• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 2025

From Ghost Town to Sellout: A’s Fans Push for Memorable Oakland Farewell

  • Fans ask the MLB club to open the Oakland Coliseum’s “Mount Davis” for the final home game.
  • Issues persist for the A’s in both Sacramento and Las Vegas.
Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The worst-drawing team in MLB is now facing a very different attendance challenge. 

The A’s, playing their last season in Oakland before relocating to Sacramento and then Las Vegas, are averaging about 9,700 tickets sold per game this season. A cumulative attendance likely to end at around 800,000 for the full 2024 home schedule is on track to be one of MLB’s lowest figures for any team in the last 45 years, except for seasons impacted by work stoppages or the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Oakland’s final home game, Sept. 26 against the Rangers, presents the team with the opposite problem. The game is already a sellout, with resale ticket prices beginning at more than $100 each. Some A’s fans are now pushing the club to open “Mount Davis,” the elevated outfield seating portion of the Oakland Coliseum constructed in the 1990s for the return of the NFL’s Raiders, and colloquially named for that team’s late owner, Al Davis. Making that area—closed for MLB games since it was used for the 2019 wild-card game won by the Rays—available to fans would add more than 8,000 seats.

“For one night, we will put aside our differences and come together to soak in one last game at the Coliseum,” a group of fans wrote recently in an open letter to the team. “We want this final game to be a memorable experience for everyone involved.”

Team Response

The team has not responded directly to the letter, or agreed in any way to open the space, only saying in a statement that “we are committed to providing the best experience possible for your fans. For the final game, we will have increased levels of staffing, including the parking lot, and extra security in place.”

Additionally, the rest of the third level of the Coliseum is typically barren, given the club’s low attendance. The fan group has sought to address the operational issues of staffing the upper deck, pledging dozens of volunteers for that final game.

“We know this area hasn’t been used in years, and that it has not been maintained,” the fan letter continues. “We also understand that it will take some effort to make it usable for one last game. That’s why we are offering our help.”

More Challenges Down the Road

While the late-schedule issues continue in Oakland, the A’s are facing more trouble down the road in both their temporary home in Sacramento and long-term destination of Las Vegas. A planned ballpark along the Las Vegas Strip still is awaiting a finalized financing plan. The interim, three-year stay at Sutter Health Park, meanwhile, remains a separate source of frustration with the player and agent communities, particularly around the artificial turf field that is there and the triple-digit temperatures common there in the summer. 

The turf field is seen as a necessity since the A’s will be sharing the ballpark with the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants’ top minor-league affiliate

“Right now, some of the issues with the A’s playing in Sacramento are frankly a collective bargaining nightmare,” agent Paul Cobbe told the San Francisco Chronicle. “When the Blue Jays were in Buffalo that was force majeure because of COVID. They could change a bunch of collective bargaining stuff immediately. That’s not the case here.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Liverpool to Pay Diogo Jota’s $20M Contract to His Widow

Jota had two years remaining on his contract.

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Changes Are ‘Showing Great Results’: Former CFO

Big stars playing in major markets “make a real difference.”

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm

Political tensions rise about delays in stadium funding approval.
June 26, 2025

Bengals Strike 10-Year, $470M Stadium Deal to Stay in Cincinnati

The NFL franchise and Hamilton County have agreed to a new lease.
July 1, 2025

$600M for Browns Stadium Sparks Cleveland Backlash, Possible Lawsuit

The awarding of public funds draws criticism and could bring a lawsuit.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 26, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Now Relies on Ohioans’ Forgotten Money

Ohio’s Modell Law is revised, while stadium funding faces new challenges.
June 25, 2025

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records

Work accelerates to convert the massive motorsports venue for baseball.
June 24, 2025

Diamondbacks Score Up to $500M for Chase Field Renovation

Concerns about another potential team relocation in Arizona influence the vote.
June 23, 2025

A’s Launch $1.75B Ballpark Build With Funding Puzzle Still Unsolved

Ground is broken in Las Vegas, but funding issues, Sacramento woes persist.