Oakland Athletics fans organized a “reverse boycott” during Tuesday night’s home game, chanting “Sell the team” so loudly that the pitcher thought his earpiece had broken.
The Oakland Coliseum, a once-thriving venue, has suffered from low attendance throughout the season, but a crowd of over 27,000 fans came to protest moving the A’s to Las Vegas during the team’s 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, CBS reported. (RELATED: ‘Their Fans Are Really Sh**ty’: Chicago Bears’ Justin Jones Rips Green Bay Packers Fanbase)
This warms my heart and almost makes me cry. Reminds me of the Coliseum back in the early 90s. Such good times. #Athletics #SellTheTeam https://t.co/Hj1ZmNP1j0
— 𝕭𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝕱𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖆 🏴☠️🇺🇦🏳️🌈 (@BHinFlorida) June 14, 2023
The crowd was silent for the first batter of the fifth inning in honor of the team’s 55 years in Oakland. It then erupted into a synchronized chant of “sell the team!” The chanting was so deafening that even the A’s pitcher believed his earpiece had broken. The chants continued throughout the game, ranging from “Stay in Oakland!” to “Fuck John Fisher,” CBS reported.
“If the Coliseum’s going to be rocking one more time I just had to be here,” An A’s fan, Clark Keele, told AP News.
“I always say I was born to be an A’s fan, I was born during the ’89 World Series,” another fan, Leslie Pelon, told the outlet.
This has the energy of a playoff game pic.twitter.com/s0HjvENc8M
— Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) June 14, 2023
Through generous donations amounting to $27,000, A’s fans distributed vibrant green shirts with the word “SELL” across the chest, reported CBS.
“A’s fans are good fans. We played here, I think it was in ’19, in the wild card game and that was one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed in an opposing stadium,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told AP New. “… so if it’s like that, it should be loud and it should be fun.”