

NFL Pro Bowl Ratings Drop Again Despite Flag Football Push

ABC, ESPN, and Disney XD drew 4.7 million viewers for Sunday’s simulcast.
Aug 22, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) talks with home plate umpire Pat Hoberg as Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) adjusts his PitchCom device during the second inning at Minute Maid Park.

MLB Fires Umpire Pat Hoberg: Third Gambling Scandal in Under a Year

The league terminates the umpire for failing to uphold the game’s integrity.

Featured Today

‘Ultimate Throwback’: The Unimpeachable Cool of Hartford Whalers Gear

Nostalgia and street cred have driven a consistent frenzy for merch.
January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44), before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.
February 1, 2025

The New WAGs: Sports Wives Building Business Empires

Athletes’ wives and girlfriends are bucking stereotypes and cashing in.
Feb 3, 2019; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears mascot dances on the court during a stoppage in play in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion.
January 31, 2025

The Toll of Bicoastal Travel on New ACC Members Cal and Stanford

Cal and Stanford face missed flights, chaotic sleep schedules, and academic demands.
January 28, 2025

It’s Starting to Pay to Be Good at Cornhole

American Cornhole League players made $7.7 million in 2024.

Lurie Not Interested in Celtics; Considering Eagles Stadium Options

The Eagles owner has been reported as a potential Celtics bidder.
February 3, 2025

Caitlin Clark’s Rise Drawing Stars to Fever, Creating Title Contender

DeWanna Bonner is a two-time WNBA champion.
Jan 2, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; The New Orleans Saints logo on the field before their game against the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome.
February 3, 2025

Internal Emails Find Saints Heavily Involved in New Orleans Church Abuse Scandal

Saints communications staff helped the church with public relations efforts.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
February 2, 2025

Kings Sending De’Aaron Fox to Spurs in 3-Team Deal for Zach LaVine

De’Aaron Fox will join Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
February 2, 2025

Lakers’ Luka Trade Shakes NBA, While Mavericks Face Fallout

One of the NBA’s most popular teams gets a major boost.
February 1, 2025

Nashville, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia Submit WNBA Expansion Bids

Tennessee’s team would be named after legendary basketball coach Pat Summit.
January 30, 2025

Utah Hockey Club Puts Name Choice in Fans’ Hands After Yeti Fiasco

Keeping the existing name, the Mammoth, and Wasatch are the remaining options.