When the Oakland A’s announced they were going to leave for Las Vegas, it represented a metaphorical third strike against the city of Oakland, California. That’s because the city has already lost its NBA franchise in 2019 and its NFL franchise to Las Vegas in 2020. The A’s would be the city’s third major professional sports team to pull up stakes and strike out for what they think might be a better deal elsewhere.
Because the Independent Institute is based in Oakland, California, we’ve had a front row seat for the drama of the Oakland A’s announcement stripping the city of its “major league” identity. To be honest, it’s
