The Oakland Athletics Giveaway Marks Change in Storyline
By Tony Frye
The narrative that the Oakland Athletics ownership group isn’t interested in the fans, staying in Oakland or showing that there’s any fan support in Oakland has taken a severe hit this week.
On Tuesday, new Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf spoke to 95.7’s Damon Bruce about the new negotiation allowances regarding the coliseum site and said she’s spoken with Lew Wolff (no surprise there) and the ever elusive John Fisher. That’s right, the majority share holder in our Oakland Athletics has, according to Schaaf, met in Oakland with her and was, as she says, very charming and eager to see how they can be involved in Oakland’s growth.
Certainly this could all be political hyperbole. There may have been a five minute argument in the halls of city hall or there may have been a lengthy, civil, discourse in the mayor’s office, we’ll probably never know but the fact remains, this silent partner, much bemoaned by fans, was in Oakland talking about Oakland things with Oakland people. The fact that she called him charming puts another nail into the “evil empire” stance some fans have taken.
That in and of itself is not much to report on. We’re still miles away from the Athletics presenting their plan for the site, signing contracts, digging dirt, demolishing antiquities, and having FanFest in their brand new ballpark but the Athletics are clearly eager to bolster up a fan base that they themselves have said will not support them in Oakland.
2014 saw the Oakland Athletics reach the magic 2,000,000 mark in attendance for the first time in ages. They’ve clearly developed a taste for success and liked the bottom line that accompanies sell out games and, in 2015, have announced a very aggressive giveaway calendar. Why do I call it aggressive? Because there are several dates that land on weeknights, an oft ignored giveaway time frame.
These are not silly giveaways, either. These are premier giveaways that will absolutely sell out games. Let’s go through the weeknight giveaways.
- Monday, April 6 – Opening Night rally towel.
- Friday, April 10 – Sonny Gray jersey
- Tuesday, May 12 – Sean Doolittle blanket
- Thursday, May 28 – Stephen Vogt bobblehead
- Tuesday, August 18 – Mark McGwire bobblehead
- Tuesday, September 22 – Team photo
I’ve excluded some of the Monday giveaways that are on Labor Day and Memorial Day weekend because those are traditional giveaways. In 2014, the only giveaway (excluding throwback Thursday pins) that wasn’t on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday holiday was the Josh Donaldson t-shirt on Thursday, August 7 and that was a mid-season addition to the giveaway list.
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What do these premium weeknight giveaways mean? The Oakland Athletics want to hit 2,000,000 again and they want to beat it by as much as possible. This, of course, flies in the face of those ownership detractors that feel like Wolff and Fisher are perfectly content to let the team play in an empty stadium so they can collect their revenue share. Wolff and Fisher know full well that the ticket to getting what they want is to demonstrate that they have a viable team with a loyal and growing fanbase. In many ways, they’ve played these cards right by posting consistent growth in attendance with their three post-season teams. In many ways, they’ve screwed things up and have missed the chance to have another half-million or more fans every year by not marketing heavily in the east bay and showing commercials primarily during game telecasts when they’re only reaching an already existing fanbase.
All of that aside, this proves that the Oakland Athletics are interested in having you at the ballpark in 2015. They want your money. On top of these weeknight giveaways, they’ve included two sock-giveaways (two days where they’re giving away socks, you’ll get two socks each time) which will spawn a stadium full of Jennifer Rainwater impersonators (I know I’ll be in my denim shorts and knee highs), a Charlie-O throwback shirt, a Sonny Gray garden gnome, Hello Kitty bobblehead, and have four dates with yet-to-be-announced giveaways, probably featuring one of the 300 new players the team has acquired this year.
What is causing this shift? The move to San Jose is a dead deal that, if it were to ever happen, wouldn’t happen before their ten year lease was up for negotiation. The Oakland Athletics ownership group no longer needs to paint a picture of indifference in the east bay (if you believe they were ever painting that picture) and now need to make a case as to why they’re a better option for Oakland than the Raiders if it comes down to the city having to choose a side.
The Athletics know that four or five more sellouts in 2015 will boost sales tax, increase season ticket holders, and bump their attendance to 2 million before the final game of the season and this is all good news for the city of Oakland. You want to keep the A’s in Oakland? Than play into their plan and get out to the park. The narrative is shifting, guys, and it’s time to pick a side. You are no longer choosing stAy versus leAve, you’re now choosing Oakland Athletics or no team at all because the groundwork is being laid for a lengthy stay in Oakland and they’re looking for your support to form the foundation.
Or, they just like giving away free stuff.