A’s & Kings: Sacramento Unite, Vegas Waits

Don’t look now, A’s haters, but Sacramento is fluffing the feathers of the Athletics, and cringe trolls are melting in their seats.

Sac Town Unite

Recently, the Sacramento Kings welcomed the Sacramento A’s to Golden 1 Center to take in Kings basketball and to be wooed by the crowd.

Kings fans cheered as the A’s presented themselves to the crowd, a foreshadowing of things to come the last 2 years in Sacramento, or maybe just some enthusiasm for more Sacramento baseball.

Sacramento Is a Sports Town

During their night out in town, it must be noted that the team is finally becoming the toast of Sacramento. It must be pointed out, too, that the Sacramento Kings are currently one of the worst teams in the NBA, and yet their stadium is just as full as if they weren’t. That’s the dedication of Sacramento fans and sports, and it is the reason why the A’s will thrive before they leave for Las Vegas, giving Vivek Ranadive a reason to clamor for a long-term professional team in Sacramento.

If you remember correctly, it was Vivek who helped bring the A’s franchise to Sacramento while the team puts the finishing touches on their shiny new home. Recently, Vivek treated Kings season ticket holders to an event featuring the A’s mingling with Kings ticket holders at the Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento.

The King and His Men

Vivek and the Kings are no idiots to the marketing scheme they lay while the A’s are playing visitors to the city. It’s a ploy to put the league on notice that Sacramento can host a real MLB franchise, given the opportunity for a bigger venue and team. The Athletics are smart to use this opportunity to widen their net for the product as well. Who knows how many fans gathered in Sacramento will follow their team to Las Vegas once they depart.

I would think it would be a majority given that most fans in Sacramento know this is a short-term rental, and it would be foolish to get attached to a team only to ditch it 2 years later.

Not all fans from Oakland and the Bay Area are trying to erase the A’s from their memory, either, as there is a strong collection of fans here that still root for the team, and even the local news covers them as if they were in Oakland still.

All Bets On Green and Yellow

Time may be short in Sacramento for the A’s, but the city and its fellow teams are rolling out the red carpet along the way. They know that this is their time to shine, too, as Las Vegas waits in turn. Don’t look now, but not only are the Athletics relevant again, but they’re also making friends along the way.

How long this relationship will last will be determined in the years to come after the A’s make the eventual move to Sin City. Still, if I were a betting man, I bet Vivek finds some way to be an affiliate of the A’s in Las Vegas while still running things here in Sacramento, just a hunch.

Until then, it’s Sacramento Unite for the Sacramento Kings and Athletics as Vegas awaits, seething at the mouth to absorb a flourishing young franchise full of limitless potential.