ARLINGTON, Texas − The Oakland Athletics still don’t exactly know where they’ll be playing the next few years, but in 2028, they will become Las Vegas’ first Major League Baseball team. 

MLB owners voted unanimously Thursday morning to approve A’s owner John Fisher’s relocation proposal to move from Oakland to Las Vegas, becoming the third professional sports franchise to leave Oakland in just the last five years. 

The A’s still have a lease to play in the Oakland Coliseum in 2024, but will not have a permanent home until 2028 when they are expected to move into a $1.5 billion facility on the Las Vegas Strip. 

The A’s told MLB they plan to play in a revolving series of sites until they move, one MLB owner told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has yet to publicly address the plans. They will play games in Summerlin, Nevada, home of the A’s Triple-A team, Oracle Park in San Francisco, where the San Francisco Giants play, and perhaps also the Coliseum. 

The plan is similar to what the Toronto Blue Jays endured during the pandemic when they played home games in Buffalo and their spring-training facility in Dunedin, Florida. 

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

While the A’s franchise is expected to rise in value with suite sales, advertising and ticket revenue from Las Vegas casinos and resorts, MLB owners inserted a binding protection provision in the contract before approving the deal. If Fisher decides to sell the franchise soon after moving to Las Vegas to make an immediate profit, he will be heavily taxed on the sale, which will be split among his fellow MLB owners, according to another owner who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity. 

The relocation vote will bring an end to the A’s 55-year stay in Oakland after city officials and Fisher were unable to reach an agreement after nearly 18 years looking for a new ballpark in the Bay Area. 

“The Oakland thing isn’t sustainable,’’ Dodgers chairman Mark Walter said. “They’ve worked on that a long time. You can’t play in that stadium. They couldn’t get approval. They tried. This wasn’t some head fake. That wasn’t a quick decision.” 

The move allows their rival Giants to now have Northern California to themselves, while the A’s will chip away at the Dodgers’ strong fanbase in Las Vegas, but Walter insists the A’s move is in the best interest of the game. 

“We’re the No. 1 revenue team in the National League,’’ Walter said. “I’m not against the Giants making money. … 

“Hopefully it’ll be good for fans, right? A lot of people can say, ‘Hey, we should go to Vegas for the weekend and see whoever they play.’” 

The most heartbreaking aspect of the move, the owners have all been saying this week at their meetings, is for the passionate A’s fans. They may be small in number, but they’ve been passionate, with Fisher even speaking to three protesters this week who have vigorously lobbied for the team to stay, even sending DVDs, messaging from the Oakland mayor to personalized baseball cards to owners. 

Stu Sternberg, principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, says he can certainly relate. The Rays have been trying to reach an agreement with Tampa Bay officials for about two decades to build a new ballpark, and have a handshake deal for a $1.3 billion facility in St. Petersburg in 2028. 

“It’s not always easy, believe me,’’ Sternberg said. “I can’t put myself in their shoes. I know they tried really hard. Anybody would try to avoid what they’ve had to go through. It’s tough.’’ 

Dave Stewart, the A’s legendary pitcher and World Series MVP, who was born and raised in Oakland, says that he feels for everyone in the community. He wanted to purchase the A’s if Fisher had ever wanted to sell it, and even tried to buy the land at the Oakland Coliseum from the Oakland City Council, with plans to develop the site and perhaps even build a ballpark for the A’s. He’s left now spending his efforts trying to have an expansion team in Nashville, Tennessee, with MLB expected to expand by two teams perhaps by 2028 or 2029. 

“The [Oakland] City Council has as much to blame for this as the A’s,’’ Stewart told USA TODAY Sports in a telephone interview. “If you put two sides in a room, you should be able to get something done, and after all of these years, nothing changed. There should have been a middle ground. I always felt like they could get something done, and after all of these years, nothing happened. 

“This is going to be so damaging to the city of Oakland. The city of Oakland is in pretty bad shape economically with the crime, homelessness. They needed an economic driver like the A’s. I saw the Raiders leave, and the [Golden State] Warriors leave, but I thought the A’s would be there forever. 

“This is heart-breaking for me, just heart-breaking.’’ 

Oakland will begin lobbying MLB to be a candidate for expansion, according to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

“We are disappointed by the outcome of this vote,’’ Thao said in a statement. “ But we do not see this as the end of the road. We all know there is a long way to go before shovels in the ground and that there are a number of unresolved issues surrounding this move.

“I have also made it clear to the Commissioner that the A’s branding and name should stay in Oakland and we will continue to work to pursue expansion opportunities. Baseball has a home in Oakland even if the A’s ownership relocates.”

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A massive white dome slated for a new golf venture by Tiger Woods partially deflated this week because of a Tuesday night power outage at the site.

Workers at the planned SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens then deflated the rest of the air-supported dome, which will remain down while work is performed to repair it.

There were no injuries and no damage to technology at the 250,000-square-foot dome. When completed, the center will hold nearly 2,000 people.

The SoFi Center, on the Palm Beach Gardens campus of Palm Beach State College, will be home to TGL. The new golf league by Woods and Rory McIlroy blends technology with in-person golf.

A spokesman for TMRW Sports Group, which owns TGL, on Wednesday said the company still is assessing the damage.

The spokesman said it is not yet clear if the damage will affect the center’s planned events, which are supposed to start on Jan. 9.

Tiger Woods part of ownership group for Jupiter TGL golf league team

Woods not only is a co-founder of TGL but he’s part of an ownership group for one of the teams in the tech-infused golf league. And that team will represent his hometown area.

The Jupiter Island resident was named owner of Jupiter Links Golf Club in the league. Jupiter is the sixth and final TGL team, joining Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and San Francisco.

McIlroy, who lives in Jupiter, will head the Boston Common Golf and include Jupiter’s Keegan Bradley along with Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott.

The remainder of Woods’ Jupiter roster has not yet been announced.

Jupiter Links will be co-owned by Woods’ TGR Ventures and David Blitzer, who is a co-managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.

What is TGL and how does the golf league, with PGA Tour players, work?

TGL will consist of six teams, each with four PGA Tour players competing head-to-head in 18-hole match play. The matches will be capped at two hours. The schedule will include 15 regular-season Monday night matches followed by semifinals and finals starting Jan. 9 and televised by ESPN.

Tiger Woods also is investor in PopStroke miniature golf

The Delray Beach version of PopStroke miniature golf debuted Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Founded in 2018, the Jupiter-based business is a technology-infused putting course, offering visitors “experiential golf.” Woods is an investor.

Two 18-hole putting courses are featured at each PopStroke location. They’re built entirely with synthetic turf. They incorporate fairways, bunkers and rough, though.

On top of its experiential golf, PopStroke offers guests the chance to dine. Its amenities include multiple bars featuring craft beers, cocktails and wine, on-course mobile app drink delivery, an ice cream parlor and a full-service restaurant. 

The Delray Beach location is the first of three locations coming to Palm Beach County. The others are expected to be in West Palm Beach near Palm Beach International Airport and Wellington.

Along with the Delray Beach site, PopStroke has five existing Florida locations — in Fort Myers, Sarasota, Port St. Lucie, Orlando and Tampa — as well as one in Texas and two in Arizona.

Palm Beach Post staff reporters Tom D’Angelo and Jasmine Fernandez contributed to this report.

Alexandra Clough is a business writer and columnist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. Twitter: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

The College Football Playoff is more than one game. Organizers have made an entire weekend of festivities to celebrate the crowning of college football’s national champion.

Part of the fun, besides the championship game Jan. 8 in Houston, will be the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series featuring some of the top hitmakers in music.

‘When I started this business, you basically unlocked the stadium gates and let the fans in to watch the game, which is really fun, but it’s all grown into so much more than that and the concert series is a significant part of that,’ CFP executive director Bill Hancock told USA TODAY Sports.

‘The 3-day festival not only celebrates the excitement of college football’s biggest week and its biggest fans but is also a way for us to show our appreciation for Houston, our host city,’ Mark Wright, vice president of media services and sponsorships at AT&T, said in a statement.

This year, there will be a family friendly day with Kidz Bop, a hip-hop show with Jack Harlow and Latto, and a country showcase featuring Megan Moroney, Jake Owen and Jon Pardi. The CFP is intentional about connecting with different segments of its fan base.

Hancock said that music has been an integral, evolving part of college football culture. The concert series is a way of furthering the connection that already helps fans get hyped for game day.

‘Music has obviously always been a part of the culture, but there weren’t really ways for the sports culture to tap into that music culture 40 years ago and now there are,’ he said. ‘Music, it’s been such an important part of college football because of the marching bands forever. … We love those marching bands and we’re unique in that we have our fight songs that people cherish, our pregame music rituals from school to school that people cherish and the concerts just give us a way to expand on that.’

When and where is the AT&T concert series during CFP weekend?

The AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series will be held the weekend before the national championship game, which is on Jan. 8. The first show will be held Friday, Jan. 5 with one Saturday, Jan. 6 and the final one Sunday, Jan. 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. CT.

All of the concerts will be held at Shell Energy Stadium, home of the MLS’ Houston Dynamo FC, which is about seven miles from where the national championship game will be played at NRG Stadium.

Along with other events including a Taste of the Championship food tasting and Trophy Trot 5K and 10K races, the CFP concert series ‘gives us an opportunity to connect with fans both from the two teams that will be traveling into Houston for the game as well as local Houston folks who may not have a ticket to the game,’ Hancock said, noting the CFP seeks to ‘provide fans with a national championship experience and great memories of this event in Houston.’

Who is performing at the 2023 CFP concert series?

The AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series opens on Friday with a performance from Kidz Bop where fans of all ages can sing along to top hits.

Saturday’s show will be a showcase of some of the top rappers in the game. Last year’s People’s Choice Awards Best New Artist Latto, known for hits such as ‘Big Energy’ and ‘Put It On Da Floor Again,’ and Jack Harlow, who has been nominated for six Grammys and whose song ‘Lovin on Me’ is currently taking over TikTok, will be performing.

Sunday will close out the concert series with an all-star country lineup featuring ‘Tennessee Orange’ singer Megan Moroney, multiplatinum singer, producer and Grand Ole Opry member Jon Pardi and chart-topping singer Jake Owen, whose ‘Barefoot Blue Jean Night’ and ‘Alone with You’ were No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

‘Everybody has a favorite genre and we try to touch multiple genres,’ Hancock said.

How much are tickets for the 2023 CFP concert series?

The CFP concert series is free to fans, but they must pre-register to get a ticket for the Saturday and Sunday shows.

The Friday Kidz Bop show is also free and is first come, first served.

How do fans get tickets to the 2023 CFP concert series?

The Friday Kidz Bop show is first come, first served at Shell Energy Stadium.

Free tickets for the Saturday and Sunday shows can be obtained by pre-registering online at a date yet to be announced. All information regarding tickets can be found on the College Football Playoff app.

The international tour for WWE is raging on into 2024, and will be saying bonjour to another country hosting its first pay-per-view.

Backlash 2024 will be held in Lyon-Decines, France in 2024, WWE announced on Wednesday. The event will be part of a two-day televised shows tour in the country, as SmackDown will air from LDLC Arena on Friday, May 3, 2024 before Backlash takes place on Saturday, May 4. The event will be titled Backlash France.

Like previous editions of the live event, Backlash France will be the first pay-per-view for WWE after WrestleMania 40, which will take place April 6-7 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

WWE’s recent run of shows abroad

The event will mark the second consecutive year that Backlash will be held outside the continental U.S., as the 2023 edition was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It became WWE’s most-viewed Backlash in its history as the event featured Puerto Rico-natives Bad Bunny and Damian Priest in the main event.

Backlash France will also continue WWE’s push of taking its top events abroad, as the event will be the eighth pay-per-view since the start of 2023 to be outside of the continental United States. Elimination Chamber (Canada), Backlash (Puerto Rico), Money in the Bank (England) and Night of Champions and Crown Jewel (Saudi Arabia) were the international shows in 2023. In 2024, three events will be abroad: Elimination Chamber (Australia), Backlash (France) and Bash in Berlin (Germany).

WWE 2024 pay-per-view schedule

The announcement of Backlash France sets WWE up with its pay-per-view schedule through early May and is one of five events officially scheduled in 2024. Here is the schedule of pay-per-view events so far in 2024:

Royal Rumble: Jan. 27 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.Elimination Chamber: Feb. 24 at Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia.WrestleMania 40: April 6-7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Backlash France: May 4 at LDLC Arena in Lyon-Decines, France.Bash in Berlin: Aug. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.

What an awkward shot it was for Rory McIlroy.

Playing at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, McIlroy teed off on the par-3 13th hole when his shot went wayward and into the crowd gathered to the right of the green. When the four-time major winner arrived to find where his shot went, it was in an unusual place.

The ball had landed on a woman’s lap.

The rest of the crowd had spread out to give McIlroy space to shoot his second shot, but the woman hadn’t moved yet, still sitting on the grass with the ball on her. The woman laughed as McIlroy approached and pretended to take his second shot on the hole off of her lap before asking for a referee.

A referee arrived on the scene and told McIlroy he could have a drop where the woman was sitting. McIlroy then told the woman ‘You can get up,’ as he and the crowd laughed. The woman got up and joined the rest of the gallery.

McIlroy landed on the green after his drop shot and would bogey the hole. He would finish the first round of the tournament at 1-under-par, and is three four shots back of leaders Julien Guerrier, Matthieu Pavon and Nicolai Hojgaard.

In the tragic death of a former NHL player, there is the matter of a broken heart.

It belongs to Ryan Wolfe, a 24-year-old woman who had been dating Adam Johnson for more than three years.

On Oct. 28, she learned Johnson, 29, had suffered a fatal neck injury that day when he was cut by an opposing player’s skate blade during a game in England.

Then she learned something else about the man she met in their home state of Minnesota.

Johnson had bought Wolfe an engagement ring before the couple flew to England for the 2023-24 hockey season and planned to propose to her, according to two close friends of Adam Johnson’s family.

They said Wolfe found the ring in the apartment she shared with Johnson in England − where Johnson played for the Nottingham Panthers of Elite Ice Hockey League – after Johnson’s family revealed the secret.

‘His grandmother told me that he had shown her (Johnson’s grandmother) the ring before he left and he was going to propose at some point,’ said Scott Pionk, whose son played college hockey with Johnson.

Attempts to reach Wolfe through social media were unsuccessful.

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Johnson’s father, Davey, told USA TODAY Sports the family is granting no more interviews. That followed the arrest of a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with Johnson’s death. The man was released on bail Wednesday and the South Yorkshire police, which is conducting the investigation, did not name the suspect.

A second friend of the Johnson family who spoke on condition his name not be disclosed because of the sensitivity of the situation confirmed Pionk’s account of the engagement ring.

‘I’m sure she had an inkling,’ Pionk said of Wolfe.

What Ryan Wolfe said at Adam Johnson’s memorial

On the day of the memorial, in Johnson’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, Wolfe told those gathered that she had written letter to Johnson. ‘Similar to something I would have written him for our wedding day,’ she said.

Looking down at her phone, Wolfe began to read.

‘Hi Babe. I want you to know how much I love you and adore you. … You had the best sense of humor, the biggest heart, the quickest wit and the kindest soul …

‘The last year or so, you came up with so many different plans for us. From starting a farm or coffee shop or me becoming some big hot shot so you could stay home and be a stay-at-home Dad with a whole vanful of kids you wanted.

What was said about Adam Johnson’s girlfriend Ryan Wolfe

During the memorial, Grant Clafton, one of Johnson’s former coaches, described Johnson as ‘joyful grump.’ But later in his remarks, Clafton said, ‘the joyful grump became just joyful. And we all know Ryan was the reason.’

Clafton grew emotional when he said, ‘I was looking forward to the life that Ryan and Adam were creating and deserved. And my heart breaks for her.’

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Pionk said Wolfe’s impact on Johnson was unmistakable.

‘You could see his life had a lot more purpose,’ Pionk said. ‘No doubt.’

Johnson’s life, which included playing 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, went beyond hockey. And there at the memorial was the broken-hearted girlfriend, standing behind a lectern as she read the letter she wrote knowing more than she did before Johnson’s death.