‘Absolutely ecstatic’ or ‘Ick’? Sacramento reacts to Oakland A’s move

Hanh Truong
·4 min read
10

Sports fans and Sacramento residents are slugging it out on social media after the Oakland A’s announced plans to move to the Sacramento area.

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will relocate to West Sacramento beginning in 2025 as the team prepares to move to Las Vegas.

The A’s will play three seasons at Sutter Health Park, home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, with an option to add another year, while their new stadium is being constructed.

The Major League Baseball team’s new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip is expected to be ready by the start of the 2028 season.

Sacramento residents, sports fans react to Oakland A’s move

Social media users reacted Thursday to news of the A’s move with a mixture of excitement and skepticism.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic!” Reddit user Digesting Gandhi wrote. “Sorry for Oakland and all this mess, but I’m so happy to have MLB here, if only to show that we should get a permanent team.”

“This is actually so good for the city,” Reddit user s0ysauce09 said. “The MLB actually has A LOT of players that come from Sacramento and the greater surrounding area, Rocklin, Roseville, Elk Grove. I think Sacramento could be a great city to foster an MLB team.”

“Let’s go!” Reddit user Toxik916 wrote. “I’m excited to support Major League Baseball in Sacramento!”

Meanwhile, Reddit user See5Sharp had a single-word reaction to the news: “Ick.”

Congresswoman: ‘This is a sad day for Oakland’

Not everyone is looking forward to the A’s calling Sacramento its temporary home, including U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland as part of the 12th Congressional District.

“This is a sad day for Oakland and for generations of A’s fans,” Lee posted on X, formerly called Twitter.

Many social media commenters criticized the A’s recent record. As of Thursday, the team was ranked last in the MLB’s American League West standings, with just one win and six losses so far this season.

“A’s are crap and if this negatively affects the River Cats, then screw the A’s,” Reddit user Bitgod1 wrote.

While some were sour over the A’s short stay in the capital city, others were worried about the impact of the move on local infrastructure.

“I really don’t want the A’s coming to Sacramento,” Reddit user ChooseWisely83 wrote. “The A’s will be nothing better than a short term renter that will cause more damage than benefits. ... I hope they don’t mess with a good thing.”

Reddit user Badger Sauce wrote, “Traffic is gonna suck soooooo hard.”

Some sports fans were, overall, torn over the subject.

“I LOVE Oakland and I LOVE Sacramento,” X user Christopher Brady posted. “I’d definitely support an expansion team in Sac, but this is NOT the way.”

“I’m torn on the A’s situation,” CBS Sports journalist Cameron Salerno wrote on X. “I feel horrible for the diehard fans who have been supporting the team for decades. It’s also surreal to think MLB games will be played in Sacramento next year.”