Oakland A's players to celebrate fans at the Coliseum Sept. 26

Charlotte Varnes | Sep 25, 2024

Apr 28, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; An Oakland Athletics fan holds a scarf during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Oakland A’s final game at the Coliseum on Thursday will be the venue’s first sell-out all season. 

Reports suggest the A’s are taking the high attendance seriously, as ESPN reported the A’s are urging players and personnel to be cautious to the extent of not lingering on the field after the final out. 

But multiple players told Oakland A’s on SI that was not a mandate. 

“It’s not like, ‘Don’t go on the field,’” catcher Shea Langeliers said. “It’s just a precaution, just be aware of your surroundings. More than anything, everybody will tell you that we’re excited. 45,000 people here tomorrow — just excited for that atmosphere during the game and hopefully (we’ll) get a win, thank the fans.”

Manager Mark Kotsay said security came to that meeting to caution players because most of them have never played in a sell-out at the Coliseum. The goal was to ensure players were aware of the crowd, but Kotsay said the A’s were doing nothing differently than usual.

Reliever Scott Alexander only heard about not being allowed to stay on the field through news stories. He said they suggested celebrating the fans in their team meeting. 

Players have yet to decide what those celebrations will be but will likely hold another meeting before Thursday’s Coliseum finale. Whatever players’ choose, it will mark the end of a homestand-long show of appreciation for Oakland fans, including wearing the Kelly Greens all six games and changing walk-up songs to Bay Area rap music. 

“Kots talked to us about doing something after the conclusion of the game on Thursday to show our appreciation for the fans,” second baseman Zack Gelof said. “Whether it’s saying goodbye or waving, I don’t really know how much you can really do, but just something small to show a little bit of gratitude for the history.”

Kotsay does not know if he’ll address the fans after the final game, saying words won’t make it any easier for fans. But he said his team will “honor the fan base, that’s given.”

These discussions come amid broader concerns about fans’ behavior at the final game, heightened by a video of attendees stealing seats from the Coliseum on Tuesday. Media and fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to discourage attendees from doing anything that would reflect poorly on the fan base. 

Fan group Last Dive Bar urged fans to respect the Coliseum in a Friday post on X:

“We as fans have busted our a***es off and fought tirelessly to change the narrative. We have collectively held fans fest, reverse boycotts, funded giveaways, held massive protest, worked endlessly with local and national media, former and current players to ensure the truth was told. 

We at LDB highly discourage anyone who disrespects the Coliseum and all those within it!!! Don’t give any reason for the A’s FO, media, or anyone a reason to say, “see I told you so”. The fans have worked too hard for it to be soured by selfish actions.”