On Thursday, Oakland will say goodbye to its last major-league sports team. The A’s, who have called The Town their home since 1968, will play their final game at the Coliseum.
The finale is a sellout, which the 46,847-seat stadium has not seen all year (And no, the A’s won’t open Mount Davis one last time).
Here are the scheduling basics we know ahead of what is sure to be an emotional day for Oakland A’s fans:
8 a.m.: Parking lots open; tailgating limited
9:37 a.m.: Ballpark gates open for batting practice
12:37: First pitch vs. Texas Rangers
There may already be a line of cars on 66th Avenue and Hegenburger Road when the parking gates open, but parking in the A’s lots will be very limited. Prepaid parking passes are sold out, per the team’s website, and the A’s encouraged fans to take public transportation. Those who do park will not be allowed to use a second spot for tailgating.
BART will be running longer trains to help accommodate the sellout crowd, but riders should still be prepared for delays.
What security measures are the A’s taking?
The A’s are taking precautions for the final game, saying security, police and concession workers will beat “typical playoff-level staffing” for Thursday. Oakland police confirmed more than 100 officers will be assigned to the game.
“Our goal is to provide the best fan experience possible and the level of staffing will reflect that goal,” a team spokesperson said.
Following Tuesday’s walk-off win, video circulated social media showing fans with a pair of seats ripped out of the ground. According to the A’s, who noted that the majority of fans are celebrating responsibly, staff took back the seats and reinstalled them.
The A’s are expecting an energetic crowd, and manager Mark Kotsay welcomes that passion.
“My expectations are that these fans are going to come out here as they always have: with a passion and an energy,” Kotsay said. “Like I talked about with the reverse boycott game (last season), even though there was an anger, there was a passion and an energy about it, which has always been there with this group of A’s fans.”
A’s players have said the organization advised them to be cautious leaving the field, and Rangers players were told to prepare for all scenarios, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported.
Some fans at the Raiders’ final Coliseum game in 2019 — doubly incensed by some controversial officiating calls in that game — threw trash and bottles onto the field after the final whistle.
For all the security concerns, Bryan Johansen of Last Dive Bar believes the issue is overblown. Johansen admitted that there might be some “idiots,” but added there are outliers at every big game. A’s fan groups have also taken to social media to dissuade people from trashing the field, which will be used by the Oakland Roots and Soul next year.
“There’s not any coordinated effort to do anything crazy like go on the field or hurt anybody or start a ruckus,” Johansen said. “That’s completely asinine that the A’s would even suggest that. It just shows you that they’re completely detached from the pulse of their fan base, and they have been for years.”
It is worth noting that A’s owner John Fisher, who penned a goodbye letter to A’s fans earlier this week, will not own any part of the Coliseum by early 2026: The A’s have agreed to sell their 50% share of the stadium to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group for $125 million. Earlier this month, the city of Oakland sold its 50% share of the Oakland Coliseum to AASEG.
Will the A’s stick around after the game?
Some reports this week suggested the A’s players have been told to leave the field immediately following the game, but utility man Max Schuemann believes the aftermath will unfold differently.
“I’ve heard some guys talking about some social media stuff about how people are saying we’re just going to get out of here,” Schuemann said. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily going to be the case after the final out — us just rushing in there. We might tip our cap to the fans after the game.”
Lawrence Butler shared the same belief that the A’s will likely salute the fans following the game.
“They said it’s going to be a lot of security, so they said there’s nothing we should be worried about,” Butler said. “If somebody runs on the field, you just have to get out of the way. They didn’t really tell us anything too crazy.”
Kotsay said “nothing has been discussed” about speaking to fans over the public address system after the game.
What’s happening with the replica Coliseum giveaway?
The A’s will give away a miniature replica of the Oakland Coliseum for their final game, but with a twist.
The first 25,000 fans into the Coliseum will receive a voucher for the item. The giveaway at the stadium exits will begin in the seventh inning. This strategy forces fans to choose between the Coliseum keepsake and soaking in the A’s final Oakland innings.
Some fans have speculated that the A’s are giving away the promotional item after the game out of fear that fans will throw them onto the field.
“There’s a million things that you could throw onto the field,” Johansen said. “It’s one final horrible message that they’ve been sending all year and over the last few years.”
A photo of an alleged replica prototype leaked Monday on social media, and many fans further ridiculed the A’s for the item’s supposed lackluster quality.
What are fan groups doing after the game?
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In addition to the litany of tailgates in the parking lot before, during and after the game, Last Dive Bar will host a “wake” at Line 51 Brewing Company that will have both food and beer.
True to the funeral motif, a “gravesite” at the wake will feature a tombstone, grass and weeds. Additionally, there will be a bucket of green and gold roses that fans can lay down to “pay respects” to their fandom. The setup was built by Rob Roberts of 33 Customs, the same person who made the puppets of Fisher and Dave Kaval.
Last Dive Bar will hand out 400 tombstone-themed pins at the event.
“I’m a little nervous that there might be too many people,” Johansen laughed. “It’s an opportunity for people to have a place to go after one of the hardest days in their sports lives, to commiserate among fellow fans that are going through the same emotions and feelings.”
