It’s no secret that the Oakland A’s were destined to part from their ancestral home and fans.
So, no one was shocked earlier this week when the Athletics announced onsocial media that, starting next season, the team would play their games somewhere other than the Bay Area. Some might have been shocked that they’re moving to a small (14,000 seats max) stadium in Sacramento, but the move would have surprised no one.
Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will host the A's for the 2025-27 seasons - ahead of the team's move to Vegas in 2028. pic.twitter.com/KryyjzpLMl
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 4, 2024
What did surprise – and anger – many among the A’s faithful, is that after making the announcement, the A’s social media team disabled the comments to the post so that no one unmentioned could reply.
Fans immediately took the team to task for not allowing fans to vent their frustrations directly in response to the post.
Oakland Athletics and their social media staff are the biggest group of cowards. Limiting comments because they know how much they're going to get absolutely clowned by moving to a Mickey Mouse ballpark for the next few years. Fuck baseball and fuck the @MLB https://t.co/CSK0GUFdZ7
— Abraham (@lessthanron) April 4, 2024
@Athletics turned off comments?
— El Bad Hombre (@BadHombre1846) April 4, 2024
A joke of a franchise, all due to a s*** of an owner. @MLB is complicit in this screw job of a once proud baseball market.
@elonmusk why do you let a professional sports franchise to not allow comments? Force the @Athletics to turn then back on
— Steven 🐘 (@SR_TheInscriber) April 4, 2024
The Oakland A's have had more wins on the season than comments on their tweets in the last few weeks. https://t.co/VvFCvTQPtd
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) April 4, 2024
The Oakland A’s closing the comments on their social media posts is absolutely insane. What a joke of an organization.
— Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) April 3, 2024
Someone needs some education. He is doubling down and insulting A’s fans and Oakland in the comments. Get him ⬇️ https://t.co/kZxvkZTTm6
— Justice For Oakland Fans (@jvb43) April 4, 2024
A’s Owner John Fisher said the move came only after attempts to stay in Oakland were made.
“We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum,” Fisher said in a statement. “Even with the long-standing relationships and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach. We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland.”
The plan is for the A’s to play in West Sacramento for the next two years and eventually move to Las Vegas in 2028. However, as ESPN MLB reporter Jeff Passan notes, a 2028 Vegas move is not exactly a sure thing.
The option year for the A's moving from Oakland to Sacramento gives the team flexibility if its stadium in Las Vegas is not complete. Originally, the A's wanted to be in Vegas by 2027. Then it was 2028. Now it could be as late as 2029.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 4, 2024
We’ll see when or if the Vegas move ever comes to fruition. In the meantime, the A’s will have to fill a stadium in Sacramento that seats between 10,000 and 14,000. That may not seem as though it would be hard to do. But, Oakland drew less than 14,000 for Opening Day.
