One might expect Las Vegas native Bryce Harper to be excited about the city potentially getting an MLB team, but his reaction is actually a bit different.
Harper was asked his feelings about the Oakland Athletics’ proposed move to Las Vegas, and the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder said he was not terribly excited about the move. He argued that the Athletics belong in Oakland, not Vegas.
“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland,” Harper told Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. “It’s just not right. They have so much history in Oakland. You’re taking a team out of a city. I’m pretty sad because of all of the history and all of the greatness they’ve seen there. I see the A’s as Oakland. I don’t see them as Vegas.”
Harper’s comments will be appreciated in Oakland, where fans recently staged an impressive reverse boycott against the A’s and team owner John Fisher. However, with $380 million in public funding for a new stadium approved by the Nevada legislature, it is not likely to make much of a difference.
Still, the A’s likely move has not been a PR success for the team or league, to say the least. Harper’s remarks are not going to help the perception.
