By Janie McCauley, AP Baseball Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A day Oakland sports fans have long dreaded has arrived — the last major professional franchise in the East Bay is leaving town.
Fans are planning a wake for the Athletics in the downtown Jack London Square neighborhood following Thursday’s home finale at the Coliseum against the Texas Rangers.
Here’s a look at each organization to leave Oakland, in order of departure and with details on each move:
California Golden Seals
An NHL team from 1966-76, the California Golden Seals left in 1976 to become the Cleveland Barons after struggling to deliver a winning product in Oakland.
The Barons were a short-lived franchise, merging two years later with the Minnesota North Stars, who eventually relocated to become the Dallas Stars.
Golden State Warriors
Many players expressed mixed emotions after leaving Oracle Arena, an intimate venue nicknamed “Roaracle” next door to the Coliseum, for the move to Chase Center in San Francisco ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Golden State played at Oracle for 47 seasons, winning NBA championships 40 years apart in 1975 and 2015.
Despite all the new amenities and modern practice facility at Chase, it took time for the arena to truly feel like home. Coach Steve Kerr said it, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, too.
Curry, the two-time NBA MVP and all-time 3-point leader, had to adapt his signature tunnel shot with the change of venue. Depending on the side where his team warms up, he now opts to either try a full-court heave or a shot from an entry way well above one corner of the court.
Oakland Raiders
Raiders owner Mark Davis wanted a football-only stadium and he got one in Las Vegas in Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020 and hosted the Super Bowl earlier this year.
The team has now left Oakland twice, having departed in 1982 for Los Angeles only to return in 1995 and then making the latest move to Nevada.
At the Coliseum, the Raiders built “Mount Davis,” as it became known in reference to late owner Al Davis, a section of third-deck outfield seats that largely disappointed baseball fans who lost their picturesque views of the Oakland Hills and the intimacy of a smaller stadium.
Oakland Athletics
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred insisted for years that the A’s needed a new ballpark to be a sustainable organization.
They have tried to build in multiple spots throughout the Bay Area, most recently at the Howard Terminal site along the water not far from Jack London Square. But there were public transportation and parking challenges, so owner John Fisher pushed on with exploring options in Las Vegas.
Last November, fellow baseball owners unanimously approved Fisher’s relocation plan. The A’s plan to play in the state capital of Sacramento for at least the next three campaigns and hope to move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season.
A large fan group sent “Stay In Oakland” boxes to 15 select owners in hopes of swaying the vote to no avail.
On Monday, Fisher released a letter that outraged fans once more because many have made it clear they just don’t believe him and don’t consider his words genuine.
“I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness,” Fisher wrote. “Though I wish I could speak to each one of you individually, I can tell you this from the heart: we tried.
Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it. And for that I am genuinely sorry.
“Looking ahead, I hope you will join our beloved A’s as we move forward on this amazing journey. I hope I will see you again sporting the Green and Gold. And I hope we will make you proud.”
