A’s hire new team president weeks before move to Sacramento. Who is Marc Badain?
The Athletics on Thursday announced they hired Marc Badain as their new team president, bringing along his experience in leading the effort to relocate the NFL’s Raiders from Oakland to Las Vegas.
Badain’s career with the Raiders spanned several decades, including seven years as Raiders team president, according to an A’s news release. The team said Badain has “extensive experience in overseeing large-scale projects and steering complex organizational operations,” which will be crucial as the Major League Baseball team carries out its own transition to Las Vegas.
The A’s agreed to play three years, with an option for a fourth at Sutter Health Park, which they will share with the River Cats. are playing three seasons starting this year at Sutter Health Park, home to the minor-league Sacramento River Cats. The team then plans to relocate in 2028 from West Sacramento to a new, permanent stadium in Las Vegas.
The A’s 2025 MLB season home opener against the Chicago Cubs is scheduled for March 31 at Sutter Health Park. Badain’s first day as the A’s team president was Thursday.
“I’m honored to join the Athletics and help guide the team into a new era of success,” Badain said in the news release. “Las Vegas is a city that celebrates innovation and excellence, and I’m excited to work alongside the team, the fans, and the community to create something extraordinary.”
Badain is replacing Dave Kaval, who resigned in December as Athletics team president. Kaval was the public face of the team’s multiple efforts to build a new stadium in Oakland before talks broke down with local officials and the team focused on moving to Las Vegas. The A’s announced they would be playing in West Sacramento’s minor league ball park in April. In the meantime, the A’s plan to spend three seasons playing regular season games in the West Sacramento minor league ballpark, as first announced by the team last April.
Badain has more than three decades of experience in sports business leadership, the A’s said in the news release, and he was instrumental in relocating the Raiders to Las Vegas and led the team responsible for the development of Allegiant Stadium.
“We are excited to welcome Marc to the Athletics,” A’s owner John Fisher said in the news release. “His vast experience, particularly his work on the opening of Allegiant Stadium and overseeing the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas, makes him a great addition to our team at this pivotal moment. His leadership, commitment to the community, and ability to oversee transformative projects will be key as we look to build a strong and successful future in Southern Nevada.”
Badain’s career with the Raiders began in 1991 as a training camp intern, climbing the NFL team’s ranks and becoming the Raiders’ chief financial officer in 2004 and later the team’s president, according to the A’s news release.
More recently, Badain was the president of Oak View Group Las Vegas — Arena and Entertainment overseeing plans for a multi-billion-dollar integrated resort and arena project, according to the A’s.
The A’s said Sandy Dean, who was the MLB team’s interim president, will now assume the role of vice chairman, representing the ownership group and remain involved in plans to develop the A’s new ballpark.
The Athletics open the 2025 regular season on the road, March 27-30 against the Seattle Mariners, before hosting the Cubs at Sutter Health Park.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM.
