Oakland Athletics fans have organized a "reverse boycott" during their game against the Tampa Bay Rays, which they won, 2-1. The A's have now won their last seven games.
The longest winning streak in Major League Baseball belongs to… the Oakland Athletics pic.twitter.com/kh8i1Ce8n9
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) June 14, 2023
Athletics fans planned the reverse boycott to send a message to owner John Fisher to "sell the team" and to demonstrate that fans in Oakland still care about the Athletics amid Fisher's plan to relocate the team to Las Vegas.
Oakland's former NFL franchise, Raiders, moved to Nevada in 2020, and the Athletics plan to follow suit.
The fans were electrifying throughout the night, with chants of "Stay in Oakland" and "Sell the team" reverberating inside the Oakland Coliseum.
A's fans have packed Oakland Coliseum tonight — loudly chanting "Sell the Team" and "Stay in Oakland" as part of their Reverse Boycott:
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 14, 2023
https://t.co/V7YB8SPZ5W
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The game drew an attendance of 27,759 people, the largest home crowd of the season. It is more than triple the team's average home attendance of 8,555.
The protest was not only meant to urge ownership to keep the team in Oakland. A fan-funded giveaway for the game raised $35,000, while $811,107 was donated by fans to charity.
What a night for Oakland.
27,759 fans in attendance
$35,000 raised for fan-funded giveaway
$811,107 donated by fans to charity
Still one mission: KEEP THE A’S ROOTED.#Athletics #RootedInOakland #OAKtogether pic.twitter.com/aggwFcNfbQ— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) June 14, 2023
"Now we just want to let people vent their frustrations," said Jorge Leon, president of Athletics fan club Oakland 68s, who helped organize the protest.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told ESPN that he is rooting for the Athletics fans, promising they will continue to work to keep the team in Oakland.
Thao added that Las Vegas still deserves an MLB team, albeit an expansion team. She then continued to reiterate that the A's must stay in Oakland.
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