Tuesday night was a magical one at the Oakland Coliseum.
More than 27,000 fans showed up for a fan-organized reverse boycott to show that the A’s still have support – but that owner John Fisher is the problem that’s running the team into the ground. Considering all the nationwide media attention the game garnered, you have to say it was a successful mission for the A’s fanbase.
There’s a lot on the line for A’s fans these days. The pre-game reverse boycott tailgate about an hour after the Nevada Senate passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1), by a vote of 13-8, showing its approval for the A’s proposed ballpark in Las Vegas. For now, A’s fans are virtually powerless, as the fate of SB1 sits with the Nevada assembly, which is scheduled to reconvene at 11 a.m. PT on Wednesday to further consider the bill.
If it’s passed by the assembly, SB1 just needs the approval of Gov. Joe Lombardo and MLB owners to make the A’s move to Vegas a reality. If this was the A’s fans 12th round before the knockout, they went down swinging.
ESPN ran a feature on SportsCenter about the event before the game. Wednesday morning, The Athletic’s lead MLB newsletter penned by Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver, appeared in subscribers' inboxes.
In the top of the fifth inning, the entire Coliseum crowd stood in silence or the first batter to honor 55 years of Oakland baseball. The “SELL THE TEAM!” chants that followed were so loud that A’s pitcher Hogan Harris thought his pitchcom device was broken.
The message was seen nationwide.
From the rowdy pregame tailgate, to the playoff atmosphere, to the 7,000 kelly green SELL shirts, to the solidarity, creative signs and sense of community – June 13 will be remembered forever by A’s fans. Just look at the reaction from Trevor May once he closed out this game, which would otherwise be forgotten in history.
About the only ugly thing from Thursday night was the scene after the final out, as beer cups and water bottles rained down onto the field from angry fans.
Still, the overall joy and fire from Wednesday’s crowd couldn’t be erased. Now comes the waiting game for Nevada legislators, but A’s fans made their voices heard for Oakland in epic fashion.
