Images: Quintin Soliviev/CC BY 4.0/Edited for size & Portland Diamond Project
Oakland Athletics fans have bid farewell to Oakland Coliseum, the team’s home since 1968, with a sell-out crowd as the team prepares to head to Sacramento, and ultimately Las Vegas, while Portland Diamond Project (PDP) has reached a land acquisition deal for its proposed ballpark to house an MLB team.
The A’s marked their final home game in Oakland before their controversial relocation with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers yesterday (Thursday). The announced crowd of 46,889 came with the A’s previously averaging attendances of 10,942 this season, outright last in the league, as fans stayed away in protest against owner John Fisher.
The A’s claimed yesterday’s attendance marked the largest crowd for a major league team’s final home game in a city. On what was an emotional day for fans, those in attendance showed their appreciation for the team, while also not hiding their disgust at the actions of the ownership group. Chants of “sell the team”, a familiar refrain at A’s games over the past two seasons, echoed around the Coliseum.
Yesterday’s game came after Fisher on Monday attempted to apologise and justify how the A’s have reached the current situation. In an open letter to fans, Fisher said: “The A’s are part of the fabric of Oakland, the East Bay, and the entire Bay Area. When Lew Wolff and I bought the team in 2005, our dream was to win world championships and build a new ballpark in Oakland.
“Over the next 18 years, we did our very best to make that happen. We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short.
“Only in 2021, after 16 years of working exclusively on developing a home in the Bay Area and faced with a binding MLB agreement to find a new home by 2024, did we begin to explore taking the team to Las Vegas.
“There are millions of dedicated and passionate A’s fans, in Oakland and around the world. 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.”
In April, it was announced that the A’s will play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the 2025-2027 MLB seasons prior to the team’s planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.
In November, the A’s received the green light from MLB to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas. In March of this year, the A’s took a major step forward in their relocation plans by appointing Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and HNTB, and unveiling the official design concept for the new ballpark on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.
The A’s departure also means Oakland is now left without a major league sports team. The NFL’s Raiders also called the Coliseum home before departing for Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium in 2020. The NBA’s Golden State Warriors moved to San Francisco’s Chase Center in 2019, having previously played at Oakland Arena from 1971.
It was announced last month that the A’s share of the Coliseum complex would be sold for $125m (£93.47m/€112.2m). The agreement paves the way for future development of thousands of new units of affordable housing, increased outdoor space, and the preservation of the Oakland Arena on the site.
Portland ballpark plans advance
Meanwhile, PDP has said it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with ZRZ Real Estate, a Zidell family business, to acquire the Zidell Yards property that sits on Portland’s South Waterfront.
The latest news marks a step forward in a long-running effort to bring an MLB team to the Oregon city. PDP launched in May 2018, revealing the names of its charter investors in January 2019. Other sites have previously been targeted for the stadium project, but PDP now appears to have settled on what is a 33-acre plot of land formerly used as a shipyard.
The terms of the LOI gives PDP 42 months to complete the acquisition. PDP founder and president, Craig Cheek, told the Portland Business Journal: “These are the kinds of things that you almost can’t put a finger on what they mean.
“Fast forward a decade, and you should have a robust, energetic, 365 fan base across multiple sports alive and well in Portland. What that means for the city we know is it adds jobs, it adds hope, it adds revenue, it adds conversations with family members.
“And hopefully we will look back and see that this was a turning point in Portland’s next act, and we’re excited to be part of that.”
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