Adios A's: Defeated Oakland sports fans mourn the loss of 3rd franchise in 5 years
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland sports fans are heartbroken over the loss of the Athletics, as they prepare to officially say goodbye to the A's at the end of the season. It’s a devastating loss for fans who’ve given their heart and soul to the major league team for decades.
This has been a long time coming, but on Thursday, Oakland baseball fans are hanging up their A’s hats in defeat in the loss of the third franchise in five years.
"My dad took me to games. I took my boys to games, and now I’m taking my granddaughters to games," said Oakland sports fan Paul Brekke-Miesner. "I mean what a loss, what heartbreak it is to lose your professional sports teams that we’ve come together and rooted for."
The A’s are playing their last season in Oakland before they pack their bags for Sacramento, leaving behind a sports legacy in Oakland that cut across barriers of race and culture.
"There was a legacy here that if you were a good ball player in Oakland, you could make it anywhere," he said.
Brekke-Miesner is an author who wrote about local sports in Oakland in a book called Home Field Advantage. His book discusses the impact Oakland sports leave on children, and the legends Oakland created.
"There’s a lot of athletes like Dave Stewart, Ricky Henderson, those kind of kids, that played in the shadow of the Coliseum," he said.
Many fans are saying good riddance to the A’s owner, after the months of uncertainty.
"John Fisher doesn’t realize what he’s losing, but he never knew what he had," Brekke-Miesner said.
Jorge Leon, a member of the superfan group Oakland 68’s, was looking over at the Coliseum when he said, "The greatest place on earth. Look at that, it’s beautiful."
The team is still in the process of taking part-ownership of the Coliseum. However, the future of the venue is still up in the air, as the city is negotiating with the team to sell their portion to a developer.
Fans said they’ll continue protesting outside home games this season, but they’re shifting their support to the new team: The Oakland Ballers.
"I think it’s devastating but at least we have clarity and at least we can look at the future’s going to hold," said Bryan Carmel, co-founder of the B’s.
City officials said they’re still fighting for an expansion team to call Oakland home.
"This isn’t the end of pro-sports in the Town. The Roots are here, the Soul is here, the Spiders are here, and the Baller’s are here and I think we’re going to take the torch and begin a new chapter for sports in Oakland," said Carmel.
Leon said he will attend the last A’s game at the Coliseum for nostalgia.
The B’s are hosting a spring training try out on Saturday, April 6. It will be two months before opening day for them at Raimondi Park in West Oakland.
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