On Thursday, when the final out is recorded between the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers, it will be the final out ever recorded at the Oakland Coliseum. It will be the final Athletics game in their longtime home stadium.
The team is moving to Las Vegas. It will spend a few years in a minor league stadium in Sacramento, though, while its future home stadium is built. For now, the A's are leaving Oakland. Long time fans in the Bay Area will get to watch their team for the final time on Thursday.
This is happening because owner John Fisher opted to move the team to Las Vegas. The A's tried and failed (according to Fisher, it was five attempts) to find a new, long-term home in the Bay Area. After they failed to fine one, they did what several other Oakland teams have done: They fled to Las Vegas.
The lease for the Oakland Coliseum ends after the 2024 season, and the team was reportedly unable to find a way to renew it. It's no secret that the attendance is much like its standing: toward the bottom. This ultimately led Fisher to decide to go for Vegas, where the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly of Oakland) have thrived so far.
Fans staged a reverse boycott where they sold out the stadium earlier this year, and they have sold out the final home game for Thursday as well.
Fans rip into John Fisher during final Athletics home games
Oakland Athletics fans are not happy with the move to Las Vegas. They have long attended games with signs begging John Fisher to sell the Oakland Athletics. That came to a head one game before the final, sold-out game.
During the fifth inning of an eventual loss, fans took to chanting at Fisher, pleading him to sell the team. It's unlikely that a sale would reverse the decision to take them to Las Vegas, but fans are disgruntled nonetheless.
For the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons, the team will play home games at Sutter Health Park. This is located in Sacramento, California. It is a MiLB park that usually houses the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A team.