MLB Commissioner Reacts To Athletics Fans’ Reverse Boycott

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke with reporters Thursday, and a majority of the questions that came his way were focused on the Oakland Athletics’ reported move to Las Vegas.

This comes after Nevada Senate passed a pretty hefty bill approving of a baseball stadium Tuesday.

A’s fans voiced their anger toward the planned move in what’s called a ‘reverse boycott’ at Oakland’s 2-1 home win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

When asked about the boycott, Manfred said, “It was great. It’s great to see what is, this year, almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night. That’s a great thing,” as reported by Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Manfred’s words prompted a response on Twitter from ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Oakland’s reverse boycott brought in a crowd of 27,759. Average attendance across the league is 27,202 people a game, as of Thursday. The A’s currently have the lowest average attendance rate across the league with 9,076.

A number of things contribute to the A’s below-average attendance rate. One major factor is that the team holds the lowest payroll in the league, making it hard to build a competitive squad.

The A’s record sits at just 19-51 on the season thus far, despite a recent seven-game win streak. Amid what seems to be a done deal for the future, Oakland is continuing to play at home on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies.