Where Does Oakland Baseball Go From Here?
Written by Dominic Dollar SJND ‘28
As some of you may be aware of, Oakland sports have been on the downfall for these past few years now. Back in 2020, the city lost their beloved football team known as the Raiders who are now known as the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, the Oakland Athletics are nearing an end in what will be their last season in the city of Oakland. Only five years ago, Oakland’s sports atmosphere was electric. The city was full of die hard Raiders, Athletics and Warriors fans, but now it’s a much different story. Before too long, Oakland will be deprived of all of their much loved professional sports teams.
Although Major League Baseball in Oakland will soon be a thing of the past, there have been efforts to keep the baseball culture in the city. Starting in 2024, an independent Pioneer League team called the Oakland Ballers, also known as the B’s, began playing at Raimondi Park in Oakland, CA. The Oakland Ballers were founded just this year by Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel. B’s Co-founder Paul Freedman noticed the Oakland Roots Soccer Club crowd raised over 2 million dollars. He decided that was how he was going to try to raise money for a baseball team. They ended up raising over 3 million dollars in their first investment round.
All of the team relocations that Oakland has been experiencing cannot be easy for the passionate sports culture that once thrived in Oakland. As I am not an A’s fan myself, I reckon the only way to really understand what Oakland sports fans are feeling is to get inside the mind of a longtime Oakland fan. Therefore, I interviewed Oakland native and local real estate agent, Jose Cerda-Zein and lifelong A’s fan and local musical producer, David Hughes.
Dave Hughes had this to say about the departure of the A’s: “It’s been a big part of my life over the past 3 decades to go to A’s games with friends and family every summer. Now that the A’s are leaving Oakland and the Coliseum, there will be a big void in my heart that will never mend.” This is most likely how a large portion of A’s fans feel about the situation. For example, Jose Cerda-Zein stated, “Losing them feels like losing a piece of the city’s identity.” Both statements express emotional attachment to the baseball club.
I also spoke to them about their feelings about the Oakland Ballers efforts to keep the baseball culture intact. Jose clearly claimed, “They don’t fully replace what the A’s brought.” As well as saying that “the Ballers are in the Pioneer League. The A’s are a world-class Major League Baseball team.” This expresses how the B’s cannot fully replace the A’s.
When asked about the potential impact the Ballers may have, Dave said, “It’s too early to know what impact the Ballers will have on the community. So far, it seems positive.” He also stated, “The pain of the A’s leaving will linger for a while and I do hope the Ballers can help heal the loss and bring the enjoyment of baseball back to Oakland.” As the A’s leaving the city has been proven a negative thing in the eyes of fans, we can only hope that the Ballers can bring just a slight amount of the baseball community back together.
In conclusion, the Athletics have left a huge impact on the city of Oakland for many decades in the past. They especially left their mark on their beloved fans. The A’s played a large role in the culture of Oakland that the B’s will try their hardest to recreate. The B’s will certainly not bring the same energy to the city that the A’s did, as they are playing in a much lower league. It’s safe to say that the Oakland Athletics will be missed.
