The Oakland Athletics not in Oakland anymore? That’s like sending Cal to Nebraska! Like taking the oranges out of orange juice! Oakland and Athletics just go together. But in spite of this fact, for years, the A’s have been considering moving out of Oracle Coliseum, and Oakland altogether. They make statements like, “the stadium has sewage problems” (it does), and “The A’s have to share the stadium with the Raiders” (they do). They also want to move to increase revenue (so what?!). These reasons do not outweigh the reasons for staying. Why should the A’s stay though?
First of all, the Oakland A’s have some of the best baseball fans in the game. Unlike like some people at the Giants games who come for the scenic view, the A’s fans come for the game of baseball. The Coliseum doesn’t have a giant glove, a Coke slide, or a view of San Francisco bay. And while it doesn’t have is flashiness and upscale food like Caribbean barbecue, it makes up for this with character. If you want to know what true fans sound like, just spend a game in Oakland’s right field bleachers. These fans are there supporting the A’s with their flags and their drums every single game. They don’t pay attention for only part of the game, then get up and walk around like some Giants fans do; they stay in the game the whole way through, as true fans. When A’s catcher, first baseman, and occasional right fielder, Stephen Vogt comes up to bat, for every pitch he faces, the fans in the right field bleachers jump up and down, chanting, “We believe in Steven Vogt! We believe in Stephen Vogt!” Doing this pitch after pitch becomes very tiring, showing the intense stamina of these fans and their diehard commitment to the A’s.
The Coliseum’s low commercial quality ensures that the stadium only attracts fans who are there to see baseball. This creates a great atmosphere where true baseball fans can collectively celebrate America’s national pastime. If the A’s were to move into a new, fancy stadium, this atmosphere would be extinguished. This AT&T Park-esque stadium would attract bandwagon fans that are just there for the stadium. So, the A’s should not move out the Coliseum, in order to preserve a place where true baseball lives on.
Furthermore, Oakland needs the A’s. The A’s can potentially bring a lot of revenue to the city, if the city is willing to fight to keep them. Yet aside from that, Oakland needs the A’s for another reason. With the Warriors moving to San Francisco within the next few years, Oakland will be losing one of their three professional sports teams. That leaves only the A’s and the Raiders to compete with Oakland’s rivals across the bay. Now, if the A’s moved away too, that would leave Oakland with only the Raiders. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want the Raiders defending the pride of Oakland alone. To prevent this from happening, the A’s must stay in Oakland.
Right now, the situation is looking up. The commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred has stated, “I want the A’s to stay in Oakland.” Also, on October 5, the Supreme Court declined to hear San Jose’s appeal to a previous ruling that the A’s could not move to San Jose. Although this means that San Jose has been ruled out, there is still a push to move the A’s out of Oakland. But for reasons previously stated, this must not happen! So I urge you to attend A’s games, and to do your part to keep the “Oakland” in “Oakland Athletics.”
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