Dan Patrick: I Feel Bad For The City Of Oakland | 9/24/24

[@PhinClio]

I'm an East Bay native, though I've lived in other states since after college. Been rooting for the A's since the early 1970s. I was a huge fan. I was even a moderator on Athletics Nation for years. But unless Fisher sells the team to a group in Oakland, I'm done. I'm retiring in a few years and we're probably moving, though I'm not sure where. I'll adopt a new team when I move. Until then, I'm taking a break from MLB. I have other sports to follow.

[@hickoryhound]

Someone else would have bought that team and kept it there if it was worth keeping there. I followed the A's from the time I first watched baseball. That market can't support two teams and the Giants are in San Francisco. San Francisco is in a little bit better ghetto than Oakland and they have the ballpark already. It is unfortunate, but that lifestyle is what the people of that area wanted because they voted it in. It is representative of the people of that area. So now they can enjoy their harvest.

[@kcnoise]

It’s hard to follow baseball without a team to care about. I’ve tried the last few years to distance myself from the A’s. I love the game but the economy of the sport and its management has been awful. If you’re a small market fan the odds are constantly dim. I might bow out permanently after this.

[@WillMuny]

No sane person would ever own a team or anything else for that matter in a Dead City like Oakland. Oakland is pure Trash.

[@dillonharnden-shea57]

@@hickoryhounddude there really multiple open offers to buy the team and keep the team in Oakland. The owner of the warriors has had an open offer since 2011.

[@mpk2542]

Sorry for Oakland. St. Louis was going to build a new riverfront stadium for the Rams and the own er still left and threw a match over his shoulder on the way out. Don't give these billionaire panhandlers one cent. 99% of the media is so in the tank for the NFL and MLB they don't dare criticize the teams or owners for fear of not getting invited the cocktail hour.

[@805fillmore]

Not the same. St. Louis stole the rams from LA.

[@ORagnar]

@@805fillmore -- The Rams were a Cleveland team at the start. 0-/ e_a0p

[@P31B]

There’s too much money in sports. It’s expensive to go to a game, to park, order food. Then they have these rich TV deals, but the price of cable is then passed along to us the consumer. Meanwhile, valuation of teams have gone up way faster than the stock market. Players also make millions of dollars. Something has to give

[@mithcee]

@@805fillmore Even if so they were done dirty by the owners, and it was all about their sense of entitlement and not caring at all about their city.

[@mithcee]

@@P31B Give the players more money, not less, they are the ones creating the product that brings in billions. When you're a billionaire crying about not getting enough free money from a city government, that's a lot harder to swallow.

[@neneshubby]

What a liar Fisher is. He DIDNT spend 18 years trying to build a stadium in Oakland. He spent the first 10 years flirting with San Jose, Fremont etc, it was only when they were out of moving options that they starting working with Oakland exclusively and made up the whole phony ‘rooted in Oakland’ promotion. He says he wishes he could talk to the fans. He refused any and all requests for interviews with local media for YEARS and let first Lew Wolff and then Dave Kaval do all his talking. I’ve been in A’s fan for 40 years and I didn’t even know what John Fisher looked like until a few years ago. He says he did everything to bring championship to Oakland. The largest contract in A’s history was signed back in 2005. That’s not a typo, 2005! Thats the year KZbin was invented. These billionaire owners get you into the ballpark by selling you on emotion but make make their decisions based on business. The only good thing I could say is he’s Las Vegas’s problem now.

[@Anim3Gamer]

That’s if the team even gets there. I could see a scenario where the Vegas move fails, and Manfred steps in and takes the team back to Oakland (unless the stadium gets razed before then) until Vegas is ready or another place like Utah opens up.

[@mithcee]

@@Anim3Gamer Manfred's dream is to have a franchise in Las Vegas. To the point where he'd even dub someone as bad at building stadiums as Fisher to be the one to do it. He speaks to the press for Fisher, he justifies everything he does, he even blames the fans on his behalf. The only way Manfred allows them to *not* go to Vegas is if he absolutely positively has no choice... and I don't think that scenario is out of the question. I will be happy then.

[@oiler62]

Excellent post!! Thank you 🙏

[@oiler62]

​@@Anim3Gamerthe Coliseum will be around a few more years for the soccer teams

[@davidliskey3553]

Trying to win. B.S. they let 4 gold glove fielders walk as soon as they were up for contracts.

[@FactoryPsykopath]

My family has had Oakland A’s Season tickets since 1972 can’t speak for the rest of the family but I’m done with MLB

[@Yapperofthecentury97]

@@RichyRich4 Dude, what? What he’s saying is totally rational. I love basketball, but if the Suns ever left Phoenix, I would NEVER watch another NBA game. Ever!

[@Yapperofthecentury97]

@@RichyRich4 Why would I stick by a team that told the city where I grew up, whom my family and I grew up supporting wholeheartedly, to screw off? They wouldn’t be our team anymore! What you’re saying is like rooting for the Boston Red Sox if they moved from Boston to Brooklyn just because they keep the redsox name and have licensing rights to the franchise’s history. See where I’m coming from? Tradition and pride matter a lot in sports. Location has a lot to do with that

[@Motozstu]

MLB never getting another dime from this long time fan

[@cptsketch13]

Seton is 100% correct on this

[@sadisticketchup9704]

Fisher wished he could talk to each fan. The man hasnt even been willing to do a single local news interview in well over a decade........

[@brockhershey414]

His team and he can do whatever he pleases. He doesn't owe anything to those fans.

[@PaganOnTheShortBus]

​@@brockhershey414You're trash!

[@Mattguuuuz]

@@brockhershey414 Make sure to wipe your chin when you're done buddy.

[@BrianFrederick22]

@@brockhershey414Brock is a third rate character and Hershey Chocolate sucks

[@carlfrye1566]

The Governor and State legislature could take a few billion $'s from the MANY BILLIONS OF $'s THEY SPENT ON ILLEGALS AND BUILD A STADIUM IN OAKLAND. But that isn't fashionsble, blaming the rich guy is ALWAYS THE DEMOCRATS EXCUSE.

[@P31B]

Diehard Oakland A’s fan here. Not going to be a fan of the Giants nor any team. The MLB, including the giants, enabled the move. I’m done with MLB

[@tigertank06]

Exactly. You can’t make me become a Giants fan. No way A’s fans become Giants fans. No way in hell.

[@Nilbogllat]

Cheer for the Ray's. The As of the south lol

[@johnlindner4093]

@@tigertank06 Same. I spent some time living in DC, and may again soon, so I guess I'm a sort of a lukewarm Nationals fan. But it's definitely not the same and I can't see remaining nearly as engaged.

[@KaisasDad]

@@tigertank06 Glad to hear that. Saw a comment recently that Sox fans should just become Cubs fans if they leave. Morons just don't understand how deep it goes.

[@stever6885]

Whole Giants organization are scumbags

[@someguy7222]

I will never and can never cheer for any other team than the Oakland Athletics. FJF

[@bullwinkle2380]

Does this include the Oakland Ballers???

[@someguy7222]

@@bullwinkle2380 I appreciate what the Ballers are trying to do, and wish them success. But... I have little to no interest in the plucky semi-pro team

[@mr.brenman2132]

Manfraud is the worst. The A's owner is the cheapest in all of sports. Taxpayers paying for sports arenas is an unethical practice. Any local government approving that is doing citizens a disservice.

[@pandersonnike]

Sadly, the commissioner in all sports answer to the owners first. I put the blame mostly on the owners in MLB in this case.

[@mr.brenman2132]

@@pandersonnike He's not serving the owners well. They are sacrificing future money for money in the present. Manfraud is taking baseball off a cliff. He's failed in every controversy. Terrible spokesperson for the game.

[@mithcee]

@@pandersonnike All 30 owners voted to approve the move to Vegas, even the Giants.

[@djtoman6875]

@@mithceeEspecially the Giants. I bet they voted even harder!

[@carlfrye1566]

However The Governor and State Legislature spending billions of $$$$'s on Illegals, giving them $$$/jobs/housing/health care/A's tickets(?) is OK with the sheep.

[@leonardsr.1389]

For the last 18 years this ownership did everything they could to F the fans of Oakland

[@Savi80]

I’ve been hearing Las Vegas since like late 2000’s

[@frv1995]

If the owner of your favorite team did business like John fisher you'd be doing the same thing as A's fans. There's plenty of blame to go around

[@derekhalbasch1548]

Been a fan of the A's my entire life. The 1989 team was and is my all-time favorite team. On Thursday, after the last game in the Coliseum, I'll never watch another MLB game. As much as I hate Fisher, I also can point as much blame to the Commissioner and the other owners for letting it happen. Amazing to me that these other owners don't see a fellow owner who has stolen their revenue sharing money for decades, and done nothing with the team in one of the largest TV markets. Going to Vegas isn't going to cure anything. All they have done is give a cheap owner a lifeline to continue pocketing their money.

[@rtyable]

I'm just done with MLB all together. So many people like me out here. We're done, our families are done. We're out.

[@Anim3Gamer]

I feel this. I’m the exact same way with the NFL once the Chargers left my town. I only watch the halftime shows in the Super Bowl on KZbin once they’re done, and whatever sports betting my friends are doing. I only watch NBA highlights, but I don’t think I could ever get myself to like the Clippers even if they were once in San Diego. I love the Padres, whether they’re absolutely trash like they were before Machado arrived or right now where they’re fighting for a Division title and a win away from a playoff birth. But if they were to leave, I’d be done completely with Sports in general.

[@fantasyEXX]

10 owners in MLB do everything in their power to screw over their fans. In what other business does this happen and the business stays viable? MLB has shown everyone that it doesn't care about the fans and then it wonders why the sport is dying

[@markbrusberg9808]

As a former Baltimore Colts fan (yes, still some of us around), I can attest it's virtually impossible to root for another team. The hardest part was, we were basically assigned the Redskins as our home team in terms of television broadcasts, and they stunk at the time; not that the Colts weren't bad before they left, but at least they were "our" bad team.

[@pandersonnike]

I attended an A's game in Oakland when I was in the bay area this year. I felt sad. The fans who attended ended up chanting sell the team, and overall seem passionate and decent people. I like the Coliseum in a way. Yes it was old, but the Coliseum had some character and appealed to me. It reminded me of old Busch Stadium which I grew up in the 90s and half of the 2000s. I missed the cookie cutter stadium a bit. Also, the A's have established a lot of history in Oakland. The only other city that has strong ties to the A's would be Philly, but that was 70 years ago when they last called Philly home. So only a few people are alive today who may remember that, and the Connie Mack teams were long gone by the 50s. Otherwise, the A's are to Oakland like the Browns are to Cleveland. Two underwhelming franchises, but the A's at least had success in the 70s and 80s. But two inept organizations run by poor ownership in the last 20-30 years. I digress, but the A's identity is Oakland. The toned death response from the owner is nauseating. Just be honest how it's about money, how you are too cheap to invest in your own product, and you're trying to fleece cities right now. That is all it is about with some owners. At least some want to win and see the prestige of winning.

[@ronclark9724]

Presently the Chicago White Sox are the worst team in MLB...Being a resident in the Texas panhandle I know your pain after spending 38 years in affiliated minor league PURGATORY without an affiliated minor league team. MLB/MiLB teams are PRECIOUS, you feel empty when your team and favorite summer pastime departs for better pastures, ballparks. MiLB teams don't control their coaches and player rosters, their MLB affiliated team does. Demonizing the owners won't win brownie points with the MLB/MiLB owners, they come and go as they sell or die... Professional baseball is a BUSINESS, like any tenant when their lease expires they shop around for better facilities... Get over it...

[@mithcee]

​@@ronclark9724 Dude spent almost two decades trying to build better facilities in the Bay Area and failed miserably. This isn't the same. And, they're not looking at other cities for better "facilities". They're looking at other cities for larger subsidies to build their stadiums there. You can build a nice stadium anywhere if the market is lucrative enough, and the Bay Area has 7.5 million people and is wealthy. And nobody wants to win brownie points with the owners, they want to hold them accountable. That kind of thinking is just accepting the belief that they hold all of the cards and the people that actually give them their money are helpless. If you want to look at yourself that way then fine. I call that a lack of self-respect. People are starting to realize that it's got to stop.

[@gregorycoan8871]

This life long A’s fan has stopped watching baseball. Not only has John Fisher abandoned us, the Giant’s, Manfred, the rest of MLB's owners, and all of the baseball national media have blood on their hands. It is a sad day to walk away from baseball, but the reality is all of you walked away from the A’s fans. Tomorrow it will be your team…

[@johngoldsworthy7135]

Are you also a life long democrat? Blame your politicians and the anti business culture. Good for the owner

[@hickoryhound]

The people of that area have walked away from economic sanity. Fisher sucks, but y'all would not have been able to economically support a team anyway. You needed a new stadium 25 years ago and it's obvious to all that your city could never support building one.

[@someguy7222]

@@hickoryhound Naw, you're missing it. If any other franchise in MLB treated its fans like this ownership has done, they would become disgusted too. 25 years ago Led Wolf (the partner to Fisher) announced a proposed move to Fremont, shitting on Oakland fans on (what he thought) was his way out the door. Except Fremont, like Oakland didn't just have $1 Billion dollars to cough up. Plan nixed. Oakland fans understandably pissed. Then ol Lew tried for San Jose. Shitting on Oakland again. Again didn't work out. Lew steps down and John Fisher emerges from the shadows. Oakland fans so pissed at the repeated attempts to abandon them. But then the team came up with this "Rooted in Oakland" campaign that was plastered all over town. Meanwhile the actual team habitually purged the roster of talent and opted for cast offs and wash ups. Signed 0 top tier free agents, and didn't even try. Did no research (or was it a rouse?) for the proposed site at Laney (there was already a college there? Hello?) And then the Howard Terminal disaster. If it were just a ballpark, shovels would already be in the ground. Dude insisted on hotels, retail, office spaces, Etc as part of the deal. Covid hit but Oakland still came up with half the money. Meanwhile as Fisher is getting rid of all good players and crying poor, another area billionaire made public statements that he would "unburden" poor Mr. Fisher and purchase the team and do what you (mistakenly) think is somehow impossible, keep them in Oakland. Mind you, when the Giants were on the verge of moving in the 90's Mr. Fisher felt so strongly about saving them he tried to organize a group of investors to save the Giants for San Francisco. Eventually even owning 10% of the team (which he only relinquished when he bought the A's, but let's be honest, his true love are the Giants). A's fans (and most reasonable adults) can't fathom why Mr. Fisher wouldn't extend that same life line to Oakland? If he can't get it done, someone else was willing to show him how it could be done and Mr. Fisher would make a nice profit too. Why is that bad? He would lose 000,000 dollars. He would gain money. Also Oakland sold him part of the Coliseum site in good faith because as he put it: "In case Howard Terminal doesn't work out" Well we now see that was a damn lie. The owner of our team seemed to dislike his fans and the city he played in. What other fan base is just going to be OK being treated like that? But fine, go ahead and keep drinking the Manfred juice and blame the victims. For any team, of any franchise, of any city, moving should be a very last option, exercised only if NOBODY else is willing to step up and purchase the team to keep them there. But no... You want to blame us. You have my pity in the way Mr. T described it

[@someguy7222]

@@johngoldsworthy7135 I'm not a democrat. I just love my team. What does that have to do with my team being taken away? Stop projecting your political preferences as an excuse for horrible team ownership

[@johngoldsworthy7135]

@@someguy7222 it has everything to do with economic policy in California. Are you that daft that you don't understand cause and effect? Please educate yourself on the very low level basics of business/economy. Go woke, go broke

[@dementiariddenguy25]

I was born in Santa Clara but was raised in Castro Valley a small city like 15 minutes outside of Oakland. My dad brought me and brother to A’s and Warriors games all the time and im only 17 but remember those times where I seen both stadiums filled with cheering fans and just moments where it was electricfying. We moved from the Bay to Vegas around 4 years ago and im just saddened what’s happening.

[@fantasticvoyage262]

So will you cheer for them in Las Vegas?

[@dementiariddenguy25]

@@fantasticvoyage262 nope

[@fantasticvoyage262]

@@dementiariddenguy25 I wouldn't either. Just like the Raiders.

[@baymaster20]

I will but it won’t be the same but just like the raiders it’s just all about the money

[@IamSumfoo]

No A’s fan is going put on Giants gear. Casuals would. Casuals left the A’s long ago though. What is left is the hard core A’s fans. As one of those I will say this. I have chosen to walk away from baseball entirely. I refuse to give a sport money that has treated its loyal fans as they have. Let alone root for a team that voted for the move.

[@fantasticvoyage262]

Are you still a Raiders fan?

[@IamSumfoo]

@@fantasticvoyage262 I grew up with the Raiders in LA. So them moving is nothing new to me. Plus… well.. just read the Mark Davis statement on the A’s moving to LV and you will see that there is a difference in that situation. What is also different is that the A’s move is based on a lie. Some belief that somehow more people will show up in Vegas. The belief that a significantly smaller market will translate into larger profits is math that any reasonable person will see as false. So long as Fisher is the owner the A’s are a dead franchise.

[@fantasticvoyage262]

@@IamSumfoo Raiders turned their back on Oakland twice. NFL is no different lying and backstabbing fans to stuff their pockets. Screw the NFL. I don't need that garbage anymore.

[@aztlan_chicano_native_worl3168]

That's right too much bad blood sports with Oakland and San Francisco lol it's a Bay Area rivalry only San Francisco East Bay fans know.

[@aztlan_chicano_native_worl3168]

​@@fantasticvoyage262 Always a Raiders Fan they started here in Oakland CA from everything 😊

[@dcfog81]

I'm completely done with MLB. I haven't watched a game this season save for the very few games I attended this season to say goodbye. What Fisher and MLB did to me and other Oakland Athletics fans is a huge slap in the face. Out of all the times a team has relocated because of an outdated venue, this was the most avoidable. The team and the city were that close to a deal before Fisher backed out. It was all greed. I really haven't missed MLB this year. I really couldn't care less. There's all sorts of other things in sports that I can turn to in the summer: UFC, boxing, WNBA, Olympics and World Cup every 4 years. I've moved on.

[@LesSoleilsdePhoenix]

The Giants blocked the A's from moving to San Jose years ago. Local former A's fans should remember that. I'd rather support the Padres or Mariners than the Giants after that, but the Diamondbacks are my go-to team as they're still in my original home state.

[@Glurb]

Yes, if the Giants didn't have territorial rights to San Jose (which they got from MLB in order to keep them from moving to Tampa in the 90s), then San Jose would have been a perfect fit for the A's, and I think that most Oaklanders would have been okay with it in due time vs. losing them to a city that's not even in the state.

[@CodyKing]

True, but Fisher still had opportunities to keep them in Oakland which is even better than SJ. Fisher shouldn’t have been looking outside of Oakland in the first place.

[@CJL1567]

John Fisher should've just been honest. Las Vegas is willing to give him what he wants and Oakland isn't.

[@C-Thunder]

Even Vegas doesn't want the A's. That's why Vegas isn't doing enough to help out Fisher.

[@DavidSmith-lp6yt]

No matter where they go, I will always be an A's fan. I was born in Oakland, California in 1970. I was a toddler when they won their first 3 consecutive World Series, but I saw them win in 1989. I considered that my high school graduation gift. Graduated from San Leandro High School in June of 1989. OAKLAND FOREVER!!!!!!

[@acidophilic]

ALL 30 OWNERS VOTED YES! - That is one of the LOUDEST messages about what the MLB Corporation thinks of it's Fans...

[@philquezada4715]

I grew up 6 miles from the Coliseum and am a fan of all 3 Oakland teams since the 60s. No one knows the whole story, but curious how one city could lose all 3 teams? How can it be all the owner’s fault? I blame the politicians - they are the common denominator.

[@v6math]

Born and raised in Oakland. So many memories from the following names that I and many others have been fortunate enough to witness at the coliseum and adjacent arena: Nate Thurmond, Al Attles, Rick Barry, Bernard King, Bill King, Run TMC, Cazzie Russell, World B. Free, Blanda, Lamonica, Madden, Stabler, Otto, Casper, Willie Brown, Branch, Biletnikoff, Villipiano, Lester Hayes, Hendricks, Tatum, Atkinson, Plunkett, Marcus Allen, Shell, Upshaw, Banaszack, Bo Jackson, Marv Hubbard, Ron Woodson, Tim Brown, Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Campy Campeneris, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Blue Moon Odom, Rollie Fingers, Ricky, The 'Eck', Dave Stewart, McGwire, Canseco, Tenace, Hudson, Zito, Tejada, Mulder, North, Holtzman, Kingman, Hatteberg, and the many others inadvertently left off. My god, what a list. All three teams now gone...

[@scribblegee]

As a long time A's fan who grow up in Oakland ( See Ricky Henderson, Fred Stanley, Dywane Murphy, etc.) I started the gradual emotional disconect years ago when I finally realized what ownership was doing. I can now say truthfully, that I don't care if they win or lose a particular game. I do find myself rooting for particular players now, instead of teams, which is easy to do because there are so many X- Athletic players (LOL!) The current group of young buck A's are really easy to root for, especially Lawrence Butler and Brett Rooker and I find I take pleasure in seeing them do well regardless of score of the game. As far as the Warriors moving to SF. The transition, though not ideal, was less hard. Mostly because they were still winning. But also, because the ownership did a great job of showing respect to Oakland ( like the Towne and Oakland Alternate Jerseys) and understanding how much of the DNA of Oakland is in the current iteration of the Warriors. They still "feel" like Oakland because: 1. Steph Curry is still on the team and so much of his formative years took place in Oakland and he has a phenomenal connection to Oakland. 2. They go out of their way to say the Warriors are the "Bay's Team" instead of San Francisco, so there is none this direct Oakland/SF big brother, little brother complex mojo..... 3. The Roracle championships in Oakland are still relatively recent and still form a viseral touchstone for so many fans.....

[@ooogyman]

💯. Although the Warriors called Oakland home for so many years, I saw the Warriors as a Bay Area team, so I don't blame Lacob for seeing a lucrative opportunity to build an arena in SF, profit from all the events & concerts hosted there, while still catering to the Bay Area fanbase. And like you said, Warriors regularly recognize their history in Oakland (though the more cynical side of me sees it as a ploy to profit off my nostalgia). I also didn't take the Raiders move personally since they moved to LA before I was born, so I don't have any personal memories with the iconic Raiders teams of the 70's. But the A's were OAKLAND'S team, so to see this franchise sold for parts and then ripped away breaks my heart.

[@ohmygonzalez]

With the A’s leaving Oakland I can’t imagine myself genuinely rooting for & investing in another team. I’m hanging up my MLB fandom.

[@fantasticvoyage262]

I hope you dumped the Raiders too.

[@wongleebruce]

Hey Dan, headed to the Oakland Coliseum for the first of the last three games in Oakland MLB history this whole thing went horribly wrong. Their moving to Sacramento will be the same horror show as the players and the union don't want to play in a minor league facility and have not signed off on it yet with MLB. The A's owner also has not come up with his share of the construction costs for the Vegas ball park yet to start construction. It's a Hall of Fame of dysfunction.

[@ronclark9724]

They are still in the process of demolition of the hotel resort there. As soon its cleared up, ballpark construction will start...

[@monica93304]

@@ronclark9724 with what money? Fisher hasn't laid out his proposal with a real document.

[@ooogyman]

​@@ronclark9724And have they found the rest of the money to build it? What about actual stadium renderings, with measurements and footprints? Who are the other investors? Why is it taking so long for this information to get to the public?

[@Rickvaughnn]

When I was a kid in the 00’s, my dad used to drive my brother and I up to Oakland to watch the Raiders and A’s with my uncle and cousins. I live in Texas now but the last time we were there was for the 2017 Warriors parade, and I bought a Marshawn Lynch jersey. I’m going to miss all those teams in Oakland. Thanks for the memories.

[@donjackson5522]

A's fans should root for the White Sox. They are used to bad play already.

[@TEEPSPAZ]

It was a close 4 man race but Seton just snatched Danette of the year

[@exmachina41]

Fisher ruined 2 historic teams in the Bay Are, A's and Earthquakes.

[@snrose33]

That is a great point. Destroyed the Earthquakes too. What a dirt bag.

[@mbruce2106]

As a fan since the late 80’s, as long as they’re still the A’s brand I’m still a fan. If your loved one has cancer, you don’t have your loved one cause you hate their cancer. You love the person (the team) but have nothing to do with the cancer (owner). I’m not for lining the owners pockets however but at some point if you want a hat or go to a game it’s gonna happen. Rock and a hard place. I know some decent Giant fans but I’ll never be one. Specially when they helped us out the door after we helped keep them in SF. A’s or nothing for many of us. We A’s fans appreciated all the fans from other teams supporting us at our last game. Much love.

[@jimarcher9841]

In 1989, the Houston Oilers threatened to move to Jacksonville, FL unless Harris County (TX) added more seats to the Harris County Domed Stadium (aka Astrodome). Harris County accommodated the demand by removing the large scoreboard in the Astrodome, using 30-year taxpayer supported bonds. When the Astros and Rockets moved into downtown Houston years later, there were still 20+ years remaining on those 30-year bonds for the Astrodome. Yet the Oilers left Houston anyway, leaving behind taxpayer funded repayment of the bonds that were issued so that they would not leave. Likewise, the last request for a vote on changes to the Astrodome was held before those 30-year bonds were fully paid off.

[@KyleKendall71]

As a lifelong A's fan growing up in the bay area here is my take: 1) True A's fans will never become Giant's fans. They might go to games to see them play/lose, but will never start wearing Giants gear. 2) In terms of WHO to root for, it is tough for me as I have moved and there are no MLB teams near me. I enjoy the game in general, but don't have a personal attachment to any of the other teams any more. 3) While the rich owners are definitely greedy...the reason for the money grab is because of the salaries. 100's of millions of dollars, just like the NFL, has to be gotten from somewhere.

[@FilonisHat]

The reason why players are being paid millions is directly tied to the owners capitalizing on everything in their teams. If the teams, as a collective, lost money, the players wouldn’t be getting these exorbitant salaries. Don’t make this into a worker issue; it is always the fault of the billionaires. They want you to look away from them to deflect blame away from their cowardly selves and their greedy decisions.

[@troyhoffman6012]

I’m the same as you, East Bay native, live out of state. The fact that there were options in the Bay Area that MLB blocked just makes me fed up with MLB. I’m done.

[@ronclark9724]

My closest MLB team is a good six hours drive from my Texas panhandle home. I root for a AA Texas League minor league team in a city that spent 38 years in affiliated minor league baseball PURGATORY without an affiliated minor league team, Amarillo....I know your pain...Having a MLB/MiLB team in your city is PRECIOUS....

[@marcuswai]

A's never had 100's of millions of dollars payroll. FJF is just greedy and depended on MLB revenue sharing welfare.

[@MrRicklynch57]

A lot of A's fans became Giants fans when Oracle Park was built and even more became Giants fans when they went on their World Series run. The opposite happened in the 70s; John Fogerty said he was a Giants fan and enjoyed watching Willie Mays, but in the 70s when the A's went on their run he became a big A's fan. When the Raiders left Oakland for LA in the 80s the 49ers became the best team in the NFL at the same time. It was easy for those "die-hard" Raiders fans to become fans of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. That's why when the Raiders moved back they couldn't even sellout playoff games.

[@shackdaddy7106]

The city of Oakland has now set a record by losing teams in all four major professional sports. Don’t forget they had a team in the NHL that left in the mid 70s. Which was not brought up during this discussion.

[@MrSpeedracer510]

Fuck no I’ll never go for another team

[@916Smoke]

The city of Oakland has no one to blame but themselves. The teams left because it's a shitty town. Homeless and and crime everywhere. There is no money in Oakland. Oakland tried to bully Raiders and A's. MLB said we're not playing your game. You'll either work with us or we're leaving. Mark Davis tried to make it work but A's and the City made it impossible to stay. Oakland is its own problem.

[@jasonleman1396]

A's fan since the 80s living in san francisco. I am done with baseball as a fan (Yeah I might watch the post season) but invested in another team no way (especially the giants) the cheap bastard who is an heir to the gap fortune has been the problem, (and I am going to my last game tonight)

[@TVResults]

I'm the same way with the Pirates now. Went to my last game on a family trip last week. After being a lifelong fan, I'm near 49 now. MLB can't be taken seriously for me without salary floors, caps, and standards for ownership. It isn't a level playing field. As a fan, I'm fine with winning or losing, I just want the same rules to apply to all the teams.

[@KippBrockman-jh7is]

Poor Oakland. Three shafts and you have no sports teams. Stadiums are nice and all, but hearts of the fans would watch their teams play in a backyard of their town. The greedy always seem to want more & to Hell with the fan base that took years to build & keep. Maybe Oakland can get the Chicago White Sox to come to a "new to them" Oakland Colliseum. That fanbase on the South side is dealing w/ stupid ownership also.

[@dustinrhodes4793]

Done with MLB and the NFL. I get it, its a business, but thats not what made sports what it is today. The last NFL game i ever attended was at the Oakland Coliseum and the last MLB game I will ever go to is this Thursday at the Coliseum. Fuck Fisher, Manfred, The Giants and MLB. More money for Sharks games I guess

[@josephgabello3214]

When was that Seaton? Teams have been moving since the early 1900's

[@moisesgalaz9390]

Sports in the East Bay is a different vibe.

[@timrooney5608]

Waiting for the DP road show in Oakland. Let’s see how much they appreciate doing a show there

[@donjackson5522]

Awesome Campbell Fighting Camels shirt. Come on down here to Buies Creek for a game.

[@RudieObias]

I'm a Cleveland sports fan and was a BIG Browns fan when I was growing up in the '80s and '90s. But, when the Browns moved in 1995, I paid less and less attention to the NFL - even though the Browns are back in Ohio. When a sports team leaves your city, it changes your relationship with the sport, or at least it did for me. The Browns used to be my favorite Cleveland sports team and now they're all the way at the bottom for me. I'll just stick to the Cavs and Guardians/Indians.

[@mikelfrance-l6x]

I feel sorry or the people of Oakland because their government, who owned the property, refused for DECADES to spend to improve or maintain it. The Coliseum did not fall apart overnight. The City and County knew what they were doing. The voters of Oakland would never spend a dime of tax money even though they built it with their money in the first place. Worse, they destroyed beauty for ego to get the Raiders back -- who left anyway. The team is gone but the governments that allowed this to happen are unfortunately still there.

[@bobschwerdt7958]

You absolutely nailed it!

[@fantasyEXX]

The Raiders left because the city chose to listen to Fisher over Davis and ended up with siding with the bad guy who still screwed them over

[@ooogyman]

I'll give you the fact that the shared ownership of the Coliseum between the City of Oakland and Alameda County was always fraught with conflict. Both entities constantly butted heads and were horrible property managers. That said, Coliseum improvements were NOT going to keep the A's in Oakland. A's ownership was constantly looking for sites out of Oakland - first San Jose, then Fremont - and the three proposals for stadiums in Oakland were all deeply flawed, while A's ownership's efforts could be called half-hearted, at best. Now if A's ownership invested in the team, re-signed fan favorites to long-term contracts, made a commitment to building competitive, playoff teams, then maybe we could let A's ownership off the hook and start blaming Oakland politicians for running the A's away. But when A's ownership decides to constantly trade away budding superstars for peanuts, raise ticket & parking prices while fielding a team with AAA talent, and stop popular promotion events like FanFest, all to push a narrative it's Oakland's fault for the A's failure, how can you expect Oakland politicians to give in to ownership demands without committing political suicide?

[@CodyKing]

Why is it up to the city to fund a stadium for a billionaire’s baseball team? The A’s are leaving because the city wouldn’t give Fisher a big enough handout from the taxpayers.

[@mikelfrance-l6x]

@@CodyKing Fisher didn't ask for one penny from Oakland. NOT ONE PENNY. Its the city who failed to make HT a viable spot to build ANYTHING on.

[@Sv_vic]

About 90 million was needed to fund the largest construction project in California history . A billionaire owner could now come out of pocket . It was good to see the rest of MLB approve all of this , baseball was my first love in sports , won't be watching anymore .

[@brettremington]

Some say Sacramento might steal them away. Slight chance… we live in Northern NV. It’s closer. 😆Fisher gets all the gaming industry backing and other businesses in Vegas though, and things appear to be moving according to plan with a few more hurdles. It’ll just be another event, another attraction for tourists down there. Oh well… don’t forget. Alameda County owned half of the deal at the Coliseum, and the city government and team ownership are equally to blame. After all other teams left, the A’s eventually had to plan to do the same. Cold, hard truth.

[@KingFarouk24]

Been a fan from childhood because of Vida Blue. Don't think I can still root for them. Imagining "Las Vegas" on the jersey instead of "Oakland" hurts my heart. I'll probably end up only being a "watcher" of baseball.

[@Dr.VonBraun]

I was born into it back in '72, and have been an A's fan since, even after moving away, I hava always stayed faithful to my A's. Fisher has lied the whole time and we have seen it. Screw John Fisher.

[@DJStyles]

I'm a 51-year-old A's fan who has only rooted for that baseball team my entire life. Baseball is now dead to me. I have no team, allegiance, or loyalty. Sports owners don't give us any. I was a little kid when the Raiders first moved in the 1980s. It really hurt and I wasn't old enough to understand business. I was also young enough where I was able to become a 49er fan. I am far too old to switch teams now. All of the billionaire owners and their tight wide stingy ways can stick their teams where the sun don't shine. I'm done. I hate to see any team abandoned their fan base and there is no shortage of them these days. It seems like 1/4 to 1/3 of all the teams in all sports have switched cities at this point. Screw them all!

[@scotmelville]

Not the Giants. They are a key component on why they are leaving.

[@CodyKing]

No they aren’t. Fisher had opportunities to keep the A’s in Oakland and he shouldn’t have been looking outside of Oakland in the first place.

[@Kyeuss]

Seton bringing that HEAT again !!

[@unknownKnownunknowns]

@2:25 so true. Look what the Gund family generously did to save the Cavaliers when they were on their last gasp and help revive downtown Cleveland with both Jacobs Field and Gund Arena.

[@Athletics70]

Now, Oakland is the only city to lose a team, in each of the four major sports leagues. First, in 1976, the Oakland/California Golden Seals left Oakland to move to Cleveland. Then, the Raiders left Oakland (twice). Followed by the Warriors, and now the A's. While growing up in Marin County, we had A's and Seals season tickets. The Seals simply needed new ownership, and much better publicity. While I understood the Howard Terminal pursuit, why did Fisher not pursue building a new stadium next to the Oakland Coliseum? Just like the Mets did when they built Citi Field next to Shea Stadium. Even though we did attend a few Giants' games at Candlestick, I could never be a Giants fan. Even though the A's are leaving Oakland, the great memories remain. Listening to Monte Moore, Bill King, Lon Simmons, the great PA Announcer Roy Steele, and of course all those great A's players we saw through the years. Great times, great memories!

[@efelix1086]

Not rooting for the Giants

[@ashergarber3791]

LA fan here. My love for baseball took a major hit with the stolen World Series of 2017. So there are many reasons for one to lose love for the sport, and I don't blame A's fans at all for ditching MLB.

[@girlhunter2102]

I did my Masters Thesis on the economic viability of the move and I can assure you the data says the team should’ve stayed.

[@alexrolon3505]

That's how SAN DIEGO CHARGERS FANS FELT BACK IN 2017 WHEN THEY LEFT

[@Bohdisattva3.7]

First place I ever attended a game. Hardly anyone from Oakland went there. It was surrounding towns. After Sac next year. They gonna be high fivin. All of us near Sac were the ones traveling couple hours to their games. It is depressing tho. 82 Rickey Henderson

[@daviddevine9295]

He wouldn’t dare talk to the fans

[@johnsam8676]

I was an A’s fan all my life til about 3 years ago. I got tired of the way they did things and always screwed the fans over. Now I don’t even follow baseball at all. There should be a 30 for 30 type documentary on Oakland, and how they lost all 3 of their pro sports teams and its impact on the community. Oakland was always pretty rough, but it’s like a 3rd world country now. The neighborhood by the coliseum is going to look like mad max even more so than it already is after Thursday.

[@mithcee]

AASEG bought the site and plan on turning it into a large recreational facility, mixed use development, and stadium for the Oakland Roots. It may end up a little better.

[@johnsam8676]

Lol this is Oakland we’re talking about.

[@daveytandtheplacetobe7561]

MORE DAN PLEASE

[@timmanto1022]

Oakland A's should be forced to sell to Lacob. Padres and A's need the same payrolls.

[@ericdye120]

Try to get Dallas Braden on for an interview next week with the finality of the Oakland A’s now is no longer Oaklands officially and season over.

[@donaldosborne3669]

Went to my first game in 69. I was 7 years old. As fans we went through the mustache gang, Campy throwing the bat, Catfish and Vida, Billy ball, the bash brothers and the winning streak. I was a part of all of that and now my childhood team is abandoning us and for what? More Money? All I can say is what a shame.

[@RunDAZ]

I didn't root for OKC after the Sonics were taken from Seattle, much less do I invite the NBA back to Seattle.

[@Norton51]

The worst thing about american sports is, that these billionair owners are able to move their teams to another city. You cant be committed as a fan then. Impossible.

[@mithcee]

It doesn't happen very often. It's happened twice in major league baseball in the last 52 years. Other sports maybe every couple of decades a handful of teams, like 1-3 will move around the same general time. A team moving to another city is one of the most disruptive things that can happen in any major American sport. Only because the city loyalty grows so strong. It's an awful thing to do.

[@SectorRedcape]

Once the A’s are in Las Vegas. I probably won’t watch MLB no more. But I will still keep my OAKLAND A’s Gear!

[@kcnoise]

I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve been a fan my whole life. I don’t want to follow another team.

[@wisethabrain1100]

Times like this I'm glad I'm a packers fan

[@Lora-G]

As a resident- our leadership is a CRIME- just complete incompetence 😢

[@DJHammerinhank]

I’ll be rooting for The Royals from now on because I’m originally from Kansas…Hoisington to be exact. 😀

[@mikecourson3429]

Yeah buddy keep listening to kvgb!

[@filibertoperez6356]

I’m only an Oakland sports fan, so me like almost all (true) Oakland fans won’t root for the S.F. Giants (also the Giants are involved in helping Fisher by landing in Sacramento jointly with their TV network).

[@snrose33]

Lifelong A's fan here. 100% out on A's and MLB forever. What happened and was exposed is disgusting and I will not spend another dime on MLB.

[@SevenMarx]

As a Giants fan… watching the A’s leave breaks my fucking heart.. the A’s and the city of Oakland .. especially when it comes to the A’s deserve better..

[@7thkid]

I was a huge Atlanta Thrashers fan back in the day, they moved to Winnipeg. I am not a Winnipeg Jets fan at all.

[@LILDOGGY9922]

I’m an A’s fan, born and raised here in Oakland. If this move really goes through, I’m done with the A’s and MLB. All 30 owners approved of this and allowed it to happen. Why would I continue following MLB when they just ripped out my own team out of my own backyard. John Fisher is a disgrace and I hope MLB grows balls and forces him to Sell The Team. There’s many Billionaires here in the Bay Area that wants to buy the A’s and keep them here in Oakland. John Fisher has continuously punched and kicked us A’s fans while we were down especially with that dumb letter he put out the other day

[@aztlan_chicano_native_worl3168]

Always East Side Oakland A's. R.I.P to the city of champions.

[@joesakic91]

It is a tremendous fall from grace from a city that used to house four top-tier professional sports teams with 10 of the 21 San Francisco Bay Area Big Five titles. Hell, Oakland even lost their indoor football franchise to San Jose.

[@jpete3027666]

They would have had a new stadium at Howard Terminal already but Fisher insisted on building a shopping mall and apartments at the site also. I grew up in the 80’s in the Bay Area playing baseball and I became a baseball fan in the late 80’s. The A’s were the first love of my life really. In recent years Fisher has made me hate the A’s and hate baseball to a point where I don’t even watch it anymore. My cousin is going to the final game in Oakland and I was going to go with him, but decided not to. How the other owners don’t see Fisher as an embarrassment to MLB and force him out somehow I don’t understand. Joe Lacob has wanted to buy the A’s for a long time. Oakland fans are awesome. The A’s used to draw 2 million + fans a year most seasons before Fisher destroyed the team. During the glory years of the Haas ownership and before the Coliseum was destroyed by Mount Davis, they had seasons where they had 3 million for attendance and ranked near the top of all of baseball.

[@jakeb7853]

How is leaving a top ten market for a top 40 market a good decision????

[@Trumps_Idiocracy_2024]

Feel bad? Give me a break. The City of Oakland has ZERO business housing a professional sporting franchise. As a Raider fan of over 40 years, if you can even find an Oakland resident on game day, you'd be pressed. I get there are the hardcore but Most Bay Area fans are fair-weather fans. They'll one show up if the team is winning. See years 1988-1992 for the A's. Which in the case of the Raiders and A's, winning is somewhat of a distant memory or at a least an inconsistent event.

[@jpete3027666]

They would have had a new stadium at Howard Terminal already but Fisher insisted on building a shopping mall and apartments at the site also. I grew up in the 80’s in the Bay Area playing baseball and I became a baseball fan in the late 80’s. The A’s were the first love of my life really. In recent years Fisher has made me hate the A’s and hate baseball to a point where I don’t even watch it anymore. My cousin is going to the final game in Oakland and I was going to go with him, but decided not to. How the other owners don’t see Fisher as an embarrassment to MLB and force him out somehow I don’t understand. Joe Lacob has wanted to buy the A’s for a long time.

[@427bullis]

Ralph Wilson owner of the bills kept the bills in buffalo

[@mithcee]

Yeah and the Pegulas held NY state up for $700 million to keep them there last year.

[@mikecanul]

I am a former season ticket holder - I am NOT going to start rooting for the Giants or any other team PERIOD and I sure as hell am not going to embrace Sacramento 😡

[@williamtaylor4545]

I've been an A's fan since they came to Oakland, and I cannot be more heartbroken. I watched it all and never once thought this would happen. As bad as Fisher is, and he is a monster for the way he intentionally tanked the team, MLB let this happen to a team that has solid fan support. So much for encouraging small market ownership. Watch out KC, TB, Arizona, etc.... SHAME ON MLB! I'm done. I will never watch another MLB game again. I just take in a high school or local college game, but MLB can go screw itself!!!!

[@michaelv401]

Seton speaking the truth

[@cignaga]

If I was A's fan then I would just root for the new Minor League team the Oakland Ballers

[@adrianp.1195]

My first sports experience in life was as a 5 year old boy in 1977 attending an Oakland A’s Game at the Coliseum against the Yankees on a cold and windy Friday summer night. We got our asses kicked 9-1, I still remember that evening very clear. That was the root of my experience as a Baseball Fan and since I have invested time, energy, and money into watching my favorite Baseball Team with family and friends. Now here I am 47 years later in 2024 and we have a Billionaire Owner who doesn’t care about sports, only personal profit without investing his own money; living off the welfare of others. Sorry MLB, I’m done with Baseball. You enabled this mess. *** Dan Patrick *** Can you please mention at some point in your broadcast that John Fisher is using the same exact Business Model on the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. 1. Purchase the Team 2. Sell and trade Team Talent 3. Don’t conduct interviews with Media 4. Destroy the Brand 5. Complain to the Local Government that the stadium is outdated 6. Don’t invest own money to make money 7. Disenfranchising Fans and Local Community 8. Blame Fans for lack of support and Government for lack of Funding. 9. Move Team to City where government is willing to pay him 10. Sell Team

[@fantasyEXX]

I lost my Raiders twice. I lost my Anaheim Arsenal. I lost teams that I built memories with my family

[@22MatRat]

When my Sonics left I tried to find another team…Golden State? Miami? Over my dead body and I rooting for Portland or the Lakers 😅 In the end I haven’t had a team to root for since 2008…and haven’t paid a ton of attention to the NBA…but still love my Sonics, Kemp, Payton, Detlef, etc.

[@ivannevarez8478]

St. Louis did make concessions to build a new stadium there for the Rams. But, Kronos moved the team back to LA and built a privately funded stadium. All this stems from 1986 when Government put in place that publicly funded stadiums had to be funded 90% by taxpayers thinking that no city would ever build a privately owned business for billionaire’s. Yet the cities do it? Oakland was like yeah we’ll build a stadium as long as there affordable housing and small businesses connected to the project. Fisher was like no! I get everything involved in the project. It is disgusting the way these corporations deal with cities. Pitting city against city. States against other States in order to get richer than their peers. Like life-stinks when they are slapping each other over who is richer. As an A’s fan, I haven’t watched 1 inning of baseball in like 1 1/2 years.

[@markula_4040]

I'm a Rams fan. I just waited 20 years until they came back. Everyone else should do the same... except St. Louis. Otherwise it means the Rams would be gone again from LA in around 12 years.

[@Ianmackable]

As a Montrealer and a passionate Expos fan, I can testify that no one I know in this city, not one single person, gives a damn about the Washington Nationals.

[@stenbak88]

Every single A’s fan should give up on them. Oakland should try and vote in better people

[@carlfrye1566]

Few fans were alive when many stadiums were owned by the city(DC Stadium/renamed RFK Stadium) was one.

[@joeblow-m6c]

F Oakland. I am LOVING this!!!