Thousands of fans of the Oakland Athletics staged a protest outside Oakland Coliseum during the team’s 8-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.
Supporter organizations such as the Oakland 68s and the Last Dive Bar mounted their boycott in the coliseum’s parking lot as the game kicked off, the Daily Mail reported.
The groups handed out t-shirts, flags, and pins to protest owner John Fisher’s $1.5 billion decision to move the team to Vegas, a plan that Major League Baseball has already approved.
Oakland Athletics fans stage parking lot protest on MLB Opening Day… as they rage over decision to move team to Las Vegas and refuse to enter stadium to watch brutal 8-0 loss https://t.co/qG5qfGq4SK pic.twitter.com/hmMPhfxtVV
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 29, 2024
Boycotters also chanted “Sell The Team,” demanding that Fisher sell the team to someone who will keep the As in California.
Oakland A’s fans are continuing to boycott the relocation of the team.
— Tahir Asad (@purenagalion) March 29, 2024
Fans outside the Coliseum chanted “Sell The Team” and “Let’s Go Oakland” as they watched the season opener from the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/THqpbbv1ve
Meanwhile, only 13,522 fans attended the game inside the stadium, which gave the team its lowest attendance since 1979 — excluding the two COVID seasons in 2020 and 2021.
A's reverse boycott in Oakland as they announce donating ticket revenue from tonight's game to community organizations. Join the movement and stay in Oakland! #Athletics #Community #Boycottpic.twitter.com/JQjzGVubZX #LamarJackson
— LamarJacksonFanZone (@Apatel296520779) June 14, 2023
There was no official count of the protesters, but the Daily Mail claimed it was several thousand.
"We don’t want to give (John) Fisher our money for taking our team and he doesn’t deserve another dollar." A's fans boycott Opening Night at the Oakland Coliseum @kcranews pic.twitter.com/G1gueCzoCT
— Michelle Dapper (@KCRAdapper) March 29, 2024
The Oakland United Coalition also held a press conference to urge the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to stop the stadium sale to Coliseum Way Partners, which Fisher owns.
“A’s owners have been preventing East Oakland from being able to flourish and thrive,” said Vanessa Riles, Oakland campaign coordinator. “They make it look like “Oh, nobody wants to be at the Coliseum,” she added.
(Benjamin Fanjoy/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
“We’re here because we want to be here. We want to develop this property. And the A’s have been standing in the way of that happening. The owners have been standing in the way of that happening. And we’re here to say no, that’s not OK,” she exclaimed.
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