Photos: Oakland A’s fans show up in force for a ‘reverse boycott’ at the Coliseum
Nearly 30,000 fans attended the A’s game on Tuesday night to express their anger over the club’s planned move to Las Vegas, filling the stadium with chants of “Sell the team!”
A crowd of over 27,000 devoted A’s fans packed the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday night in a “reverse the boycott” to demonstrate their discontent with the team’s potential move to Las Vegas and to dispel a position advanced by the club’s ownership that the move is partly due to a waning fanbase in Oakland. This A’s average attendance for home games this season sat at 8,555 prior to last night’s game—the lowest in the majors.
Fans held tailgates all around the Coliseum’s parking lot, including the Oakland 68’s, a nonprofit, independent fan group that organized a fan-funded giveaway of 7,000 Kelly green t-shirts emblazoned with the word “SELL” on the front, which could be seen throughout the Coliseum including behind home plate during the game’s television broadcast.
At the beginning of the 5th inning, fans stood up for a moment of silence to honor the A’s 55 years in Oakland and protest the move. Most fans took part, with the silence eventually being broken by chants of “Sell the team!” “Stay in Oakland!” and “F*** Fisher!”—the latter a reference to the team’s majority owner, John Fisher—that drowned out the announcers and the players’ walk-up music.
During the game, the A’s stadium camera crew didn’t show any fans wearing the “sell” t-shirts on the big screen, opting instead to show clips of fans from past games.
The Oaklandside’s visual journalist, Amir Aziz, was on hand to capture still images and videos of the unprecedented protest, beginning in the early afternoon during the pregame tailgates and rallies in the parking lot, and into the evening inside the Coliseum during the game (which the A’s won in a nail-biter, 2-1).
~ Azucena Rasilla
A fan walks on the Oakland Coliseum BART bridge toward the stadium, in front of a sign reading “The A’s belong in Oakland,” prior to the Oakland A’s “reverse boycott” game on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Credit: Amir Aziz Members of the Oakland 68’s nonprofit fan group unload boxes with 7,000 t-shirts printed with the word “SELL” on the front in advance of the reverse boycott at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, Jun 13, 2023. Credit: Amir AzizMembers of the Oakland 68’s set up a table where they distributed the t-shirts for free to fans prior to the game. Credit: Amir AzizA closeup of the shirts made and distributed by the Oakland ’68s at Tuesday’s game. The shirts were paid for through a fundraising campaign the group initiated with fans. Credit: Amir AzizA fan puts on a “SELL” t-shirt before the game. Credit: Amir AzizJorge Leon, a founder of the Oakland ’68s, stands near a large banner set up by his organization reading “Oakland 1852” at the tailgate before the game on Tuesday. Credit: Amir AzizFans mingle near the banner and the t-shirt station outside the Coliseum prior to Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Credit: Amir AzizPepito Mendez watches his son, Paco, throw bags into a cornhole board adorned with the face of A’s co-owner John Fisher on Tuesday. Fans staged the reverse boycott to protest ownership’s interest in moving to Las Vegas. Credit: Amir AzizOakland A’s television commentator and former player Dallas Braden takes a photo with fans during the pregame rally at the reverse boycott outside the Coliseum. Credit: Amir AzizA’s fan Dan Sutherland, known for his “rally beard,” displays his unique “SELL” sign. Fans showed up to Tuesday’s game with signs of all sorts, encouraging the A’s owners and Major League Baseball to sell the team and stay in Oakland. Credit: Amir AzizBrothers Jorge (left) and Jose Amezquita at the tailgate with the “SELL” shirts on. The brothers are fans of the team and want them to stay in Oakland. Credit: Amir AzizOakland A’s fan Dan Pangan shows off a custom t-shirt in protest of the team’s planned move to Las Vegas. Credit: Amir AzizThe Oakland A’s have played at the Coliseum for 55 years. Credit: Amir AzizTuesday’s “reverse boycott” game drew the largest crowd of the season, with over 27,000 fans in attendance. Credit: Amir AzizA view from the stands reveals a sea of green during Tuesday’s A’s game against the Rays. Credit: Amir AzizMany fans showed up to the reverse boycott game with handmade signs expressing their displeasure with the club’s owners. Credit: Amir AzizProtest signs and fans clad in green “SELL” t-shirts filled the Coliseum bleachers at Tuesday’s reverse boycott. Credit: Amir AzizA disgruntled fan shows off his cardboard sign, imploring the A’s to stay in Oakland. Credit: Amir AzizThe large crowd on Tuesday was in contrast to the much smaller crowds that the team has been drawing this season. Credit: Amir Aziz“Sell the team” was the overarching theme of Tuesday’s reverse boycott. Credit: Amir AzizA fan’s sign expresses the sentiment of many who filled the stands at the Coliseum on Tuesday. The A’s eventually won the game in the late innings, 2-1. Credit: Amir Aziz
Some are refusing to buy tickets while others plan a “reverse boycott.” But many die-hards are blaming Athletics owner John Fisher for the team’s likely move to Vegas.
Jorge Leon has given his all to the A’s as the founder of a supporters group, the Oakland ‘68s. Now he’s struggling to come to terms with the team’s announced move to Las Vegas.
Amir Aziz is a photographer and videographer from Oakland, California. Using photography as his primary medium, Amir documents life and times in his community and the rapid changes in his environment. He's covered music events and social justice movements in the U.S. and abroad for local and international publications. Before shelter-in-place, he traveled to over 10 countries producing multimedia projects juxtaposing the experiences of locals elsewhere to those in his hometown of Oakland. Amir hopes to continue to bridge the gap between African diaspora communities and oppressed groups in the world through multimedia storytelling.
