As the Oakland Athletics prepare for their final series at the Colesium, take a peek at my visit in August. The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum is part of a multisport complex with an indoor arena next door. In , it became home to the Athletics, which had relocated from Kansas City. The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum was opened in the era of multipurpose stadiums.
It was round to accommodate baseball and football, but it was not necessarily best suited for either one. The Raiders won an additional Super Bowl to begin the s, while the Athletics began rebuilding following the advent of free agency. In , the Raiders moved to Los Angeles after a long legal battle. The Athletics would have their ups and downs but again became a powerhouse at the end of the decade, with three straight World Series appearances. This included a sweep of the Giants in the Battle of the Bay, interrupted by a massive earthquake, with the A's becoming a beacon of hope for the quake victims.
The City of Oakland lured the Raiders back in Upon doing so, they added new stands, which removed the Coliesum's best feature, a hill behind the bleachers with a mountain view. The Oakland Coliseum's vast foul territory to accommodate the football field was a unique feature that was outdated after the new wave of cozy retro ballparks began with the opening of Camden Yards in Over the last three decades, baseball has struggled in Oakland.
As the Giants opened their retro park, the Athletics wallowed as second-class citizens, often clashing with the Raiders and the city of Coliseum improvements.
The Athletics sought to have a new stadium in the Bay Area, but their owner, John Fisher, never wanted to contribute any money to the project, as the City of Oakland was experiencing financial difficulties. Eventually, the Athletics made an agreement to move to Las Vegas. The stadium in Las Vegas will not be ready for at least three years as John Fisher continues to be unwilling to finance his own team or stadium project.
