Statement From Athletics Owner Prompts Unsurprising Criticism From Fans

The Oakland Athletics made the official announcement on Thursday that they will be moving the franchise to Las Vegas.

The following statement was written by Athletics’ managing partner and owner John Fisher and published on the A’s official website:

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“I want to express my gratitude to the owners and Commissioner for their thoughtful deliberation and positive votes in favor of our relocation to Las Vegas.

Today marks a significant moment for our franchise, and it’s met with mixed emotions — sadness for this change and excitement for our future. I know this is a hard day for our fans in Oakland. We made sincere efforts to keep our team in Oakland, but unfortunately, it did not work out. I am grateful to the fans who have supported our team throughout the years and the home Oakland provided. The storied history of our franchise includes three cities over the past century: Oakland, along with Kansas City and Philadelphia, will always be part of this franchise’s DNA.

We are excited to begin this next chapter in Las Vegas. I want to thank the Las Vegas and Nevada community for welcoming us. We will continue to work hard to bring home more championships for our fans and for our new home in Vegas”

As expected, fans were not surprised by the announcement but that didn’t stop them from showing their displeasure on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

A trust fund kid suffers the consequences of his own actions and throws a tantrum at the peoples’ expense. https://t.co/FeSmYXWlBN

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) November 16, 2023

You never wanted to be in Oakland. You've done a poor job in Oakland at best…and now @mlb let you bail on the fans. This significant moment will bring you no championships and visiting teams will have more fans than your own. https://t.co/v8u3DvfUvh

— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) November 16, 2023

This franchise hasnt had a decent owner since Haas

Coincidentally they have had the same amount of World Series appearances as good owners since Haas, too

Honestly if I could sue for time I would. All time I gave this franchise to have it torn away over BS?

One can dream… https://t.co/hBI5iwws9T

— In it to Irwin it (@thejasonirwin) November 16, 2023

"We made sincere efforts to keep our team in Oakland," including weaponizing the fan base by not even trying to put a competitive product on the field and tanking attendance to foster this move. https://t.co/27kbaKRuKd

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) November 16, 2023

I’ve been a die hard Oakland fan my entire life I knew this was gonna happen but I still had some hope I’m pretty heartbroken right now and unfortunately I can’t support my team anymore https://t.co/SEJ4bpJD42

— LIZARD💀 (@ElizabethClyde) November 16, 2023

With over 1,000 quoted posts and comments, the people of Oakland and fans of the team and baseball, in general, all had something to say regarding the move and nearly every single one of them knew there was nothing they could do to prevent the inevitable but were heartbroken nonetheless.

The Athletics move from Oakland to Las Vegas is not expected to happen until 2028 but with the club’s lease on the Coliseum expiring at the end of the 2024 season, they will might not have a permanent home for three seasons.