Inside The As

A's Fans Bring "SELL" to SFMOMA in Last Act of Defiance Towards Owner John Fisher

Jason Burke

Mar 28, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics fans wave “Sell” flags to protest ownership plans to move to the franchise to Las Vegas, before a game between the Athletics and Cleveland Guardians at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics fans wave “Sell” flags to protest ownership plans to move to the franchise to Las Vegas, before a game between the Athletics and Cleveland Guardians at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

We are in the final month of the MLB regular season, which also means we're in the final month of the Oakland A's residing in the East Bay. Most fans are resigned to the fact that the team is leaving after the season, while holding out hope that chaos may ensue if the team's Las Vegas plans fall apart. What we know right now is that the team will be in Sacramento in 2025. Where they'll be in 2030 is still up for a spirited debate.

While fans are at different stages with their own fandom at this point in the season, one outlet that can still be agreed upon by many is that they want to make things difficult for owner John Fisher, or at least show him just how much his actions have hurt this community. On Sunday, a number of fans went to SFMOMA for the museum's Bay Area Sports Fan Art open call with their "SELL" and Fisher-themed items with the hope that some would be chosen to go on display. We've been told that up to 15 pieces would be selected, and a number of those ended up being A's themed.

This may seem like an odd way to stage a protest, especially for a sports franchise, but the Fisher family is known for their art collection, and the A's owner even let it slip last off-season (when he needed a positive headline in Las Vegas) that he would be showcasing some of the family's art collection at Armadillo Park.

The Fisher family is also very involved with SFMOMA and even have their own collection on display at the museum, so if he were going to see something that A's fans were up to, it would have a higher likelihood of happening at the museum rather than at the Oakland Coliseum.

With that as the backdrop, here are some of the art pieces that were brought to be considered for display.

A's fans far and wide are very familiar with the Stomper beanie. The protest part is on the back, with "SELL" is big green letters. The Stomper beanie was selected to move on to the next round.

There are a few different threads that show the numerous pieces of art that were brought to SFMOMA, but one particular piece caught our attention, and it's another one that was selected to be under consideration.

The John Fisher clown that is featured above in Lety's right hand is one of the pieces under consideration. If you look closely, in the yellow part of the hair above Fisher's left eye, it appears as though this has been signed by former Oakland A's relief pitcher Grant Balfour, presumably at Fan's Fest before the season began. We could not get in touch with the artist to confirm.

Oakland A's owner John Fisher depicted as a clown
Oakland A's owner John Fisher depicted as a clown / @JVB43 on Twitter

If the John Fisher clown ends up being selected for display, it won't change anything with the A's relocation process. The team will still be in Sacramento next season. But the thought of Fisher seeing this hanging in a museum that he and his family have invested a lot of time and money into does offer a little solace for the fans as well. It's the fan's way of saying "you may be rich, but you're not beloved."

Pieces that are selected for display will hang at Steps Coffee for up to 18 weeks, beginning in October, and wrapping up in February 2025.

Published
Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum. 

Home/Column