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You Can Sit Wherever You Want In Oakland

Athletics averaged 13,019 fans after home openerYou would think that a Major League Baseball team that served as the inspiration for an Academy Award nominated movie would be a hot ticket in their local market, but it appears that the success of “Moneyball” and the “genius” of the supposedly legendary Billy Beane does not equate to butts in the seats in Oakland these days.

After drawing a respectable 35,067 customers for their home opener versus the Seattle Mariners, the Athletics have averaged a meager 13,019 fans in the club’s three home dates since that game. Frankly, this 13,000 number maybe a bit generous considering how truly empty The Coliseum actually has been.

By stark comparison, when the Athletics and Mariners opened the regular season with two games in Tokyo, those contests averaged nearly 44,000 rabid baseball fans.

In light of this situation, if the A’s fail to land the new stadium in San Jose that they so desperately seek, perhaps a relocation to Japan should be seriously considered.

In the meantime, if fans want to attend an Oakland home game, they can sit wherever the heck they please. If one asks nicely, they might even be able to sit in the home dugout. The team of the great Billy Beane is that desperate for attention.  

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Jon Rapoport has spent his career working on all sides of the media and sports industry. He began his career at ESPN in studio production at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. While there, he won an Emmy for his contribution to "SportsCenter." Following his tenure at ESPN, Jon relocated to Los Angeles, joining the staff of the “Best Damn Sports Show” on FOX Sports Net.

Upon leaving the show, Jon worked in Web site and sports radio show development/production, with Major League Baseball in media operation logistics for the World Baseball Classic and on behalf of Los Angeles’ effort to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics back to Southern California. Jon currently writes a political blog for the Los Angeles edition of Examiner.com.

Born and raised in Plymouth, Minnesota (just outside of Minneapolis), Jon is an avid sports fan, particularly for his beloved Minnesota teams. Jon graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned his BA in communication and interned for ABC’s “Good Morning America” in New York City and Washington D.C. He is married and resides in Los Angeles.  

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