The Athletics, the last professional sports team in Oakland, has found itself playing more defense—and little to no offense—in its grand plan to build a new stadium.
When the Golden State Warriors unveiled new jerseys earlier this month, Jason Wong was confused. Wong, 41, is a Bay Area graphic designer and super-fan, owning more than 100 Warriors jerseys. As he looked at the new release, with throwback colors and updated fonts, something was different.
For almost ten months, the Athletics have kept the celebrations to themselves. Nearly 60,000 seats remain unoccupied at the Oakland Coliseum, as empty parking lots surround the sports complex. Players round the bases and see nothing but the concrete linings of a cavernous stadium.
The grassy area at Verdese Carter Park looks nothing like a football field. There are no yard markers to measure by or yellow uprights to kick through. But on a hazy afternoon in early October, there’s just enough space between dog-walkers and pickup basketball games to squeeze in a Castlemont High School football practice.
The Oakland Athletics played their final baseball game of the season on Oct. 8, losing 11-6 to the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series.