Why We’re Thankful For The Oakland Athletics
By Tony Frye
It is important, on Thanksgiving, to reflect on the things you are thankful for in life. We often say that we’re thankful for our family, our health, or our work but do we ever sit back and reflect on how thankful we are for the “extras” in life? Sometimes the things that we take for granted are the things that shape our lives and inform us the most. For some, Oakland Athletics’ baseball is one of life’s extras for which we’re truly thankful.
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Sure, it’s just a game played for six months out of the year. You don’t play it, I don’t play it, odds are nobody in your life plays it but it’s important to us. I have been watching the Oakland Athletics play baseball since I was a child. There are countless pictures of me, in different stages of my life, wearing A’s hats, jackets, and T-shirts. There are countless memories of going to games with my grandmother, my father, my sisters (never my mom but I’m working on her) and my friends. In adulthood I became a season ticket holder and spent hours upon hours sitting in the stands with people who shared at least one common interest with me. Heck, I write for an Athletics blog and hope to one day sit in the press box and watch the game alongside the smartest journalists in the game.
A young Tony sporting an awesome late ’80’s A’s jacket.
The Oakland Athletics, to me, are not just a baseball team, they are a vibrant and constant part of my life. I know that many of you who read Swingin’ A’s agree with me.
When you see someone on the street wearing an A’s cap, do you acknowledge it with a little head nod or “hey”? Do you count the days until opening day, tailgate in the parking lot, and mourn the end of a season? Do you have friends that you’ve met at games? Do you get choked up when you hear the A Team theme song or watch Moneyball? Can you say the same about your favorite movie, or TV show? Oakland A’s baseball, all baseball for that matter, touches a nerve. It is a shared experience that knows no race, gender, religion or class. Little kids and old men can enjoy it on different levels but enjoy it equally. How many of life’s little extras, that touch you in a personal way, can be shared with thousands of people at a time 162 times a year?
The Oakland Athletics, win or lose, have done a great job at fostering the feeling of family among fans. We win together, we lose together and we wear green and gold till we’re dead and cold. We should be thankful for all of the good times, joy, friendships, and memories that are created in the Oakland Coliseum. We should be thankful that we have a place where we can share an actual experience, in real time, with a group of like minded people night after night.
Is baseball more important than your health, your family or your job? Of course not. But that does not make it less important or less worthy of a moment of thankfulness.
We here at Swingin’ A’s are incredibly grateful for the support you’ve given this site. We’ve seen tremendous growth and really feel a community of fans building around. On this day of thanks giving, we thank you all for making us a part of your A’s life and wish you a joyous holiday today.