Athletics and Giants fans have been rivals for decades. But they aligned for one specific cause Tuesday night in the first game of the annual Bay Bridge Series at Oracle Park.
Giants fans joined in on the “Sell the Team” chants often heard at A’s games this season during the first at-bat in the top of the fifth inning. It echoed throughout the ballpark.
The A’s faithful spread the word leading up to the series opener, hoping their rivals across the Bay Bridge would join them in a campaign dubbed “Unite the Bay,” a protest aimed at the franchise’s potential relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas.
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A’s fans pulled off a similar demonstration in June, when thousands of fans wore green “Sell” T-shirts for a game at the Oakland Coliseum. The “Sell the Team” chants also were heard at the All-Star Game in Seattle earlier this month.
In June, the Nevada Legislature approved the franchise’s request for $380 million of public funding to construct a new ballpark on a nine-acre plot in Las Vegas. The A’s still needs to clear multiple hurdles, including a vote by MLB owners, before they can move to Southern Nevada. The franchise's future destination remains cloudy.
The Bay Bridge Series continues Wednesday at Oracle Park, and finishes up with two games at the Coliseum on July 25-26.
