Oakland A's snubbed by Nevada Legislature: the T-Shirt Rebellion
Oakland, California - Having lost last night's bid to get more than a third of a billion dollars from the Nevada state legislature for a new Las Vegas ballpark, the Oakland A's activist fan base is stepping up the pressure to convince team owner John Fisher, that he should sell his team to an owner who truly wants the A's to be rooted in Oakland.
Like yesterday, Tuesday, the 13th may prove to be another unlucky day for Oakland A's ownership.
A t-shirt has become the symbol of what fans are calling a "reverse boycott" of the Oakland A's. A small online cottage industry of such shirts has sprung up, energized by Monday's snubbing of the A's by the Nevada legislature on the team's request for $380 million to help finance an A's Las Vegas ballpark.
"I'm not surprised that the legislators did not pass this and it's my understanding as well that the only thing they'll be bringing back is budgeted items," said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.
The move is now mired in politics pitting education and local public service needs against a billionaire's wants.
"The Assembly is Democratically controlled. Right. Republic Governor, Democratic controlled,. You have these major quality of life issues," said Save Oakland Sports Co-Founder Chris Dobbins.
Oaklandish, a store that sells everything Oakland, still has the A's gear and keeps the faith. But, the fact is, there simply isn't much call for it anymore. Activist fans say, they're changing tactics to save the A's. "Staying away from the games, which is what I've been doing along with, you know, the vast majority of A's fans is really working against our best interest if we want to keep the team in town," said Stu Clary, an Oakland68s Member and A's fan.
Those attending the A's June 13 evening game with the Tampa Rays, will get a free shirt from the nonprofit A's booster club, the Oakland 68s, in hopes that thousands attend on usually slow Tuesday night. They bear "in your face" admonition to owner John Fisher, to sell the A's to better, more Oakland-friendly owners. "There's a decent fan base here. There's a lot of people who do care about the team. They've just been disrespected and treated like crap for so long, they're not showing up anymore," said Oakland68s Member and A's fan Dennis Biles. "I think it's a great idea. We're gonna…Save Oakland Sports is gonna be out there supporting. We'll be wearing ‘Sell’ shirts as well," said Save Oakland Sports’ Chris Dobbins.
The boosters say, it will also show Major League Baseball that the fault lies solely with team owner John Fisher. "When you double prices and allow the stadium to fall into disrepair and trade away all the best players," Stu Clary.
As has become their custom, neither the A's nor Fisher responded to our inquiries.