3 Reasons Why Oakland A’s Fans Are Allowed To Hate the Giants

Oakland A’s fans and San Francisco Giants fans are like cats and dogs — they may both be households pets, but they just don’t mix and probably don’t like each other much.

Such is life in the Bay Area, with two professional baseball teams separated by just a body of water.

Oct 9, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans do the Balfour rage as relief pitcher Grant Balfour (not pictured) enters the game against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning of game three of the 2012 ALDS at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The rivalry between the A’s and Giants couldn’t be more spiced up than it is right now, with both teams contending in their respective divisions, and the Battle of the Bay in full force after the A’s swept the first two games at the O.co Coliseum.

This time around, however, there were few Giants-A’s split hats like in previous seasons, and except for the lone exception above, it was hard to find someone wearing colors of both teams.

That’s because the hatred is finally brewing between these two franchises, especially with the A’s fans towards the Giants, and they have every right to be upset.

The most obvious reason would be the ballparks. There just isn’t a way to compare a glamorous, beautiful stadium in AT&T Park to an old, boring garbage dump in the O.Co Coliseum. Really, there is no comparison, and it can be frustrating when the A’s have to look across the bay at the  Giants’ stadium every single day.

The A’s would have a better stadium if the Giants would allow them to move, which is another reason why the A’s aren’t so keen with forming a bond with their neighbors. Owner Lew Wolff has long stressed that he would like to relocate to San Jose, but because the Giants own the territorial rights to that region, they are denying the A’s move. This rift has gone on for many years, and you can bet that the respective ownerships are not exactly fond of each other at the moment.

Another reason for the hatred is what happened two years ago, in 2012. The A’s had finally put together a terrific season, a result of an unbelievable comeback in the latter half of the campaign, storming back to claim the AL West title in dramatic fashion. They almost made it to the ALCS as well, taking the Detroit Tigers to five games.

“Finally,” one must have thought, “the A’s are going to be the best baseball team in the Bay Area, with the greatest storyline and finally have more bragging rights than those Giants.”

Instead, the Giants wound up having all the bragging rights anyway by winning the World Series, which was about the last thing that A’s fans would have wanted. Oakland was no longer the talk of the region; San Francisco was, as if they needed any more attention.

Even now, the advantage that the Giants have over Oakland is seemingly still unfair. The Giants’ middle of the batting order (3-4-5 hitters) make a combined salary of over $23 million, while the A’s 3-4-5 hitters make just a shave over $10 million, with Yoenis Cespedes earning $8 million alone. In fact, Josh Donaldson, their best hitter this season, is making a meager $492,500, pennies compared to what the Giants’ stars are reeling in.

So the next time you watch the Giants and A’s at the Coliseum, and even Buster Posey is booed (isn’t that against the law?), you should understand why.

A’s fans simply hate the Giants and everything they stand for, and they have every right to do so.