John Fisher gives the appearance A's stadium is making progress in Las Vegas

Athletics owner John Fisher attended the implosion of the Tropicana hotel towers early Wednesday morning in Las Vegas, addressing the crowd in front of a backdrop with "A's" on it and posing for photos with Soo Kim, the chairman of Bally's Corporation, which owns the Tropicana site where the A's have plans to build a new stadium.

RELATED: Tone-deaf John Fisher wants A's fans' forgiveness for moving team from Oakland

The late-night festivities were held to honor the Tropicana and its place in Vegas history. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the public show also served as a step forward for the A's stadium saga, with "the demolition paving the way for the construction of the A's $1.5 billion, 33,000 fan capacity domed ballpark."

The Review-Journal reported that "plans are still on track" for the A's to begin stadium construction in "the second quarter of 2025." The team is also "working toward finalizing multiple agreements with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority" as well as "finalizing the design of the ballpark."

“We feel very good about where we’re at and I think things are all moving forward according to plan,” A’s owner John Fisher told the Review-Journal.

However, Fisher's plan still doesn't include the necessary funding to go forward with the Vegas stadium. The Nevada State Legislature approved $380 million of public money last year, but that cash can't be accessed without an "irrevocable" financing plan. And while $300 million would come from debt financing, the A's still have yet to announce how the remaining $850 million will be covered.

Jason Burke, the host of the "Locked on A's" podcast, expressed the same recurring doubts about Fisher's commitment to using his own money to pay for a new ballpark.

Writes Burke: "... if Fisher has the money to make it happen and there are no worries about any of that, why has it taken so long to actually get the funding in place? These questions about how the ballpark will be financed aren't new."

Fisher was proud to see the A's logo appearing throughout the celebratory drone show above the Strip. Whether an A's stadium will ever be seen on the Tropicana site remains very much an open question despite Wednesday's early morning pomp and circumstance.

MORE TOP STORIES From the Big Lead

NFL: Fans point finger at Aaron Rodgers for Saleh firing

NBA: Bronny haters missing the mark

MLB: Remembering the great Luis Tiant

SPORTS MEDIA: Shams officially joins ESPN