Oakland Fans Fest preview: Former players expected to speak, but ‘this isn’t an anti-A’s fest’
The start of a contentious final season between the Oakland A’s and what was once their fanbase will kick off this Saturday at Jack London Square.
It’s still unclear if this will be the A’s final season in Oakland, but whether the A’s leave after 2024 or not, the passionate fan base will kick off this season their own way Saturday at Jack London Square.
The Oakland 68s and Last Dive Bar fan groups will be hosting Fans Fest, a five-hour block party with live music, food trucks, beer stands, vendors, politicians, athletes and celebrities coming together to celebrate sports in Oakland.
Just don’t mention the A’s, who will soon begin what is likely to be their last season in the Bay Area after 57 years in Oakland.
“This isn’t an anti-A’s fest,” said Brian Johansen, founder of Last Dive Bar fan group. “This is a fans fest celebrating the teams of Oakland and the fans of Oakland. We just want everybody to have a good time, spend lots of money, buy the merch, support local vendors and help the local community.”
Consider that just about every substantial rival of the A’s and their move to Las Vegas will be represented in attendance on Saturday.
Schools Over Stadiums, a political action group made up of teachers in Nevada who are frustrated that their 48th-ranked school system isn’t getting enough funding while a billionaire baseball owner is getting $380 million for a new ballpark, will be in attendance and collecting donations.
The teachers are suing Nevada lawmakers for signing off on Senate Bill 1 without a two-thirds supermajority, which they believe is against the state’s constitution for a bill that adds new taxes.
“We’re bringing a table, we’ll have our signs, we’ll be out there talking with everybody,” said Alexander Marks, a spokesperson for the teachers. “It should be a good time.”
Former A’s reliever Trevor May, who retired after the 2023 season and then publicly slammed A’s owner John Fisher for poor management, will join Coco Crisp, Grant Balfour, Ben Grieve, Mike Norris and Bill North to represent a group of former A’s expected to sign autographs and speak to fans.
The Oakland Ballers, a new independent league baseball team that will begin play this May and has already guaranteed never to leave Oakland, will join the Oakland Roots, Oakland Soul and other local sports teams to celebrate on Saturday. The Roots and Soul are looking at the Coliseum as a potential new home for their professional soccer teams.
Also expected to be in attendance is Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who hasn’t spoken publicly since last Thursday’s meeting between the city and A’s president Dave Kaval, who met to negotiate a lease extension for the A’s at the Coliseum.
The lease is up at the end of the season, and the new ballpark in Vegas won’t be ready until 2028, so the A’s are considering playing in Sacramento or Salt Lake City or extending their lease in Oakland in the intervening period.
Thao is still open to extending the lease, but she’s asking MLB to guarantee the city an expansion team in exchange for an extension.
It’s unlikely, if not impossible, but it’s a good barometer reading on the current relationship between the A’s and Oakland.
“My feeling is that I want Oakland to stand firm on their terms,” Johansen said. “They’ve made it clear to MLB and the A’s, and I don’t think they should extend one day if they don’t meet the terms.”
Said Oakland 68s fan group founder Jorge Leon: “If it’s not to keep the A’s in Oakland (permanently), then what’s the reason for a lease extension? I think it’s stay in Oakland or bust.”
The fan groups have been vocal about their displeasure with Fisher and A’s management. They’ve steered a massive community of A’s fans who show up in the thousands whenever called upon for a worthy cause — like last June, when more than 24,000 people showed up for a Tuesday night reverse boycott.
They’re hoping for a similar showing on March 28 when the A’s open their season against the Cleveland Guardians. This time, the fan groups want people to stay in the Coliseum parking lot without buying a ticket for the game.
It will be the first of many boycott opportunities this season, they said. Johansen is hoping the Opening Day boycott will be a chance to raise money for Schools Over Stadiums, which, in addition to suing Nevada lawmakers, is trying to send the A’s $380 million in ballpark funding to a vote in November.
“Whether or not it does anything, it’ll be cool to say A’s fans were able to raise $1 million to get this on the ballot,” Johansen said.
The fan groups feel as if they’ve developed momentum with the ultimate goal of keeping the A’s in Oakland or getting an expansion team to do what the Cleveland Browns were able to do in the late ’90s, when Art Modell took the Browns to Baltimore and rebranded as the Ravens. Cleveland retained the Browns logo and reentered the league as a quasi-expansion team three years later.
The difference here is that MLB hasn’t shown a willingness to work with the City of Oakland on keeping the team name and logo in the Bay Area, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said he can’t guarantee expansion to any city given MLB has yet to decide on expansion.
If A’s fans aren’t able to get what they want, at least they’ll have days like Saturday, where they come together to celebrate the sports teams that still exist in Oakland.
There will be prizes and giveaways, with free gin and alcoholic kombucha samplings, and a tailgating atmosphere that might not exist again at the Coliseum after 2024.
“It’s going to be celebrating the greatness of what Oakland is about,” Leon said. “Celebrating the diversity and the teams we have here that still play in Oakland that a lot of people don’t realize. The good vibes people share with one another. That same resilience I talk about. We’ll be all right, given the situation we’ve been handed in Oakland in regards to professional sports. I think you’ll see a lot of people who are glad to be doing a positive event like this.”
What: Fans Fest, A Celebration of Oakland Sports, presented by the Oakland 68s and Last Dive Bar
Where: Jack London Square, Block 15
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 24
Parking: Jack London Market Garage; event coordinators have hired security members to patrol the garage and surrounding parking areas.
What else to know: There will be stages inside and outside with events taking place in both areas. No outside food or alcoholic beverages will be allowed.