Oakland A’s fan-made ‘sell’ T-shirt heading to Cooperstown

The Bay Area fan movement aimed at pushing Oakland Athletics’ owner John Fisher to sell the team will forever be remembered in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

A Kelly green T-shirt with the words “sell” on it that was passed out to fans ahead of the reverse boycott last month will be added to Cooperstown’s collection of baseball artifacts, according to Jon Shestakofsky, vice president of communications and content for the Hall.

The reverse boycott on June 13 drew nearly 28,000 fans, with more than 7,000 of them wearing the “sell” shirt. The purpose of the fan-led event was to highlight that A’s ownership was the problem and not the fans for the lackluster turnout at the Oakland Coliseum this season.

The A’s average 10,042 fans per game on average at the Coliseum, which is the worst in the MLB.

Senate Bill 1 was signed into law last month by Gov. Joe Lombardo, earmarking up to $380 million in public funding for the A’s planned $1.5 billion ballpark, slated to be located on 9 acres of land at the Tropicana hotel site.

The A’s need 75 percent of MLB owners to approve their relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas for the next steps in the process to occur. The A’s began the relocation application processs last month. Despite the low turnout from fans this season, the A’s are locked into playing the 2024 MLB season in Oakland at the Coliseum.

Despite wanting to include the T-shirt in the Hall, Shestakofsky said the move wasn’t an indicator that they were taking sides in the A’s potential relocation to Las Vegas.

“We are here to document history and preserve that history as it relates to baseball and it relates to the game,” Shestakofsky said. “That happens on the field, when a significant accomplishment takes place, but it also happens off the field.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.