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A’s Fans Chanted ‘Sell the Team!’ So Loudly Their Pitcher Thought His Equipment Broke
A’s fans held a raucous “reverse boycott” at Tuesday night’s home game against the Rays in hopes that they could somehow fend off what looks like the inevitable—the team moving to Las Vegas.
The Oakland Coliseum has been pretty empty for most games this year but for one night over 27,000 people showed up and loudly voiced their displeasure with what the ownership is doing to a franchise that has been beloved in Oakland for years.
During the fifth inning fans pulled off a pre-planned chant of “sell the team!” that was so loud their pitcher thought his earpiece broke.
The chant starts around the 35-second mark:
As planned A's fans were standing and silent during the first batter of the fifth inning
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 14, 2023
They then broke into "sell the team" chants so loud that the pitcher thought his earpiece was broken pic.twitter.com/NI2sRLmPjV
That was pretty awesome, and also pretty sad considering these fans deserve a lot better than what they are getting.
MLB fans had reactions:
A moment of silence for 55 years in Oakland at the beginning of the 5th inning followed by deafening chants of "Sell the Team." by over 27,700. Tonight's A's fan Reverse Boycott was truly remarkable. It's a shame any fanbase should be put in this position. #Athletics https://t.co/K4w0ARBz2k
— Sam Taylor (@Sam_C_Taylor) June 14, 2023
This is AWESOME. #peoplehavethepower https://t.co/2bywRmjVit
— Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) June 14, 2023
It was so impactful to be in that quiet and then in that roar. Just awesome. Nearly 28k, largest crowd of the year on a Tuesday night to send a message. Sell the team. Stay in Oakland. Oakland A’s fans are the best. https://t.co/wYJ4Qmbnyl
— Coliseum Sewage (@ColiseumSewage) June 14, 2023
Goosebumps in Oakland. I couldn’t imagine being a lifelong fan of a team like the #Athletics and just have ownership rip the team out of a city with such baseball history and great fan base. They have had enough of the incompetence! https://t.co/OE3briLvLt
— BasedIn410 (@Based_In410) June 14, 2023
Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.