The end of the Oakland A's time at the Oakland Coliseum is quickly approaching, with the team set to begin its final home series on Tuesday and play its final game at the stadium on Thursday.
Ahead of the team's move to West Sacramento and subsequent move to Las Vegas, John Fisher and the rest of the organization are planning a promotional giveaway for the first 25,000 fans in attendance.
The Athletics intend to give out miniature replicas of the Coliseum to fans in attendance for Thursday's game, however, the model stadiums won't be redeemable until fans leave the game and the promotion won't be available until after the seventh inning. In other words, fans felt as if the promotion was aiming to encourage them to leave the final game at the stadium early, starting in the seventh inning, in order to get their hands on one of the replicas.
The whole promotion didn't sit well with MLB fans, many of whom weren't satisfied with the appearance of the replica stadium, and others who weren't pleased with the way the promotion was being run. They sounded off on social media, raising their concerns on X and Reddit.
This upcoming series will be emotional on so many levels for each and every one of us.
— Last Dive Bar 🏟 (@LastDiveBar) September 23, 2024
But you can rest assured on 9/26 that you don’t need to stress about getting the stadium replica. Enjoy every single moment “IN YOUR SEAT TIL THE LAST PITCH”.
Trust us, it looks like shit: pic.twitter.com/8CJ7G5ERG3
This is the biggest joke in baseball. This is the final giveaway really........ Such a slap in the face to every Athletics fan both going to the game and watching elsewhere. https://t.co/2cz5G47x4T
— Carson McNitt (@CarsonMc89) September 23, 2024
Just when you thought this organization couldn’t be more unserious 🥴 wtf is that https://t.co/DQx34xZTRB
— Dominic Gutierrez (@d_m_g_16) September 23, 2024
#StayInYourSeat https://t.co/vZ1XezyTZf
— Gabriel Hernandez (@gamer_athletics) September 23, 2024
"I'm NOT LEAVING EARLY, and I hope no one does. Why would I leave before they kick me out? This is it, and I would think likely the players will come out and interact with the fans. StAy," wrote one user on Reddit in response to an email about the replica giveaway.
"And they want people to start clearing out beginning in the 7th inning. What a pathetic s–– show MLB has allowed this to become," wrote another fan in the same thread.
First pitch for Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers is at 12:37 p.m. PT, which figures to be the A's last hurrah at their stomping grounds.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Fans Upset Over A's Giveaway Rules for Final Game at Oakland Coliseum.
