MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had a fairly harsh assessment of Oakland A’s fans’ reverse boycott of Tuesday’s game.
With the A’s on the verge of a move to Las Vegas, Oakland fans staged a protest at Tuesday’s game by attempting to demonstrate that the market still exists for a baseball team in the city. A season-high 27,759 fans attended the game and created a raucous environment while demanding A’s owner John Fisher sell the team.
At his scheduled press conference Thursday, Manfred was asked about the reverse boycott, and he came across as incredibly dismissive of the effort.
Manfred on the reverse boycott by fans of the Oakland Athletics
"I mean, it was great. It is great to see what is this year almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night. That's a great thing."
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) June 15, 2023
“I mean, it was great. It is great to see what is this year almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night. That’s a great thing,” Manfred said.
It is tough not to see this as a rather condescending reply to Oakland fans. It is no secret that the A’s are a bad team in one of the league’s worst stadiums, and with the franchise looking to move, few are going to want to go see a game. Dismissing Tuesday’s efforts as little more than a league-average crowd just feels petty.
This is not the first time Manfred has rubbed people the wrong way with a comment like this. With the league seemingly leaving the Oakland market in the near future, there is apparently less damage to be done here.
