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John Fisher Writes Widely Panned Letter to A's Fans Before Final Oakland Series

The A's owner apologized to the fan base for moving the franchise away from Oakland.

Tom Dierberger

Fisher and A's president Dave Kaval pictured at the Oakland Coliseum in 2017.
Fisher and A's president Dave Kaval pictured at the Oakland Coliseum in 2017. / Michael Zagaris/Getty Images
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The Oakland Athletics will play their final series in the East Bay this week before the franchise packs up and heads north to their new temporary home in Sacramento next season.

Ahead of the three-game slate against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum, A's owner John Fisher wrote a letter to the Oakland fan base that has supported the franchise since it moved from Kansas City in 1968.

"There are millions of dedicated and passionate A's fans, in Oakland and around the world," Fisher wrote. "Countless dedicated staff members and Oakland Coliseum employees have poured their hearts into this team, and their efforts have meant so much to our community. I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness.

"Though I wish I could speak to each one of you individually, I can tell you this from the heart: We tried. Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it. And for that I am genuinely sorry."

Fisher and the A's aim to move the franchise to Las Vegas by the 2028 season and plan to play in Sacramento for the next three seasons while they are between permanent homes. However, the construction of their proposed $1.5 billion ballpark project in Las Vegas is not yet underway. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported earlier this month that the ballpark design is "sitting at about 50% complete" while Fisher wants to begin construction next spring.

Although their relocation to Las Vegas is not officially official, the A's will indeed play in California's capital city next season at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. Per the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's plan to lay off over 230 employees in Oakland after the 2024 campaign concludes as they move to Sacramento.

Like many of Fisher's public statements in recent years, his letter to the fan base was not received well by the A's faithful and the general MLB world.

The A's are scheduled to take on the Rangers at 6:40 p.m. PT Tuesday in the series opener. The final game at the Oakland Coliseum will begin at 12:37 p.m. PT Thursday.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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