Since I’ve publicly announced my intention to visit all 30 MLB stadiums, I suppose I’m obligated to do the Oakland Coliseum. But this is one stadium I definitely wasn’t looking forward to. The last of the dinosaurs, a multi-purpose stadium built during the 1960’s, the Oakland Coliseum is a concrete monstrosity. Not only is the stadium terrible, but the franchise is currently playing out the plot of the classic film Major League. Locked in a battle with the City of Oakland over a new stadium, while simultaneously pursuing a relocation to Las Vegas, the Athletics are a franchise in limbo.
Prior to the season they traded away most of their star players, and raised ticket prices, infuriating one of the better fan bases in baseball. The price hikes were particularly bold, with most season ticket packages nearly doubling in price. Tanking is one thing, but deliberately discouraging fan attendance, strikes me as a brutal negotiating tactic. The strategy is clearly working. Last week the A’s set a 42 year low for attendance, drawing 2,700 fans in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Think about that, only 2,700 fans at a MLB regular season game. The team’s Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, is currently drawing larger crowds on a nightly basis.
Reading through some of the more colorful Twitter comments, it’s fair to say the fans are actively boycotting at this point. Still loyal to the team, but enraged by ownership’s tactics. The situation is unsustainable, and has gotten so bad, that MLB is publicly supporting a relocation. “We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets.”
A 2022 remake of Major League would feature the Oakland A’s. Maybe recast Charlie Sheen in the manager role?
I wish I had something positive to say about the stadium, but at this point the picture is bleak. Bottom line, a game in Oakland is not worth the price of admission right now. For the sake of the fans, I really hope they find a solution soon. I’m personally rooting for a relocation to Las Vegas, but the proposed Howard Terminal location in Oakland looks nice as well. Hopefully this is rock bottom for the Oakland A’s, but it can certainly get worse before it gets better.
Oakland Coliseum – Several decades past its prime.
Not much of an update to the rankings, as I’ve had Oakland and Tampa Bay in last place from the beginning. But I am going to flip those two, with the Oakland Coliseum moving into last place. There’s a possibility this could flip back when I visit Tampa Bay, but it’s hard to imagine it being worse than the Coliseum. For those looking ahead, the next 3 MLB stops will be the Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Astros.
MLB Ballpark Rankings
- Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA
- T-Mobile Park – Seattle, WA
- Oracle Park – San Francisco, CA
- Petco Park – San Diego, CA
- Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
29. Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
30. Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA
Here’s an interesting historical fact. The A’s won won three consecutive World Series titles in 1972, 1973, and 1974 (this was pre-free agency), yet exceeded the 1 million attendance mark in only one of those years (1,000,763 in 1973). Two future Hall-of-Famers, Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter, were paid $55,000 and $50,000 in 1972!
Tell us how you really feel. 😂😂 2700 fans at a game seems unimaginable. Their poor fans. 🤦♀️
Been a loyal fan since they opened at the Coliseum in 1968! Usually attend 5-15 games a season. This year, likely zip. Trade away all of the best players and raise prices of admission to a ridiculous level. That seems like a path to success! They just want to sabotage the season and say our fans don’t support us so we need to move. We need a new owner!
While I’ve been to about 20 MLB parks I’ve never been to a game in Oakland. The stadium seemed so bleak is kind of actually, why bother? I can’t imagine it’s worse than Tropicana Field though. I went to a game there about 20 years ago and it was a dump then. Not to mention indoor baseball. As I wrote in a previous post, I’m not a fan of indoor stadiums, so that alone would put The Trop on the bottom compared to Oakland.
I was in Tampa not too long after the 2020 World Series, in which the Rays played, but the game was at a neutral location, the Rangers new stadium. I “Dodgered Up” with a shirt and hat and stood in front of The Trop to take some selfies since the Rays had been beaten by the Dodgers in that series 😀 Not only did I not get acosted by any Rays fans, I actually had somone stop and ask if they could help by shooting the pix for me!