Catching On: Athletics Offer Fans Chance to be Part of the Scene as Cardboard Cutouts
It’s going to be possible to “catch” a foul ball at the Coliseum this year without actually being at the Coliseum.
Under current plans being dictated by the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus, fans won’t be allowed in the stands when baseball comes back the final week of July.
The A’s announced Tuesday they are launching a “Coliseum Cutouts” program in which fans can send in their photo and have it added to a cardboard cutout that will be in the empty stands.
The fans’ cutouts won’t be alone. There will cutouts of former A’s players, Stomper, Harvey the Rabbit and local celebrities. If a Foul Ball Zone cutout gets hit with a foul ball, the A’s will send a ball to the fan on the cutout. And when the season is over, the cutouts can be picked up by their purchasers.
Costs for the cutouts are $49 for A’s Access members, $89 for general fans or $129 to be placed in the Foul Ball Zone. To be sure the images will be ready for opening day, fans can go to athletics.com/cutouts by Sunday.
Fans who send in photos of themselves in A’s gear will be recognized by Major League Baseball as “virtual fans.”
With the purchase of a Coliseum Cutout, fans will also receive two complimentary tickets to the A’s first home exhibition game during the 2021 season.
Proceeds from Coliseum Cutouts will benefit the Alameda County Community Food Bank, East Oakland Youth Development Center, and Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.
Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3
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