Loyal A's fans organize a reverse boycott to keep team in Oakland with Stephen Curry's support
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Loyal fans, lawmakers and even Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors are coming to bat to keep the Oakland A's in Oakland.
Oakland A's fans say they're not going down without a fight and many are holding out hope that the deal to build a new stadium for the A's in Las Vegas, Nevada could still fall through.
"I feel like this is like urgency time for A's fans," Anson Casanares, a Board Member of the Oakland 68's said.
The Oakland 68's, a nonprofit made up of die-hard A's fans, is holding a reverse boycott at the next home game next Tuesday, June 13, when the A's take on the Tampa Bay Rays, calling on fans to pack the stadium.
"The message is simply that there's people who care about the A's, the A's have a huge fan base, a loyal fan base and if you're trying to move the team, we're not going down without a fight and we're going to showcase our passion, our energy, we're going to have signs out," Casanares said.
MORE: Nevada revisits Oakland A's stadium plan in special legislative session
The nonprofit has also been raising enough money to hand out thousands shirts to fans on Tuesday which say the word 'SELL' in bright yellow letters, asking owner, John Fisher, to sell the team.
"What is the point of owning a major league franchise when you don't invest in it?" he said.
While Chris Robbins, President of Save Oakland Sports and season ticket holder for the A's, says he's confident Tuesday night's game will sell out all 50,000 seats, and he's also holding out hope that the Las Vegas deal will fall apart, as Oakland has already lost both the Warriors and the Raiders.
"We're hoping that, as a former teacher, that the teachers went out and the people in Nevada realize that this guy's got $3 billion, meaning John Fisher, the A's owner, they need to focus on getting public money and subsidy to the local community there and stop stealing our teams," Robbins said.
EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Sheng Thao says she's fighting for A's to stay in Oakland
This, while Congressmember Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland, wrote a letter to the MLB Commissioner on Wednesday, pushing Rob Manfred to reconsider MLB's involvement with the A's relocation process.
"MLB's continued active encouragement of the A's abandonment of Oakland and the East Bay runs counter the rationale supporting MLB's century-old exemption from federal anti-trust law," Lee said.
And Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is standing united with Congressmember Lee, to keep the A's rooted in Oakland, in an exclusive interview with ABC7's Casey Pratt.
"And I know MLB has this great concept of wanting to diversify its fan base, and so we need a baseball team, we deserve a baseball team and we want the Oakland A's to be rooted here, whether it's with this current ownership or with a new ownership," Thao said.
"She's kinda hinting something that we're all hoping for (holds up shirt) which is to sell!" Casanares said.
VIDEO: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao still wants to play ball with the A's
It's support that's spreading, with a giant poster displaying the word "SELL" hanging up on a building, not far from Jack London Square, home to the A's offices.
And whether or not a sale happens, Golden State Warriors star, Steph Curry is also coming to bat for the community of Oakland.
"Even when we when we left Oakland to San Francisco, I know it's a tough move, but we're still in the area and able to reach the fan base that support us so much," Curry said. "So you hope they stay. That's the answer. Because you know how much it means to the community to have something to look forward to."
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