Athletics’ Attendance Nearing 2 Million
By Jason Burke
Aug 2, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
You may have noticed all of the new promotions being announced recently in Oakland. The simple explanation for this is that it appears that management has realized the A’s have a shot at drawing over 2 million in attendance at O.Co for the first time since 2005, when they drew 2,109,118.
In 2006 and 2007, the Athletics’ attendance was strong, but didn’t quite draw the 2 million mark. Each season they fell just short, with 1,976,625 and 1,921,834 respectively.
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Heading in to Friday’s game with the Twins, the Athletics have drawn 1,395,664 fans in 2014. With 24 home games left, the A’s will need to average 25,180 per game to reach 2 million for 2014.
Thursday night’s game against Minnesota drew 22,108 fans, even with the recently announced Josh Donaldson t-shirt giveaway. Giveaways draw in some fans, but it still may not be enough. With three fireworks games left on the calendar, including the popular “Star Wars” show, there should be at least a few games where you can pencil in a sellout crowd.
The true test will be how packed the Coliseum gets for the two series against the Angels. The A’s and Angels are fighting for the AL West crown, and these series will be must-see.
The Athletics’ attendance numbers may not mean as much to the fans. The players on the other hand may feel differently. The national media constantly calls their (our) home a dump. ESPN hasn’t been in Oakland since 2005, although that will be changing in just a couple of weeks, for the aforementioned Angels’ series. They avoid our home unless it’s absolutely necessary.
This franchise doesn’t get any respect from the media. All they have is us. I’ll be going to as many games as I can get to. This is playoff-atmosphere baseball. This is what the whole season comes down to. Each win counts. If my attendance helps the Athletics’ attendance figures go up, awesome. But that isn’t what makes me go to the Coliseum. I go for the love of the game, and the love of my Oakland A’s.