Inside The As

A's Fans Announce Latest "Reverse Boycott" Event Against Toronto Blue Jays

Jason Burke

Jun 13, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; Protesters before the start of the game between Oakland
Jun 13, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; Protesters before the start of the game between Oakland / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
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In what has been coined the "Summer of Sell," Oakland A's fans have been putting together events to try and make things just a little bit harder for owner John Fisher in what is the team's last season at the Coliseum before the club moves up to Sacramento for three or more years. Basically they'll be in California's capital until the proposed ballpark in Las Vegas is ready.

Last year on June 13, the same day that the Nevada Senate passed public funding for the Vegas ballpark, A's fans assembled for a "reverse boycott" that included roughly 28,000 fans flocking to the Coliseum on a Tuesday night to let the baseball world know that they are not the problem.

This year "SELL" flags and t-shirts have been spotted all over the country, sometimes even when the A's aren't one of the two teams playing. Baltimore most recently had a number of fans show up in their "SELL" gear over the weekend with the A's in town, so the message that Oakland fans have been sharing is reaching people.

On Monday, Last Dive Bar tweeted out the details for their next planned event in concert with the Oakland 68's.

Friday, June 7 is the next event at the Coliseum, and they'll even be getting some help from the national media. Damon Amendolara will be recording his show live from Oakland for the event.

People are certainly going to be asking why Oakland fans are even bothering with so much writing on the wall. For starters, Oakland doesn't quit and there are no shovels in the ground anywhere. The Tropicana in Las Vegas was already scheduled to close and subsequently be torn down. That development means nothing for the team's relocation, which is still facing questions about financing. While keeping the A's in town is an extreme longshot, if the fans feel there is a chance that it could happen, then they feel a responsibility to make their voices heard.

There's also the fact that this is the last season the team will be in Oakland, and for generations of fans, this provides one of a limited number of opportunities to go to a ballgame and maybe even have some fun.

Finally, if the noise that the fans have been making for nearly a year now has any impact on other municipalities not granting public funding, then that is a win. At the very least, fans in Oakland have brought an awareness to what is going on in their city and have bucked the narrative that the A's are leaving town because there are no fans. They've shown that owners can do whatever they want in terms of spending (or lack thereof) on the team and the facilities, yet still come out ahead for themselves, and only themselves.

Fans in Oakland are hoping to save other communities from experiencing the loss of a team by putting their hurt on blast.

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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.