After 56 years as an organization, the Oakland A’s have played their last game. The organization announced last year its intention to relocate the team to Las Vegas and rebrand the franchise. This decision was made in light of financial trouble for the As: audience capacity averages 6,000 people per game, as recorded in the MLB Attendance Records.
On [day], the Oakland A’s played their last game against the Texas Rangers for a 3-2 win. Though the team had been struggling to gather audiences for [few years?] the closing day crowd was full of generations of As fans: 46,886 people. Fans took to the stands decked out in clover green—but that wasn’t all. Some fans brought heartfelt posters and hung them at their seats, sending farewell messages to the stadium they grew up in.
After the game, A’s players and staff flooded the field to say goodbye. Manager Mark Kotsay faced the crowd with a voice full of emotion as he delivered a speech. “On behalf of my staff, myself and this team and these coaches, and all the past players and coaches, everyone was important to the green and gold,” Kotsay said. “There are no better fans than you guys. Thank you all for loving the game of baseball.”
The As third baseman Max Schuemann paid tribute to the team by flying the A’s colors around the Coliseum one last time.
In commemorating the Oakland A’s, here are some of the most poignant tributes fans made to their team on their last day.
Fan-Made Posters in the Stands
A fan in the lower concourse. / Courtesy of Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/TNS
A young fan commemorates the A’s history. / Courtesy of John G Mabanglo/EPA
Fans holding signs at the A’s final game. / Courtesy of Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
A fan on the upper concourse, displaying his sign to the crowd. / Paul Kitagaki Jr. Shutterstock Images.
Cartoonist Nomi Kane’s Tribute
Though she didn’t attend the final game, cartoonist Nomi Kane created a tribute. Kane is a lifelong A’s fan raised in Berkeley. Kane recounts her experience as a fan growing up in the Moneyball era, relating her experience watching the team at that time to where the team is now. She includes the benefits and drawbacks of the team’s move to Las Vegas—making light of a lose-lose situation.
In the final panel of her cartoon, Kane describes the possibility for the A’s to create a successful team and forge new stories for its fans. Though the final game has been played, she demonstrates that new stories and new fans can arise from an unfortunate situation.
I encourage you to check out the full panel posted to The Oaklandside as a touching tribute to decades of A’s memories in Oakland.
The final panel of the farewell cartoon. / Courtesy of Nomi Kane
Edited by Brooke Weinrich
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