The A’s Just Hit a Massive Speed Bump on Their Move to Las Vegas

Athletics pitcher Mason Miller throws to the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

The MLB team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics may not be able to call itself the Las Vegas Athletics when it moves to Sin City.

The A’s played their final season in Oakland in 2024. As they wait to finalize plans on a move to Vegas, the team has been using a Minor League field in Sacramento as their temporary home.

Should the move to Vegas be completed, however, the team may have a different name. As pointed out by attorney Josh Gerben on his blog, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied multiple requests from the team, including for “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics.” The trademarks were denied due to the names being deemed too generic.

Gerben continued:

According to the USPTO, the dominant portion of each mark refers to a well-known geographic location (Las Vegas) while the remaining wording, ‘Athletics,’ lacks distinctiveness as applied to the goods and services identified in the applications.

The examining attorney noted that “athletics” is defined as “activities such as sports, exercises, and games that require physical skill and stamina,” and concluded that the term directly describes “the purpose and feature of the applicant’s goods and services.” As a result, the USPTO found that the marks merely describe a professional sports team located in Las Vegas rather than functioning as unique indicators of source.

In an effort to persuade the USPTO, the team pointed to decades of using the name “Athletics” throughout its history. The office, however, stood firm in its ruling.

Gerben added that he believes the Athletics will ultimately secure the trademark, noting that such an issue is rarely seen among professional sports teams.