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On September 26th, the Oakland Athletics will play their final game at the stadium they’ve called home since 1968, and fans of the franchise have once again torn into its owner for seemingly making one last move to try to squeeze them for all they’re worth.
It’s hard not to sympathize with the plight of the Oakland Athletics fans who’ve been hosed by what’s unfolded since John Fisher became the primary owner of the franchise in 2016.
The billionaire—who “made” his money by being an heir to the Gap clothing fortune—has spent years making baffling decisions that have led to the franchise hemorrhaging fans (18,784 attended the average game the year he took over as opposed to the 8,025 its boasted over the course of the current season) before he ultimately decided to leave Oakland Stadium behind at the end of the 2024 season.
As things currently stand, the A’s are slated to relocate to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento (a minor league stadium with a 14,000-person capacity) next year. That venue is a stopgap as Fisher gears up for a permanent move to Las Vegas facilitated by the construction of a new stadium, which has also been plagued by issues due to a lack of investor interest and a ton of pushback from locals in Sin City.
It appears the A’s are expecting a sold-out crowd when they face off against the Rangers for their final home game at Oakland Coliseum on September 26th, as the team has already announced it’s prepared to give away 25,000 miniature replicas of the venue that day.
Now, fans are accusing Fisher and the powers that be at the franchise of shamelessly price-gouging based on the ticket prices for that contest, as the cheapest seats (as in the last row of the 300s, the highest upper deck) will set you back a grand total of $104.20 even though you can currently get an even better view in the 200s the previous day for as low as $32.50.
John Fisher & @DaveKaval you’re insane for making Oakland fans pay $104 to sit in the 3rd deck for the Final A’s home game.
You’re terrible human beings pic.twitter.com/5aTbah1T12— Gabriel Hernandez (@gamer_athletics) July 24, 2024
You can argue Fisher and the A’s are well within their right to charge whatever they want and that the laws of supply and demand justify a higher price tag, but I don’t see how you can argue this isn’t a scummy move by one of the most notoriously scummy owners in all of sports.