The day Oakland sports fans have long dreaded is finally here: the last professional team in the East Bay is leaving town. Fans are planning a vigil for the Athletics in the Jack London Square area of downtown after their final home game against the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum on Thursday. Here’s a look at each team leaving Oakland, along with the order in which they’re leaving and details on each move. California Golden Seals An NHL team from 1966 to 1976, the California Golden Seals transformed into the Cleveland Barons in 1976 after struggling to win in Oakland. The Barons were a short-lived team, merging with the Minnesota North Stars two years later and eventually relocating to the Dallas Stars. Golden State Warriors Many players expressed mixed emotions after the team left Oracle Arena, a familiar venue nicknamed “Lo’arakul” next to the Coliseum, and relocated to Chase Center in San Francisco ahead of the 2019-20 season. season. Golden State played at Oracle for 47 seasons, winning NBA championships in 1975 and 2015, 40 years apart. Despite the Chase having new amenities and modern practice facilities, it took time for the arena to truly feel like home. Coach Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green all said so. Curry, a two-time NBA MVP and all-time three-point leader, had to adapt his signature tunnel shot with the change of venue. Depending on which side the team warms up on, he now chooses between a heave into the full court or shooting from a well-up entrance in one corner of the court. Oakland Raiders Raiders owner Mark Davis wanted a stadium dedicated to football, and he got it with Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The stadium opened in 2020 and hosted the Super Bowl earlier this year. The team has left Oakland twice, relocating to Los Angeles in 1982, but returned again in 1995, before relocating to Nevada. At the Coliseum, the Raiders built a section of the third-tiered outfield seating that came to be called “Mount Davis,” named after the late owner Al Davis. This was much to the disappointment of baseball fans who lost the beautiful views of the Oakland Hills and the intimacy of a smaller stadium. Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has argued for years that the Athletics need a new ballpark to be a sustainable organization. They planned to build one at multiple locations in the Bay Area, most recently at the Howard Terminal site on the waterfront not far from Jack London Square. But public transportation and parking issues led owner John Fisher to continue exploring options in Las Vegas. Last November, the owners of other baseball teams unanimously approved Fisher’s relocation plan. The Athletics hope to play in the state capital of Sacramento for at least the next three seasons, then move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. A large group of fans sent boxes reading “Stay in Oakland” to the 15 selected owners in an attempt to sway the vote, but to no avail. On Monday, Fisher released a letter that once again infuriated fans, as many made it clear they didn’t believe him or take his words seriously. “I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness,” Fisher wrote. “I wish I could speak to each of you individually, but I want to sincerely say that we tried. It was our goal, our mission, to stay in Oakland, and we fell short. For that, I am sincerely sorry. We hope you will join our beloved Athletics on this incredible journey. We hope to see you in the green and gold. And we hope we make you proud.” ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Oakland, California —
The day Oakland sports fans have long dreaded has arrived: the East Bay’s last major professional team will be leaving town.
Fans are planning a vigil for the Athletics in the Jack London Square area downtown after their final home game against the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum on Thursday.
Below is a look at the organisations leaving Oakland, with the order of departure and details on each move.
California Goldenseal
The California Golden Seals were an NHL team from 1966 to 1976, but after struggling to win games in Oakland, they left in 1976 to become the Cleveland Barons.
The Barons were a short-lived franchise, merging with the Minnesota North Stars two years later before eventually relocating and becoming the Dallas Stars.
Golden State Warriors
Many players expressed mixed emotions about leaving Oracle Arena, an intimate venue nicknamed “The Lo-A-Club” next to the Coliseum, and relocating to Chase Center in San Francisco ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Golden State played 47 seasons at Oracle, winning NBA championships in 1975 and 2015, four decades apart.
Despite the new equipment and modern practice facilities at Chase, it took time for the arena to truly feel like home, something head coach Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green all said.
Curry, a two-time NBA MVP and all-time 3-pointer record holder, has had to adapt his signature tunnel shot with the change of venue. He now chooses to shoot full-court from a well-up entrance or from the corner, depending on which side his team warms up on.
Oakland Raiders
Raiders owner Mark Davis wanted a football-specific stadium, and that wish was realized with Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which opened in 2020 and hosted the Super Bowl earlier this year.
The team has left Oakland twice before, leaving for Los Angeles in 1982 and returning again in 1995 before relocating to Nevada.
The Raiders built a third-deck bleacher section at the Coliseum that became known as “Mount Davis” after the late owner Al Davis, much to the disappointment of baseball fans who lost the beautiful views of the Oakland Hills and the intimacy of the smaller stadium.
Oakland Athletics
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has long argued that the Athletics need a new stadium to be a sustainable organization.
They’ve tried building in several locations in the Bay Area, most recently on the waterfront at Howard Terminal, not far from Jack London Square, but public transportation and parking issues prompted owner John Fisher to push ahead with exploring options in Las Vegas.
Other baseball team owners unanimously approved Fisher’s relocation plan in November, with the Athletics hoping to play in Sacramento for at least the next three seasons before moving to Las Vegas for the 2028 season.
A large group of fans sent “Stay in Oakland” boxes to the 15 selected owners in hopes of influencing the outcome of the vote, to no avail.
On Monday, Fisher released a letter that once again infuriated fans, as many made it clear they didn’t believe him and that his words were not genuine.
“I know you are feeling great disappointment and bitterness,” Fischer wrote. “I wish I could speak to each of you individually, but I can honestly say that we tried. It was our goal, our mission, to remain in Oakland, and we fell short. For that, I am truly sorry.”
“I hope that in the future you will join our beloved Athletics on this incredible journey. I hope to see you all in the green and gold and that we can make you proud.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
