A is For Athletics, Apathy and Appalling
The Oakland A's are going to play in West Sacramento for the next three seasons. This may come as a surprise- when I attended Oakland-Alameda Coliseum the experience was good.
Attending an overcast day game they sold a ten dollar ticket for one dollar. Even if it were a rainout I would not have felt shortchanged. They sold hot dogs for one dollar (this was 1999 so it was still a bargain) and I sat next to a woman who offered me Trail Mix.
That seemed like a Northern California thing to take to a game. The Athletics always seemed to play the cards they were dealt. Al Davis moved away and moved the Raiders back. They eventually moved to Las Vegas because no stadium deal was ever made.
The current ownership cares about nothing. The team is paying forty-three million dollars in player salaries. James Harden is paid that much to give up in the postseason. John Wall is paid that much not to play basketball.
Not caring about the team who is deeply ensconced in last place causes fans to not waste the time to see a lame duck team who might win fifty games all season. You can't fire the owner. Many teams across various sports would like to do that.
They are running a masterclass in how to alienate three fan bases. They have forsaken Oakland. The only reason to visit Oakland now is if you are flying Southwest.
Las Vegas wants them as much as Los Angeles wants the Chargers and Sacramento wants to show they are worthy of an expansion team. The team will be called "The Athletics". They should be called "The Las Vegas Athletics of Sacramento."
No more cumbersome a name than "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim". That remains one of the weakest rebrandings. The California Angels was a good name.
Without moving they became The Anaheim Angels and then switched to the longer name. Why not call them "The Los Angeles Not the Dodgers" or my standard: "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Azusa, and CU-camonga." It won't keep them out of fourth place (with the Athletics firmly ensconced in fifth) although it will carry on the legacy of Mel Blanc.
It is amazing how many familiar voices he created. He created two for Barney Rubble because he didn't like the first. I would rather talk about Warner Brothers cartoons than describe how little the A's management cares about anything. Does anyone think they will play well in a new location?
The novelty of a new stadium will wear out. I should know- Jack Kent Cooke spent his twilight years trying to build a new stadium for the Washington Redskins (their name at the time). He succeeded and the team rarely did.
For a stadium that opened in 1997 it is out of the way, dilapidated and not a fun place to watch a game. RFK was electric. Fed Ex Field feels like being electrocuted.
The Oakland Athletics have a successful history. It goes deeper into the past. I don't know why Major League Baseball did not try harder to have them build a new stadium. The A's needed one for at least thirty years.
The Atlanta Braves received two stadiums in the time the A's played where John Madden coached the Raiders. Some teams are given every benefit while others are given none.
I feel badly for the A's players. They play to almost as many fans as were allowed in during the 2020 season. They still want to do their best and win games. Another good team ruined by management. That is far too common in the working world.