Oakland's Fans Fest a Joyous Occassion, Despite A's Departure

The Athletics haven't held a Fan Fest in years, no matter where they've been situated. In Oakland, they stopped after the pandemic, and even with a new temporary home in Sacramento, they decided to skip out on creating bonds with their new city.

Fans in Oakland missed the events so much, that groups like the Oakland 68's and Last Dive Bar just started throwing their own. Neither group is filled with professional event planners, but in attending the past two Fans Fests, it would be difficult to tell.

This year, they secured A's legends Jose Canseco, Miguel Tejada, Stephen Piscotty, Rubén Sierra, Lance Blankenship, Jemile Weeks, and Daulton Jefferies. In addition to A's players, they also brought in AEW wrestlers, the San José Sharks and their mascot Sharkie, the Oakland Ballers and their mascot Scrappy, and a slew of other terrific sponsors.

Doing multiple laps around the venue at Prescott Market, located in close proximity to where the Ballers play at Raimondi Park, there were ample beer outlets, food being served up, and fun for the whole family. Legends of local media Melissa Lockard, Rick Tittle, Casey Pratt, and Brodie Brazil were all in attendance and acted as M.C.'s for the event.

It was like walking through a tailgate in the parking lot at the Oakland Coliseum.

Fans Fest had that same sense of community about it, and that community is a big reason why so many people outside of The Town are now familiar with A's owner John Fisher and how he conducts business.

Fans of Oakland sports have always been a rowdy bunch, in the best way possible. At A's games in recent years, you couldn't go to a game without hearing a "Sell the Team!" chant. Opposing players have said that 10,000 at the Coliseum felt like playing anywhere else in the big leagues, despite the disparity in attendance.

When the Warriors played at the Oakland Arena, it was affectionately deemed "Roaracle" because of how loud the fans got in there. Warriors star Stephen Curry won three NBA Championships in that building, and when he returned for All Star Weekend in February, he was emotional being back at his old stomplng grounds.

The Raiders were feared when they played at the Coliseum, largely because of the Black Hole, where some of the rowdiest fans would congregate and dress up. In Las Vegas, most Raiders home games are filled with visiting fans and that home field advantage is completely gone.

People always ask what A's fans will do starting in 2025, now that the team is out of Oakland. Some that we spoke with will continue watching the team, but going to games may be a bridge too far since they don't want to give the A's owner any money. It's the players they've already grown attached to that they'll be rooting for, not the billionaire that signs their checks.

Others have sworn off baseball completely and are finding new hobbies to occupy their time. The truth is, nobody will really know what they'll do until the time comes do either follow decades of routine, or do something completely different. You do get the sense that fans are more likely to choose boycotting Major League Baseball rather than rooting for the San Francisco Giants, however.

But on Saturday in Oakland, fans got together to celebrate the good times that they've shared, while also looking forward to better times ahead. These Fans Fest events are put on to celebrate Oakland, and to encourage people to invest their time and money into the city.

The most popular options available for some of that investment would be the upstart Oakland Ballers, a Pioneer League baseball team that was started by two former A's fans when the team announced they were moving to Las Vegas. 2025 will be their second season of operation, and they're excited for what's next.

There will also be the Oakland Roots, a soccer team in the USL Championship, that will be playing their home games at the Oakland Coliseum in 2025. There has been a lot of community support for each team, but with the Roots set to offer a chance to return to the Coliseum, a place where so many memories have been made, those tickets could be hard to come by.

Fans in Oakland will continue to support those that support them. That's all they've ever wanted.