The Athletics want an identity in Sacramento. It’s gonna take commitment | Opinion
During Wednesday’s seventh inning stretch at Sutter Health Park, as fans were singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” they came to the part that goes, “Let me root, root, root for the home team.” At most ballparks, home fans insert the name of their team instead of singing “home team.” But in West Sacramento, a majority of fans loudly shouted, “Padres,” drowning out screams for the Athletics. The visiting San Diego team easily had the most fans at the yard.
That’s the way it’s been for the A’s after six “home” games against the Padres and Chicago Cubs, five of which the A’s have lost. What’s also been noticeable is that attendance has occasionally been soft, with the first two games of the Padres series drawing an announced crowd of fewer than 10,000. After the March 31 home opener, The Bee reported that the next two games against the Cubs were both below the 13,416 capacity.
The expectation was that the A’s would routinely sell out Sacramento’s minor league ballpark with ease. That has not been the case, but it doesn’t come as a surprise for a team that is still getting acclimated to the city and community.
The A’s began discounting tickets, which makes sense and is good for all fans except season ticket holders, who had to commit to three seasons of tickets at prices significantly higher than the $25 price for lawn seats in the outfield. In the secondary ticket market, A’s tickets were the most expensive in baseball. But $25 discounted tickets scramble that picture and you wonder if season ticket holders will come close to getting even face value for tickets they can’t use. Season ticket holders for the A’s couldn’t be blamed for being angry.
The scene at the ballpark is happy, no question. It’s great to have Major League baseball in Sacramento. The stadium looks beautiful with the Tower Bridge and downtown Sacramento in the background.
But the A’s didn’t want to attach the name Sacramento to their Las Vegas-bound team, so what you have are baseball fans out to have a great time, but their allegiances are varied. On Wednesday, I saw Padres gold and brown, some San Francisco Giants gear and even an Alabama baseball hat. And yes, some A’s fans. Also present was a subset of A’s fans still fighting a battle that has been settled.. They want owner John Fisher to sell the team and they wear their green “Sell” t-shirts.
The A’s being coy about using the name Sacramento creates an identity problem they’ll have in their three years here. Lower ticket prices make it easier for the common fan to attend games. The A’s should focus on those fans who would buy their product at more reasonable prices. Right when the season started, the A’s had the more expensive tickets on the secondary market, according to GameTime, the online ticket marketplace. Initially, the median ticket price for A’s games was $181. We’ll see what the market does by the end of the season.
Fan experience matters more than profit
With every A’s loss, I can’t help but think of the words of Sacramento Rivercats owner Vivek Ranadive. During a state-of-the-Downtown breakfast in February, he boasted that the A’s tickets were the most expensive in the MLB. That sentiment won’t attract people to Sutter Health Park, nor will it create a culture.
Attending sporting events used to be more attainable for working-class families. I bet there are many locals who would love to attend A’s games but are scared off by the prices. Now, the almighty dollar is the only thing owners like Ranadive seem to care about. He and the A’s are on the right track with lower-cost options like the discount bundling of the Kings-A’s doubleheader on Wednesday. The A’s played in the early afternoon, the Kings played at night. Sutter Health Park is close to Golden 1 Center. Having those options is great for Sacramento.
But lowering ticket prices is reasonable for the A’s and the Kings to consider.
The green in the outfield berm at Sutter Health Park is already fading, and so will the excitement around the A’s if they don’t do something about it.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
