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The Oakland A's are no longer MLB's worst team -- and their fans showed ownership that a playoff-like atmosphere can still be fond at RingCentral Coliseum
The A's beat baseball's best team, the Tampa Bay Rays, on Tuesday night in front of their biggest home crowd all season. A's fans have largely stayed away from the cracked and peeling Coliseum this season, but they showed up Tuesday as part of a unique initiative that hopes to keep the team from moving to Las Vegas.
"Sell the team!"
A's owner John Fisher has been trying to move the team out of the Bay Area for years, and plans have been laid for a new ballpark in Las Vegas -- although the A's do not yet have MLB approval for relocation. This has given Oakland fans optimism that Fisher will sell the club to a buyer who will keep the team in California.
The A's have relocated multiple times throughout their long history and have played at the Coliseum since 1968. They are the stadium's sole tenants since the Oakland Raiders moved to Vegas in 2020.
The next steps
It could be argued that A's fans' reverse boycott was successful, as nearly 28,000 fans showed up where average attendance this season has been under 9,000. But even diehard fans will have trouble stopping the relocation momentum.
The Nevada State Senate on Tuesday approved funding for the A's proposed new stadium, and the measure will now head for the 42-member Nevada Assembly for a vote. If it es through assembly, Gov. Joe Lombardo is expected to sign the bill into law, allocating $380 million toward the ballpark. MLB will then decide whether to approve relocation.