Oakland Athletics fans are buying tickets for Tuesday night’s game against Tampa Bay in a bid to keep their team in the East Bay. The fans are hoping to make a statement with the biggest, most spirited crowd of the year. The goal is a sellout for a team with dismal attendance all season that has regularly been topped by most Triple-A franchises. The fans plan to give away T-shirts to the first 7,000 fans to arrive at the Coliseum. The bright green T-shirts made by local company Oaklandish read “SELL” — a message for owner John Fisher to give up the team to someone who might keep it here.
Organizers are calling on A’s supporters to stage a “Reverse Boycott” at the Coliseum on Tuesday. The fans are fed up with the A’s despised ownership group. They want to show their love for the Oakland Athletics in the spirit of their late family members who are the reason they became such loyal supporters. Naomi Arnst, a fan for 51 years, purchased a pair of tickets Monday for $144 each, including service charges, and another $147.50 on parking. The seats in section 110 are close to where she used to sit with corporate tickets. It is all worth the expense to be there Tuesday.
The fans are hoping to show that support still exists for the A’s, if not for Fisher, in a sign that the franchise shouldn’t turn its back on Oakland. Among those planning to attend are the drummers in the right-field bleachers that used to echo their support for the franchise that’s been in the Bay Area since 1968. The fans are hoping to make a statement to not only ownership but to MLB and the whole world that they are here. They are not going down without a fight.
Dawn Pieper, a season ticketholder for five years, said her husband who grew up in Oakland would “be sick to his stomach over this situation.” Pieper is not at all surprised how big the Reverse Boycott has become and how much traction it’s getting nationally. She said, “Never, ever underestimate A’s fans. We are an incredibly loyal and passionate group. We will never give up and we will fight to the end to keep our team in Oakland.”
Gabriel Hernandez, a lifelong fan, said, “I’ve been a fan my whole life. Raised in Oakland my whole life, no other sport connected with me like how the A’s have and started going diehard mode in 2014. Personally, I’m at a loss for words, as A’s fans try again to keep their team in Oakland with plans already in full swing for a new ballpark in Las Vegas. To see not only A’s fans but other MLB fans help come together supporting the movement, I’m proud of the fans who participated.”
The Reverse Boycott is not just a protest against Fisher. It is a protest against MLB and the whole world. The fans want to show that they are not to blame for someone who is basically telling them to stop coming by trading their players, raising prices, taking away season ticket benefits like 50% concessions, 25% merchandise, and $10 parking. Hernandez offered this message to fellow fans: “Be Loud, Be Proud, Bring Sign, Speak Your Mind, Go A’s.”
Nevada lawmakers are discussing the A’s proposed financing plan to build a new ballpark in Las Vegas. Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan said in a message to The Associated Press, “I want to thank and appreciate the fans who organized the incredible reverse boycott for Tuesday, and encourage people to attend the A’s game tomorrow. Oakland has the best weather, the best community, and is a fabulous place for baseball.”
The fans are hoping to make a statement to not only ownership but to MLB and the whole world that they are here. They are not going down without a fight.
Leave a Reply