Last A's home game of season brings stress, uncertainty to Oakland fans saying goodbye

Sunday, September 24, 2023
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland A's fans were at the Coliseum Sunday for the last home game of the season. Many hope to be back next year, but with a move to Las Vegas in the works, fans aren't sure what next season will bring. There was a renewed effort by fans to urge A's owner John Fisher to sell the team.

"Sell the team, sell the team," fans chanted.
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Oakland A's fans had a pre-game march to the Coliseum Sunday with a loud message for team owner John Fisher.

"I guess our feeling is anger and fight," said Jorge Leon.

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Leon is from The Oakland 68's, one group trying to keep the team from moving to Las Vegas. They even hired a plane with a banner, urging Fisher's mom Doris to make her son sell.



"So we're calling on John Fisher's mom to come and do something about this horrible situation. They claim they are stewards of the Bay Area but technically they're not if they're moving the team from our community," Leon said.
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On the last A's home game of the season, fans were feeling sad and uneasy about the future.
"To think about this may be the last time, saying goodbye is pretty hard, but I'm still optimistic that next year they will have a season here," said A's fan Diarra Piggue.

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The team's lease at the Coliseum is set to expire after the 2024 season.

"I try not to think about it, but they have a lease through next year. But with everything that's happened so far, I'm convinced they won't be here next year," said A's fan Jennifer Lamarche.
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If it gets built, the team's new stadium in Vegas likely won't be done until 2028, and where the team plays in the interim is unknown. Some Oakland fans say they should find a different ballpark now.

"It's like when you break up with a significant other, and they are still living in the house with you. Get them out. Until there's a shovel in the ground, the fight isn't over," said Michelle Leon.



A message made clear by A's fans in the outfield, unfurling a banner on the last game of the season: "Oakland will never quit."

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