During a recent promotion for his new book, actor Tom Hanks, known for roles in films such as Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and as the popular animated cowboy Woody from the Toy Story franchise, was asked about his take on the situation regarding the Oakland A’s packing up and moving to their new home in Las Vegas.
Tom Hanks via PBS Newshour YouTube
A native to the area, Hanks let it be known that like many other fans, he’s far from happy to see a third team leave permanently.
“We’ve lost the Raiders, the Warriors moved to San Francisco, and now they’re going to take the A’s out of Oakland,” said Hanks.
“Damn them all to hell.”
The fan who asked the question posed the possibility that Hanks should consider just buying the team and keeping them there if it bothered him so much. Hanks, who has an estimated net worth of $400 million, could potentially buy the A’s, but apparently that passion isn’t going to transfer into action.
I asked Tom Hanks if he would buy the A’s to keep them in Oakland… pic.twitter.com/fhMU2y7v0H
— Mike Ono (@skoshi_tiger) June 14, 2023
“I haven’t done that well guys,” Hanks replied semi-sarcastically. I don’t know though, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were able to buy a British soccer team (I’ll never call it football) and they even got a TV series out of that venture. It’s a surprise Hanks wouldn’t want to step in, especially given that he worked there as a teenager in high school many years ago.
John Fisher, the current owner of the A’s, has been firm that he has no intention of selling anytime soon even with the “reverse boycotts” by fans to try and pressure him into selling to someone who will keep them in Oakland.
Just to remind them how serious he is about keeping his ownership, he’s raised prices for entry just for games where there are protests of any kind. Straight gangster move right there, you gotta respect it.
Oakland A’s stadium via gamer_athletics YouTube
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The better question someone should be asking is why would any team or business want to stay in Oakland and the surrounding area? One website has listed Oakland as the second most dangerous places to live in liberal dominated California. The Southwest Journal listed Oakland as number 8 on their list of the top 20 most dangerous cities in America.
Oakland has also always been known for poor infrastructure, homelessness, a drug epidemic, and violent crime, yet they keep voting in Democrat majorities to run the city. Now, as California continues to have a middle class exodus thanks to the pandemic policies of Governor Gavin Newsom and his cohorts, many citizens are worried the worse is yet to come.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California:
In PPIC’s November survey, 69% of Californians said they expect bad economic times in the next year. Their longer-term outlook is not much better: 62% expect periods of depression or unemployment over the next five years. While the job market is strong and inflation has started to slow, Californians’ increasingly negative perceptions about the economy could foretell a downturn. And even if California skirts a recession, high prices and growing inequality nevertheless threaten Californians’ sense of economic security, especially for low-income residents.
So the question remains; do you agree with the A’s decision to move out or not? Let us know in the comments below and across social media.
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