The worst attendance record in over 30 years signals the end of an era.
The Oakland A’s saw a dismal 2,064 fans attend Monday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 5-2 loss. It was the lowest attendance since 1979, when only 1,037 fans bought tickets, according to Sports Illustrated (SI). The A’s are in ruins, and the Oakland Coliseum is almost ancient history.
MLB’s average attendance for the 2023 season is 26,460 per game, according to Baseball Reference. The A’s are averaging 9,129, and in the 14 games where less than 8,000 fans showed up across the entire league, 13 of them were A’s games.
The Oakland A’s had 2,064 fans in attendance last night.
That’s just 4% of their seating capacity, and it’s the least amount of fans at a home game in 40+ years.
Meanwhile, Oakland’s new women’s soccer club, Oakland Soul SC, drew 5,000 fans this week for its inaugural home… pic.twitter.com/swiyyhOC3B
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 16, 2023
In what could be seen as one of the worst seasons in recent history, the Oakland A’s have lost 34 of their 43 games so far. The A’s have the lowest payroll in baseball right now, and franchise owner John Fisher has declined to invest in his team or the stadium, SI reported. With attendance hitting record lows, the team is pushing for a move to Las Vegas.
With speculation swirling that the A’s will relocate to Vegas, there is little reason for fans to attend future games at the Oakland Coliseum. As things stand, the A’s have made an agreement with Bally’s Corp. to build a new stadium on part of the Tropicana Hotel site in Las Vegas. The A’s announced plans for a 30,000-seat stadium Monday, which they will petition for in the next 3 weeks. (RELATED: REPORT: Oakland Athletics Officially Reach Agreement For Las Vegas Relocation, To Build $1.5 Billion Stadium)
All signs lead to the A’s departing Oakland and heading for Sin City. The A’s are set to request $400 million in public funding from the Nevada state legislature to go towards the stadium project, which is reportedly expected to cost $1.5 billion dollars. The deadline for the team’s petition is June 5, but Gov. Joe Lombardo may need to approve a special legislative session if they exceed that date, according to SI.