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Jul 08, 2023

A’s fans raise thousands to make ‘Sell’ shirts for June 13 game

Oakland Athletics fans plan to distribute thousands of T-shirts urging owner

Oakland Athletics fans plan to distribute thousands of T-shirts urging owner John Fisher to sell the team as part of a "reverse boycott" scheduled for the June 13 game at the Coliseum.

A crowd-funding effort for the T-shirts had raised more than $25,000 via online donations as of Sunday, said Jorge Leon, president of the Oakland 68s fan group.

Fans sit in right field behind signs hanging at the Coliseum during a game between the A's and the Houston Astros on May 28.

A's fans announced the "reverse boycott" event in April with a purpose of showing that the team, which is pursuing a move to Las Vegas, still has support in the Bay Area.

The fan group and apparel brand Oaklandish are joining to make the "Sell" shirts that will be handed out to fans in what Leon termed a "fan-funded giveaway."

The 68s set a goal of raising $25,000 via donations, enough for 5,000 shirts, Leon said. As of Sunday, he said the group had raised more than $27,000.

Leon said donations have arrived from people as far away as Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The group plans to drive the shirts to the Coliseum on June 13 and distribute them to fans there.

"This definitely blew us out of the water," Leon said. "It just goes to show you we’re just so frustrated with the current organization and club that everyone kind of joined forces."

The A's tore down their roster and raised ticket prices before the 2022 season and lost 102 games. They entered 2023 with MLB's lowest Opening Day payroll and are 12-49 — on pace for the worst winning percentage in modern baseball history.

Meanwhile, the A's are trying to secure a new stadium in Las Vegas and eyeing relocation from Oakland, their home since 1968. A stadium bill was introduced in late May in the Nevada legislature, which is weighing whether to approve public funding for the project.

A's fans have displayed their frustration at games this season with signs, chants and shirts urging Fisher to sell and the team so it can stay in Oakland. Other fans have stayed away from the ballpark. The A's rank last in MLB in home attendance this season, averaging 8,675 tickets sold per game. In May, they drew a paid crowd of 2,064, their smallest at a non-pandemic-restriction game in Oakland since 1979.

Organizers say the June 13 event was planned for a Tuesday night game against the Rays, which usually would draw a small crowd, with hopes the turnout will make a bigger statement.

Reach Matt Kawahara: [email protected]