This project is inspired by my own lifelong fandom of the Oakland Athletics. As a PhD student in the English department at Old Dominion University I have the opportunity to conduct research on stadium relocation in professional sports and focusing on the Oakland A’s relocation. The idea from this project came out of not only lifelong fandom but also in an initial question of wondering why a team would leave a diverse the city like Oakland, compared to the city of Las Vegas. The more I looked into the debate as a fan and as a researcher, the more I seemed to find about the importance of communities on professional sports and how organizations can chose to be a part of those communities. Ultimately, this original small project became a passion of mine and I decided to do my entire dissertation project on the issue.
Specifically, by using the Oakland Athletics’ move to Las Vegas as a case study, this research looks at the way relocation is discussed in professional sports and focuses on connections and disconnections between communities and teams/leagues/ownership. The project has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Old Dominion University (project #2187870-1). I can provide any approval documentation upon request.
I will also be presenting a part of this work at the NINE virtual conference on Oct. 24 and 25.