Athletics owner John Fisher took in the Vegas Golden Knights’ thrilling double-overtime win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, leaving him excited about the potential fan backing of the Major League Baseball team when his franchise relocates to Southern Nevada in 2028.
In a video posted on social media by Circa Hotel, Fisher could be seen banging on the glass in the background of resort owner Derek Fisher celebrating the game-winning goal.
“How bout those Golden Knights,” Fisher told the Review-Journal on Monday. “I came out of that so excited about the Golden Knights and the team and the amazing organization, but also about the fans. Vegas fans are like no other fans in the world.
“They are incredibly passionate about their home teams and they’re going to be out here tonight and for the rest of our six games that we’re playing out here at the Aviators’ ballpark. I couldn’t be more excited to be here.”
Fisher said he enjoyed the raucous nature of the Knights game and the rabid Las Vegas fan base, but it also made him appreciate the calm nature a Major League Baseball game offers.
“There’s nothing quite like watching a hockey game if you’re fortunate enough to be right behind the goalie and to see what it’s like to see those gladiators out there with the puck coming at 100 mph directly at them,” Fisher said. “That is quite the experience, but I will say the calmness of baseball and the relaxing qualities of baseball is something I appreciated also in watching the hockey game. Because that place is nonstop action.”
Las Vegas Little Leaguer Logan Rich was taking in batting practice with his teammates on the field before the game, while trying to get a bat from a player.
Despite swinging and missing on securing a bat, Rich and his teammates met Fisher and former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden, who once threw a perfect game. Rich, a pitcher himself, said he once pitched a perfect inning, but meeting Braden was a cool moment.
“It gives me a bunch of inspiration,” Rich said. “It tells me to work harder and harder.”
Fisher moved to Las Vegas last year and already calls the area home. He said with the A’s stadium going vertical on the Strip, the team having an office, their ballpark experience center open in the southwest valley and about 60 employees based in Southern Nevada, it’s already feeling like a home for the team.
Mark Kotsay, A’s manager, said the homestand is a good way to keep building the fan base, as players are making community appearances and they get to mingle with fans throughout the week, such as the youth like Rich.
“This week provides the opportunity to get our feet on the ground and touch it as much as possible,” Kotsay said. “(There’s) an offseason ahead that we look forward to also engaging once the season is finished.”
Fisher said the A’s will again play a pair of three-game series in Las Vegas during the 2027 MLB season. That on top of the continued community outreach, the stadium construction and season ticket sales. Fisher hopes the fan base grows along with it.
Rich said he is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, but he’d consider switching alliances and rooting for the A’s, for a price.
“It would take a lot,” Rich said. “A bat, yeah, a bat.”
While Rich did not secure a bat, it appears the A’s will have some work to do making him a fan. They have less than two years left to do so.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
