Since 1968 the Oakland Athletics have been a great source of pride and unity for ‘The Town’. Being an Oakland Athletics has become foundational to the identity of a lot of residents of the East Bay and beyond.

Fishers tenure as owner has not been without his fair share of controversy. This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the “lowlights” of fisher’s tenure as owner:

• Over the course of nearly 2 decades, the club’s largest player contract was signed in 2004 (Eric Chavez 6 year / $66mm). He is in rare company as one of 3 franchises that have never signed a $100mm+ contract.
• In 2018 the MLBPA filed a grievance against the Athletics for being a recipient of the league’s revenue sharing, but not using the funds towards payroll or reinvesting in the team for competitive balance.
• At the onset of the pandemic, John Fisher was the ONLY MLB owner to cut the $400 weekly stipend to minor league players (eventually he reversed course, but did not hesitate to take swift and greedy action to save a penny).
• After the cancelled pandemic season tickets, longtime fans were surprised with nearly double ticket prices for the 2022 season.
• Prior to the start of the 2022 season, the A’s cashed in on all of their stars, committing the team to a lengthy and painful rebuild while asking fans to pay more.

As MLB fans, we need to send a clear message that this vile and greedy behavior from MLB owners is not acceptable to the fans. Manfred has not only supported Fisher’s actions, but has blamed Oakland for the team’s relocation.

We must demand that Manfred act as a steward of the game, rather than a henchman for the greedy owners. Help your voice be heard that you demand the MLB do what is right for baseball, and keep the Athletics in Oakland!