Last night, fans of the Oakland Athletics came out in droves to attend the second game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Total attendance for the mid-week matchup reached 27,659 fans. Nearly 14 times more than only a month ago, after dropping eight of their last nine outings. The Bay Area hit a new low this year as the Oakland Coliseum recorded its smallest crowd since 1979, with 2,064 attendees. A jump like this is so drastic, yet it leaves one wondering why to do such a thing. The answer: a “Reverse Boycott.”
It’s so loud 😳 pic.twitter.com/pyfaReoJ9q
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 14, 2023
Reverse Boycott Meet the Oakland Athletics
“Reverse Boycott”: The Reason
In April of this year, A’s owner John Fisher publicly announced his intentions to move the historic franchise to Las Vegas. A decision that predictably sparked outrage among the Oakland faithful. The community would not sit idly by while they watched another of their hometown teams be ripped from their city and transplanted to the Nevada desert. So they got to work, devising a plan to show the team and the rest of the league how much this franchise truly meant to them. What happened last night was that plan coming to fruition.
The demonstration, a tactic deemed a “reverse boycott” by the event organizers, called upon fans to purchase tickets to pack the Oakland Coliseum. Reversing the narrative that fans didn’t support the team and proving to the league that Oakland still bleeds green and yellow.
The Result
The “reverse boycott” was a smashing success. Before the game started, tens of thousands of fans descended upon the Coliseum complex to host a massive tailgate. An element of the plan that organizers described as essential. Not only would this create the atmosphere they were aiming for, but it also provided an opportunity to distribute Kelly green T-shirts emblazoned with a single word, “Sell.” A purposeful message was sent from the fanbase and directed at owner John Fisher.
Throughout the game, fans made it abundantly clear that the primary objective of this “reverse boycott” was to persuade Fisher to sell the team. Chants rang out from the bleachers broadcasting the fanbase’s unified call to action.
The Perfect Timing
Serendipitously, the timing of the event could not have been better. The organizers held the demonstration on a “random Tuesday” to show that the fanbase was willing to make the trip despite the otherwise mundane game. They could not have foreseen the team getting red hot leading up to the scheduled event, ripping off six wins in a week,, and holding the longest active win streak in the bigs. Making the night all the more remarkable when they defeated the Rays, also known as the best team in baseball, extending their streak to seven in a row. The section on the field certainly fed off the energy coming from the crowd, undoubtedly aiding them in their winning effort. Further illustrating the point that it is not the fans that are letting the team down; it is the ownership in place.
The Future
The Nevada state Senate has passed the $380 million bill to help fund the proposed stadium for the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas.
Later today, A’s fans will stage a “reverse boycott” at Oakland Coliseum. The hope: Fans show up en masse to encourage owner John Fisher to sell.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 13, 2023
The sad truth is that this display of support will likely be brushed aside. Hours before the event on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweeted that the State of Nevada has passed the $380 million fund to help fund the proposed stadium. Needless to say, the days of Oakland baseball are slowly coming to an end.
Photo Credit: © Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
