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The A’s days in Oakland have been numbered for a long time, but now we know that number.
The Athletics, who moved to Oakland in 1968, will play their final game at the Coliseum on Sept. 26.
That Thursday afternoon game is 174 days away.
After that, what happens to John Fisher’s team is another town’s problem.
Fisher and A’s management’s incompetence always leaves the possibility of an Oakland return open, but for now, the book is closed on big-league teams in the City of Champions.
I’m sure folks the world over will be at that final game at the Coliseum. The situation will be a muse for writers and talking heads to project their politics and beliefs.
Meanwhile, I can start early.
Ultimately, there are only two proper emotions today and when that final game arrives: sadness and disappointment.
But amid this change, there is an opportunity. The A’s exit provides a moment of reset for the Bay Area.
This ridiculous A’s saga has brought me to two thoughts again and again.
The first is a recollection of a quote from 49ers owner and Santa Clara County welfare recipient Jed York, who said in 2017, amid a horrible stretch for his team: “You can’t fire owners.”
Boy, I wish you could. I know who would be first up for a referendum.
And adjacent to that thought, another: What do we want professional sports in the Bay to be?
I don’t think it’s what we currently have.
I’m thinking beyond wins and losses. I’m talking about the value these teams provide our region.
I believe sports provide community, and that’s exceptionally valuable in our fractured, isolated modern society.
But are we, the folks providing those dollars, getting our money’s worth?
Where there were once six, only four men’s big-league teams will remain, fighting for the entertainment dollars of the wealthiest region in America.
(The Fisher-owned San Jose Earthquakes play in Major League Soccer, but he runs that team the same way he runs the A’s. They do not deserve your entertainment dollars.)
Are the personal seat licenses — the mortgages on seats the 49ers, Warriors, and Giants sold as a prerequisite for season tickets worth the cost?
Is the product on the field living up to the ever-rising costs of going to the game?
Is the relationship between these teams and the fans lopsided — more take than give?
Are these teams helping foster a community, or are they just assembling suckers into single-file lines?
I am only a part-time fan, but I feel the pain. Sky-high ticket prices, concessions costs that laugh in the face of logic (even the airport isn’t so bold), and the parking fees — my goodness.
(Don’t even start me on the Fanatics-brand merchandise.)
How can anyone enjoy the game — good or bad — when they have whiplash from the costs of being there?
How can we foster a community when even the well-off (as opposed to the stupidly wealthy) can only afford to attend a handful of games a season?
Who are these teams really for, if not regular folks?
And until there is some severe push-back for the common man, the common fan, the problem will only worsen.
After all, there’s now true scarcity — one basketball team, one football team, one baseball team — in a region that can support and afford two competent operations per Big Three sport. And sure enough, the 49ers, Warriors, and Giants have all increased the price of at least some season tickets in the past year.
How the sliding Warriors and “somewhat break even” Giants had the gall to do that speaks to the problem. And I’ll shoulder some blame here— it’s the fourth estate’s job to hold these things to account.
Perhaps women’s sports will save us from this cycle of passion as a means to increase revenue. Bay FC is off to an inspiring start, and the Warriors’ WNBA team will be a welcome addition. But those are still teams owned by a hedge fund and a billion-dollar “sports and entertainment” enterprise. (The Warriors own their own record label for… reasons.)
Maybe we’ll look down at the minor-league Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul soccer teams, which will take over the Coliseum from the A’s in 2025. The independent Oakland Ballers baseball team is also possible — we’ll see if they get off the ground. Stanford, Cal, San Jose State, St. Mary’s, USF, and Santa Clara are additional options, too.
Perhaps we’re past the point of no return with the best of the best. For these big-league teams, it’s socialism for the front office (league TV deals, public subsidies, PSLs) and ruthless capitalism everywhere else.
They don’t need the additional funds, but they’ll take them because no one has told them to stop. Fisher’s A’s made a nice profit in 2022.
I hope we can collectively take this opportunity to hold these private companies masquerading as public trusts to account. I don’t think anyone will be blackmailing the region by threatening to leave anytime soon (though the Sharks could surprise me), but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be treated right.
These teams aren’t doing us a favor. They’re a business trying to provide a service at a cost.
We know the costs, hard and soft. Are they providing commensurate service?
We’re not desperate here in the Bay. We’re deserving of the best. Call that elitist if you want — it’s simply the truth.
Mark Davis’ Raiders were so inept and Fisher is so craven that, when grading on the curve, every other team in the region received a pass for the last decade-plus. Some have made good anyway, and some have decided to use the smokescreen for other purposes.
But those distractions are now gone. Now, we have the opportunity to truly judge these teams with clear eyes and on merit.
I hope we do just that.
Originally published at Dieter Kurtenbach