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Oakland Athletics Fans Still Optimistic Despite Team’s Struggles

By Donald Jackson

Apr 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans watch as catcher Stephen Vogt (21) bats against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox defeated the Athletics 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans watch as catcher Stephen Vogt (21) bats against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox defeated the Athletics 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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For the Oakland Athletics and their fans, 2015 was a season filled with heartbreak and frustration, but like most passionate fan bases, a new year brings on new optimism.

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Oakland Athletics fans, like many baseball enthusiasts feel that “Opening Day” should be appreciated and treated like a National Holiday. Fans believe employers should give all employees a paid day off, and children should be excused from going to school.

Of course, the chance of that happening is as likely as Billy Beane and Lew Wolfe proclaiming their love for O.co Coliseum. But that is the enthusiasm Opening Day brings to every fan base in every Major League city.

Despite being picked to finish last in the American League West by most baseball insiders, and the lingering images of blown leads and fielding errors still embedded in their minds from last fall, most Athletic fans head into 2016 with a relatively positive outlook.

It takes a special breed of person to be a true Oakland Athletics fan. It’s similar to how most animal species evolved over centuries, learning to adapt to their ever-changing habitat. And there is no fan base in sports that has had to adapt more from year to year more the Athletic fans.

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Being an Athletics’ fan means demonstrating unwavering loyalty to what many fans consider the most disloyal front-office in professional sports. It means not being afraid to emotionally attach yourself to your favorite player — while in the back of your mind, knowing that player will eventually be shipped off, right when their career is about to take-off. This is the life of an Oakland Athletics fan.

Green-collar baseball is not for the faint-of-heart. It is not for the disloyal or the front-runner fan, who only shows up and cheers when everything is going great — but disappears when the water gets a little rough in the sea of the Green and Gold.

No, that’s not what the “Green-Collar” baseball fan is about.

The Oakland Athletics have a unique fan base that is led by a small fraction of fans who show up and scream, “Let’s Go Oakland,” no matter the circumstance. These fans don’t determine their loyalty by last year’s record or the names on the back of a jerseys. These are fans who remain optimistic in an otherwise torturous situation.

So, when All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray was scratched from his Opening Day start due to food poisoning, and Athletics Manager Bob Melvin replaced him with newly acquired Rich Hill, there wasn’t much of the “Here we go again” feeling around O.co. Instead, the vibe took on the familiar tone that Athletic fans have grown accustomed to feeling — the feeling of optimism even in the most troubling of times.

The mantra Athletic fans take on is one that states, “The name on the front of the jersey will forever be more important than the name on the back of the jersey.” So despite a tough 4-3 loss on Opening Night, there still was a primarily positive vibe going around the stadium.

Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletic Fan displaying a Rally Towel at O.co Coliseum /

Anyone who watched even just a handful of Athletics games last year knew the bullpen had to be dramatically improved. Upgrading the bullpen and the defense were a necessity if Oakland had any shot at competing in 2016.

And Billy Beane’s main focus this off-season was upgrading those two significant aspects of the team. The impact a steady and productive bullpen can have on a team’s psyche can’t be over-stated. Losing a number of tight games because of the inability of the bullpen to hold onto a late-inning lead can demoralize a team.

So it was imperative for the bullpen to get off to a fast start, and allow the team to gain confidence in its ability to close out tight games.

And get off to a fast start is just what the revamped bullpen did, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings, after emergency starter Rich Hill got pulled early in the third inning.

Next: Can Stephen Vogt Repeat As An All-Star

Losing 4-3 at home on Opening Night isn’t how the Athletics and their fans wanted to start off the 2016 campaign, but it’s a long season and one loss won’t stop these Green Collar fans from banging their drums in the right field bleachers. Nor will it stop them from chanting in unison “Let’s Go Oakland.”

It’s just a way of life for Oakland Athletic fans.

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