Oakland A's, S.F. Giants Fans Coming Together to "Unite the Bay" Amidst Relocation Advances
Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants fans have had their disagreements over the years, but when the two teams meet up for the first time this season at the end of July, the fans may be sharing a common goal: Taking a stand against A's ownership.
A's fans "Last Dive Bar" tweeted out this graphic earlier this week, essentially calling their shot. The plan is to get fans to the game in San Francisco, and to have them bring the same kind of energy that filled the Oakland Coliseum for the "reverse boycott" on June 13.
The artwork for this was done by Guy Sliwinski who drew inspiration from the 1989 "Battle of the Bay" images that depicted a Giants and an A's player tugging on a World Series banner.
The A's fan group, the Oakland 68's, said on Twitter that they'll have a section for fans that will include a shirt. The design of that shirt isn't known just yet. It could be the familiar kelly green one that was handed out for the "reverse boycott" game, or this could be a Giants-themed design.
Regardless of what the t-shirt design ends up being this time around, the ones from June 13 are reportedly heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame. A HOF executive told The Mercury News that their interest in the shirt was to "tell the story of the game."
Regardless of what Commissioner Rob Manfred said about A's fan's efforts last week, the literal Hall of Fame took notice and thought it was a big enough event in the history of the game to be recognized. That's a pretty remarkable achievement, and it was started by a grassroots social media campaign, with the shirts that were handed out being entirely fan-funded.
If you missed the chance to get your shirt at the event, Oaklandish is now selling them. If you're a baseball fan that wants to make a statement on behalf of A's fans, this shirt is a great way to do so.
The Giants have been drawing an average of 29,269 fans to Oracle Park this season, but there is plenty of room for a few more fans in order to sell that place out. The ballpark has a capacity of 42,300. If July 25th ends up being a sellout and all of the fans are on board like the crowd in Oakland was, this has a chance to be another special night of Bay Area baseball.