Lately, it seems the Oakland A’s can’t possibly do anything to make themselves look any worse. For years, their fans have watched as The Coliseum crumbled around a failing team on the field. Then, they decided to fly the coup to Las Vegas in two years, soon to leave behind their following with the proverbial, “Thanks for the memories.”
They just did the mascot introductions. Indeed, @Stomper00 is missing in action. How disappointing of the @Athletics! Are you that cheap that you can’t send #Stomper? My @SouthwestAir flight from #Oakland was only $75. What an embarrassment! Mic check @DaveKaval. pic.twitter.com/IgNzFv7gg0
— Richard Haick (@RichardHaick) July 10, 2023
It’s gotten so bad that folks in Oaktown actually staged a ‘reverse boycott’ recently, where they urged owner John Fisher to sell the team and leave it where it is. It’s turned 2023 into a business and baseball nightmare for the franchise. So, surely, a nice break halfway through the season would be a nice way to cool down the heat out on the Gold Coast, right?
Not quite. Famously unpopular A’s owner John Fisher is known for doing things as cheaply as possible, and The Mid-Summer Classic was no exception. Showing even further disdain for The Game, the Athletics didn’t bother sending their mascot to take part in the events surrounding Major League Baseball’s recent All-Star week in Seattle.
Stomper, the Oakland A’s elephant mascot, could not be reached for comment on the matter.
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While this sounds like some sort of scenario in a sports comedy movie, it unfortunately isn’t. But for the team to attend the All-Star Game without taking their silly sidekick seems super skimpy. It’s a case of ‘representation without cartoonization.’
In what has become a much more serious and sad situation, however, has been the fallout in Oakland regarding the fans. Once a proud baseball city with a slew of world titles in the 1970s, they had later glory with the Bash Brothers and Moneyball, but never really broke through MLB’s modern financial ceiling.
Their lack of success on the field, along with the frustration of playing in the cavernous and crumbling Oakland Coliseum, eventually led Fisher to make a major move. will be exiting the Bay Area for the sparkling lights of Sin City soon.
The Athletics announced earlier this year that they will be making a move to Las Vegas by 2025 or sooner. Hopefully? They decide to pack their pachyderm with them when they head to the desert.
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