From rice silos to Major League Baseball: Could A’s move transform Sacramento region’s economy?

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Empty lots and rice silos once dotted West Sacramento’s curving riverbank overlooking California’s capital city.

But key developments transforming the landscape helped cement the Oakland Athletics’ temporary move to Sutter Health Park — a transformation that could herald economic impacts equivalent to that of a university’s arrival to a city, according to the Greater Sacramento Economic Council. It’s a major boost to the region’s reputation as newcomers arrive to West Sacramento’s nascent Bridge District.

Kayla Johnston, a spokeswoman for the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said the organization didn’t have projections about the A’s economic impact. The economic council commissioned a study showing the Golden 1 Center and the Kings — the region’s only other professional big-league team — brought about $665 million in 2022 to 2023 to the Sacramento region through arena operations, visitor spending and “economic activity.”

That dollar figure was referenced by Greater Sacramento Economic Council President and CEO Barry Broome when discussing the A’s benefits during a Thursday news conference announcing the move.

“In order to change your own community’s future, we’ve had to change how we think and see ourselves,” Broome said. “And we’ve struggled to see ourselves reaching our full potential.”

But that potential will spread across Tower Bridge to the downtown Sacramento area still rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Ault, the executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, bets that more professional sports will help reimagine the urban core, which often helps to define a city.

“It will change the entire perspective of what a downtown urban district is,” Ault said.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented conflicting emotions about Thursday’s announcement — he knows what it’s like for Oakland to lose a team because the Kings almost left the capital city a decade ago. But he said he’s over the moon about the “historic opportunity” to demonstrate why he believes Sacramento is one the fastest-growing cities in America.

“It’s truly the stuff of dreams,” Steinberg said.

There are several different indirect and direct effects of the A’s move, said Gokce Soydemir, a professor of business economics at California State University, Stanislaus.

The direct impact includes wages and salaries paid to employees arriving to Sacramento or being paid to work at Sutter Health Park. There’s also revenues from ticket sales, he said.

Indirectly, employees will spread their earnings into the local economy — spending money on groceries, apparel, cars and other items. The city will also receive funds from taxes, increasing the county’s gross output, he said.

Fifteen million tourists descended on Sacramento in 2019, resulting in an approximate $4 billion impact, said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento. Sports fans — such as those from the Bay Area — occupied a majority of hotel rooms under Visit Sacramento’s purview.

“I don’t think I have ever had more texts on my phone,” Testa said of the community’s excitement.

The number of tourists who have visited the capital city after 2019 wasn’t immediately available. But, the $4 billion travel spending in 2019, pre-pandemic, dropped precipitously to $1.8 billion in 2020 and has steadily increased since then according to Visit California.

In 2022, the most recent year with available data, travelers spent $3.9 billion.

There could be new visitors who didn’t come to Sacramento last season. And national television markets will be talking about the region when the A’s play in West Sacramento, just like when the Kings make headlines, Testa said.

“That’s a pretty good thing on a resume,” he added.

The A’s are planning to move to Las Vegas in 2028 following the construction of a new ballpark.

The Greater Sacramento Economic Council also touted the reach of Sacramento’s 1.5 million households in the media market, outpacing that of Sin City.

“The region’s media market size surpasses that of Las Vegas and outnumbers the household count of six current MLB markets,” the economic council wrote in a statement. “This potential for an exclusive and enthusiastic fanbase is a home run for the A’s and future major league sports expansion teams.”

Broome said he envisioned building Sutter Health Park’s brand to mimic that of Duke Basketball’s arena. The Blue Devils’ Cameron Indoor Stadium seats about 9,000 people, but the college hoops team has a passionate and explosive brand, he said.

Although the A’s move is meant to be temporary, Broome hopes it will lead to permanent major league baseball and soccer teams.

He also expressed excitement of downtown’s revitalization after the purchase last week of 301 Capitol Mall by a Miwok tribe breathed new life into a prime piece of real estate.

“I don’t think people realize how big of a bet it is for people to come here,” Broome said.

McClatchyDC’s David Lightman contributed to this story.