Thousands of loyal fans, feeling the sting of betrayal from Athletic’s owner John Fisher’s decision to move the team to Las Vegas, united at the Oakland Coliseum Thursday evening as the A’s played the Cleveland Guardians for their Opening Day home game.
Instead of watching the game, many fans joined a “‘Block Party Boycott”‘ outside the stadium organized by the Oakland 68’s and the Last Dive Bar, two grassroots fan organizations that have consistently championed keeping the A’s in Oakland. In February, the groups also held Fans Fest and organized last summer’s “Reverse the Boycott.”
Thursday’s block party transformed part of the parking lot into a lively celebration protesting the team’s pending move. Bands played regional Mexican music, their lively tunes mingling with the beats of a DJ spinning Bay Area Hip-Hop. In another corner, rapper Mistah F.A.B’s classic, N.E.W Oakland, resonated from a speaker, energizing the party.
Fans chanted “Sell the team,” talked to different media outlets about their desire to keep the A’s in Oakland, wore “boycott,” “SELL,” and other protest slogans on t-shirts, and proudly waved giant green “SELL” flags to spread their message.
During a press conference at the block party, Vanessa Riles, a staffer with the economic justice nonprofit EBASE, spoke to the crowd about the decade-long campaign to ensure that future development of the Coliseum includes a community benefits agreement. The grounds, which include the Coliseum, the Oakland Arena, and the parking lots, are half owned by the city of Oakland and half by the Athletics. The A’s bought their half of the property from Alameda County in 2019.
The block party continued well into the evening. Between the 4th and 5th inning, fans chanted “Sell the team” and some honked their car horns in hopes that the noise would echo into the stadium.
The Athletics announced an attendance of 13,522. The team lost 8-0 against Cleveland in what could be the Athletics’ last opener in Oakland.
The Oaklandside was on site to chat with fans about attending the block party and their feelings as the team prepares to pack their bags to play elsewhere.
“I’m here to celebrate the A’s like at a funeral where you’re not supposed to be tearful. You’re supposed to be joyful about your past. I’m here to commmemorate all the times I’ve had as an A’s fan.”
Gabe Harris
“The world needs to know we are here. There’s a false narrative that Oakland doesn’t show up to support its team, and that’s a lie. I want to support the team, but I also want to support Oakland. 55 years and you’re going to steal it from us.”
Ryan Brown
“I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, and all my kids grew up being A’s fans. This is a place we’ve called home for 50-plus years, and to see it uprooted like this. I’m losing a lot of the history I’ve had with my family. Now I won’t be able to build it with my own family. It’s devastating.”
Jason, who attended the block party with his wife Lacey and their daughters Billie, Bobbie, and son Brody
“Hopefully, Major League Baseball will decide to do the right thing and get rid of an owner who doesn’t care about winning and sell the team to someone who will keep the team in Oakland. There’s so much history that will be erased when the team moves to Las Vegas. No one is going to know who Ricky Henderson is, Rollie, Catfish, or the Bash Brothers. This needs to be part of history forever.”
Milton Cardoza
Clarification: the Oakland 68s and Last Dive Bar organized Fans Fest in February, an event to celebrate Oakland sports.
