Oakland Athletics say goodbye to the Oakland Coliseum in an emotional farewell game
Photo courtesy of Quintin Soloviev/Wikimedia commons
The Oakland Coliseum, home to the A’s since 1968 and one of the oldest ballparks in Major League Baseball, closes its doors after hosting its final game. With over 55 years of memories, the historic venue leaves behind a rich legacy in Oakland sports history.
The Oakland Athletics (A’s) win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, marked the team’s last game at the historic Oakland Coliseum venue. It was an emotional day for the 46,899 fans who packed the Coliseum for the last time, as the A’s have been playing at the Coliseum for 56 years. During this time, they’ve won four World Series championships, six American League (AL) pennants, and 17 division titles. In this article, we’ll explain the reasons behind the A’s move and the future of this iconic franchise.
A lot of criticism and blame has been aimed at A’s owner, John Fisher, who has stated, “We tried to keep the team in Oakland but failed.” Many fans and former players find this statement to be completely false for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the condition of the Coliseum has severely declined in the last 20 years. There have been feces from feral cats, mold, broken seats, and plumbing issues among the venue’s complaints throughout its decline.
Fisher has seemingly not done anything to improve the conditions in the 19 years he has owned the A’s. Not only has Fisher not put any money into the stadium, but he also has not put any money into improving the team. The A’s have the lowest payroll in the entire league, with a meager $62,757,581 compared to the New York Mets’—who have the highest payroll in the league—$317,778,899. Both are major reasons A’s fans are so irate with current ownership and feel they have been backstabbed for their loyalty to the team over the years.
There’s also the whole matter of where the team will play now. The A’s had proposals for a new baseball stadium to be built in Oakland, and the City of Oakland was on board with the project, even securing hundreds of millions of public dollars in a last-ditch plea in April 2023. John Fisher, however, claimed that it was too late and too difficult to build at the location chosen for the new stadium. This was untrue because the A’s had plenty of time for negotiations since there was never a set deadline placed by Major League Baseball (MLB) for when the team’s new stadium had to be completed. Fisher then quickly announced plans to build a stadium in Las Vegas near the T-Mobile arena. Unfortunately for the A’s, the stadium in Vegas will not be ready until the 2028 season.
For now, the A’s will have to play in the Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. The stadium is home to the minor league team, the Sacramento River Cats. This is a big adjustment for the team, as the park in Sacramento is significantly smaller than the Coliseum, which had a capacity of 63,000. The Sutter Health Park only holds 14,014 attendees.
This entire situation has been unfortunate for the MLB, and most blame can be placed on John Fisher’s shoulders. Oakland has lost all three professional sports teams in the last couple of years. The Raiders and Warriors left in 2019, and now the A’s have followed in 2024. It’s a sad development for such an iconic franchise with an illustrious history and a passionate fanbase. No matter what happens in the future with the A’s, baseball fans will never forget the memories and moments in the Coliseum. Hopefully, baseball will one day return to Oakland.