Oakland Ballers receive 68 applications from fan investors to be on team's board

Jason Burke | Oct 29, 2024

Oakland Ballers

The Oakland Ballers were created because co-owners Bryan Carmel and Paul Freedman were gutted over the Oakland A's announcement that the team were leaving for Las Vegas. Part of the way they're trying to be different is by offering their own fans a seat at the table.

In a groundbreaking move to redefine the relationship between sports teams and their fans, the Oakland Ballers have received 68 applications from their fan investors hoping to sit on the team’s corporate board. This initiative marks a historic first for a U.S.-based sports team: a truly fan-centric ownership model.

How fitting that there were 68 applicants. 1968 was the year that the A's originally moved to Oakland, and that's how the fan group, the Oakland 68's, got their name.

All  2,000+ dedicated fans who participated in the team’s crowdfunding campaign were invited to apply for the board position. 

Freedman said in a statement, "Ownership should be a shared experience and we are proud to show a new way for how teams operate. The power is in the hands of our fans - I am excited to see who they pick!”

The Oakland Ballers staff will narrow the candidates for fan investors to ultimately vote on their top choice. The top two candidates after a fan investor vote will be invited to participate in a Board Election Town Hall in early December where they will share a short speech and respond to fan questions. After that, fan owners will have the ultimate power- 48 hours to vote on which of the two candidates they want to be the representative.

The selection process has been moving quickly, and the finalists are expected to be announced shortly.

For fans that just want to go to the games and not sweat the corporate stuff, Ballers season tickets also recently went on sale. There will be 48 home games for the Ballers next season.