Oakland Athletics Refuse to Pay Rent on Their Home Stadium
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 01: An Oakland A's fan cheers before the start of the Opening Day game of the Oakland Athletics and The Boston Red Sox at the McAfee Coliseum April 1, 2008 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Here’s something wild to think about. The owners of the Athletics’ stadium in Oakland could just padlock the doors.
Turns out, the team admitted that they couldn’t pay the $1.2 million annual rent due on the venue, according to The Mercury News.
Coliseum Authority interim executive Henry Gardner is holding firm on wanting to collect, telling the paper, “Maybe there are some things we are willing to negotiate and waive, but we can’t just say no rent.”
A board member reportedly went so far as to accuse the As of capitalizing on the pandemic, claiming, “It’s just an excuse to try to not pay when the city needs the money the most.”
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