A's fans stage 'reverse boycott' at Oakland Coliseum

A season-high 27,759 Athletics fans filled the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday night to take part in a "reverse boycott" designed to both send a message to owner John Fisher — that message being, "sell the team" — and show that fans in Oakland still care about the A's.

The protest, which had been in the works since April, has taken on added meaning as the A's eye relocation to Las Vegas. The Athletics moved one step closer to leaving their home of 55 years Tuesday when the Nevada Senate approved a bill that would provide public funds for a new stadium.

A's fans chanted things like "Sell the team!" and "Stay in Oakland!" and fans sported T-shirts in A's colors that read "Sell," that were made by the company Oaklandish. Fans also displayed signs that said "Sell the team," among other things.

The A's entered Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with the worst record in baseball at 18-50, despite winning their last six games. Attendance has understandably plummeted with the team openly courting another city. The A's are drawing just 8,555 fans a night this season, with a low-water mark of 2,064 fans for a Monday game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in May.

Tuesday night's crowd of 27,759 surpassed the 26,805 that showed up for Opening Day against the Los Angeles Angels on March 30. The A's had not drawn more than 20,000 fans since, until Tuesday.

Ticket revenue for Tuesday night's game will be donated to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Oakland Public Education Fund, the A's said before the game. The Athletics defeated the Rays 2-1 for their seventh consecutive win.

"Tonight was as close to a playoff crowd as I think I’ve experienced managing a game," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "The energy, the atmosphere was everything that this stadium can be."

Despite the victory, some fans tossed garbage onto the field after the game.

"If you want to use the word 'anger,' it wasn’t directed at the players," Kotsay said. “We felt the energy on the fans’ side supporting us passionately. You could feel them just wanting us to win that game and their will, I think, came across with our guys.”

"It was cool. It was really, really fun," A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker said of the game. "We had a good time playing. … They came out and they made it very clear how passionate they were about this city and this team, which was cool to see, and we fed off that energy all night."

Contributing: Associated Press