Oakland A's fans celebrate in the Coliseum parking lot one last time

Charlotte Varnes | Sep 26, 2024

Oakland A's fans tailgate prior to Thursday's final game at the Coliseum. /

Roberto Santiago first came to the Coliseum with his father in 1978.

He went on to take his younger brother to the Coliseum. Now, he brings his daughters, who joined him for one last round of tailgating in the parking lot prior on Thursday. 

“It’s something we did as a family a lot,” Santiago. “We came to a lot of games together. And especially as they get older and have cell phones and friends and they’re more mobile on their own, they go make their own plans. You don’t always have something you can get five people together to do for four or five hours, just as a family.”

The Santiagos were among many A’s fans who started tailgating before 9 a.m. Thursday, taking in the joyous, raucous atmosphere for the last time. 

Fans poured prosecco. They tended flames, flipped sausages. They blasted music like Mason Miller’s warm-up song “Burn it to the ground” by Nickleback and “Stir Fry” by Migos. They raised flags, Raiders’ and A’s logos hanging high above the crowded parking lot. They applied makeup and donned jerseys — Crisp, Canseco, Chapman. 

None of it would solve the inevitable, crushing issue of the A’s departing Oakland forever on Thursday. But it was a way of lightening the mood, remembering better days when A’s and Raiders fans regularly gathered in the Coliseum parking lots. 

Casey Williams, who tailgated with relatives Paula and Char Williams, said the scene in the parking lots felt like the “pre-party” to a funeral. 

“Everybody is in the same understanding: (today is) one last time,” she said.

The fans were all ages — grown men throwing footballs, children playing catch. Generations sitting around in camping chairs, enjoying a beer and grilled foods. This family-like atmosphere drew many into A’s fandom and brought them back for the final time Thursday.

Ricky Rocha of Antioch tailgated with his father, brother and son on Thursday. He pulled his son out of school for the day, wanting the entire family to experience the Coliseum one last time. 

“He went to Raider games and he was probably too small to remember,” Rocha said. “I wanted him to come to this so he could remember it.”

Tom Oneill, who started coming to the Coliseum with family shortly after it opened, patrolled the stands in the 1970s while hawking ice cream, beers, donuts and hot dogs. His job Thursday: buying tickets for 12 family members to attend the final game at the Coliseum and keeping watch over their tailgate. 

Fans have also become family to each other — a camaraderie Santiago, known to fans as ‘Rally Lamb,’ wanted to embrace on Thursday.

“I don’t really know who all the players are anymore,” Santiago said. “But I made a lot of friends in this fandom and so I’m really here to hang out with them and have a good time, celebrate the end of the era.” 

The strong bond between fans was evident leading up to Thursday’s game, as green-and-gold supporters leaned over fencing and the dugout in hopes of connecting with A’s players one last time. Some fans passed items to autograph to each other, ensuring everyone got autographs. 

Oakland A's fans gather behind the team's dugout prior to the final game at the Coliseum. / Jason Burke

Rudy Sanchez and Mary Paul enjoyed chips and salsa, California wine and breakfast burritos during their tailgate Thursday morning. They attended the last two games at the Coliseum, which they hoped would show MLB that sports aren’t about the money, but building a culture. 

“I don’t know what I hope to get — no closure, of course,” Paul said. “But I hope that baseball, MLB owners and Manfred get the message it’s not about the money. It shouldn’t be.”

The messaging seemed clear. A’s fans started “Sell the team” chants as early as the third inning on Thursday and grew loud in the fifth. But, in the waning days of the Oakland A’s, fans don’t have much say in how this message is received. 

The ‘Sell’ chant is one that has come with plenty of sadness. But Santiago planned to keep that feeling at arms-length Thursday. 

“My mindset has been to not come out here with the disappointment and the anger we’ve had for the last couple years — just enjoy it since it’s the last time,” Santiago.