(Oakland) Angry Oakland Athletics fans gathered to deliver a message to team owner John Fisher: “sell the team.”
Brian Guido and Scott Finney left Sacramento on Tuesday to join the festivities about two hours away by car.
“I only came to one game this year. But when I saw this game, I knew I wanted to come because it was going to be special. We want to send a message to the owner. And the fans’ desire is for the team to be sold to people who are going to keep it in Oakland,” Finney said.
Thousands of heartbroken A’s fans attended a party at the Oakland Coliseum before the Rays game. The objective was also to protest against the proposed move to Las Vegas. They called the event a “reverse boycott”, encouraging people to come to the game and handing out green T-shirts with the phrase “sell” written on them.
Posters were also distributed, with instructions for different corners during each round. They shouted “Sell the team!” during the Rays’ first batter at bat early in the first inning, then “Stay in Oakland! during the A’s first batter at the end of the first inning.
“It’s so sad to live. We feel like we’re losing a part of our history,” said Justin Lopez, 27, who watched the first game at eight months old.
OA’s announced hours before the game that it would donate the proceeds to area charities.
