birthright or wrong?

The weather was perfect for my very first spring training game. I bought my tickets 2 months in advance, took a week off of work, booked flights/hotel with plenty of time to spare. Everything was all set for a copacetic baseball vacation for for me and my girlfriend. A's vs Giants in Phoenix... pretty exciting stuff for a lifelong A's fan with roots in both cities.

As we settled in, wandered into the gift shop and over to the beer stand, my girlfriend and I drew some looks, and some funny comments. See, she's a Giants fan. SF born and bred, and she came well dressed for the event in her new Tim Linceum jersey. I, on the other hand was literally green and gold from head to toe (jersey, hat, undershirt, socks, shoes etc... flirting with overkill, even at a ballgame). "You two gonna make it through them game?" quipped a couple of walkers-by. It was cute, we played along.

We had great seats, 6th row behind home plate. We were early and made friends with some of the adjacent fans, including a pair of young ladies (maybe 22 or 23 years old) who were also from the Bay, specifically: Blackhawk, CA. Initially, they were very pleasant, knew their baseball and also found humor in our A's/Giants juxtaposition. They were sitting right behind us, so we overheard their conversation, which bounced around from A's clubhouse gossip to the new Lexus one had just gotten, to their first class flight into Phoenix. These girls were definitely from Blackhawk, and had little issue flaunting it. No harm done... I found them amusing and fun.

In the 2nd inning, the beer man approached and I hollered him over. I got myself an ice cold Coors light and my girlfriend asked him if he had any wine in his bucket. One of the girls behind us tapped her on the shoulder and in a cautiously condescending tone said "just like a Giants fan to ask for wine". She was kidding, but needless to say, it was not received well. My girlfriend was less than amused, and though I've razzed her using the same joke in the past, it seemed a bit out place coming from our new friend.

The can of worms here is big, and maybe it's easy to see where I'm going with this. The girl's comment was inappropriate on a few levels: First, she doesn't know us, or the fact that my girlfriend is 5th generation blue collar SF... a city employee and someone who takes great pride in her heritage. Second, the girl is from Blackhawk... one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in the Bay Area, an enclave which is known for fencing out the surrounding residents of Danville, a town not without its own affluence--certainly not without its wine drinkers. Third, and most significantly, her comment presumed that as an A's fan, she is part of the scrappy, fighting, beer drinking community that is inherently above the snobbery and wine drinking lifestyles of an aloof and baseball-illiterate Giants fan.

So, this incident got me thinking. As I dissected it further, I came to feel that the philosophical question is this: does any fan, regardless of background have a right to attach themselves to the character and identity of a team... even if the qualities embodied therein are contradictory to their own backgrounds? Furthermore, does the scrappy, blue collar appeal of the A's become diluted or less pure by folks of affluence adopting the stripes for fashion's sake?

I will not portend to answer these questions, as they are complex issues that don't have one right perspective. My most ethical answer is that a baseball team is everyone's: rich, poor, black, white, urban or suburban. Hands across America. As an Oakland native, my partisan response would cite the East Oakland location, the small-market payroll, the 2 dollar Wednesdays and the consistent marginalization of the club by pundits and Yankee fans alike. Is either answer inherently more right? Does an Oakland native have a more legit claim to the A's than someone from Portland or Sacramento or Blackhawk, and does their social class further qualify/disqualify this?

Again, I'm not going there. I am certainly no authority on any of the issues in play. I do, however, see value in springboarding off of this issue, at this time, when my team's ownership is pursuing a relocation for business purposes. Fremont fell through. Consequently, Lew Wolff and his grand designs for a stadioplex reatil-ominuim windfall are looking elsewhere. San Jose IS the most feasible location within the NorCal market where he can hope to retain existing fanbase and hopefully leverage a fresh, untapped revenue stream. The logic is not wasted on me. I understand the draw, and the hope that corporate ticket packages and higher median incomes can promise. San Jose is, after all, a shorter drive from Blackhawk.

BUT. Will the A's lose something by leaving Oakland? I'm not talking about season tickets, money, advertisers, business concerns. I guess I'm talking about purity. Intangible, unabashed emotion-based gut instinct. I'm talking about a team playing with the spirit of its city. Would the Steelers be the same if they moved to Cape Cod? How about the Mariners of Compton? These conjectures are fictional, and maybe a bit silly, but I think my questions have merit. They are questions every fanbase has pondered in the face of change, and they are now ours. As long as I have been alive the A's have been synonymous with Oakland, and I can't help but wonder about the cultural implications of a move.

Bottom line; it's Wolfe's prerogative, so perhaps the point is moot. It's his club, and his investment. His track record boasts a lifetime of successful real estate development projects/sports franchise ownership... and the A's are his latest undertaking. It's up to him how he wants to position his assets, and right now: he wants to see some return. Fine, that makes sense. But fallout will insue. Those fans who live in San Jose have reason to celebrate. Those who live in Oakland might feel cheated or burdened. I know I do.

As I am sure to draw backlash, please note: this is an editorial. This is not meant to override, outsmart or trump anyone else's stance. I do not speak for any contingent or demographic beyond myself. This is just my take. I understand that I've adopted reverse-elitist tones here, and maybe that makes me just as wrong as the girls who prompted this diatribe. Please also note: I am not saying that people with money are bad. No one is inherently immoral because of their social class; that would be a ridulous assertion. I work hard to make my life easier than it was growing up, and there is nothing wrong with success.

So who is right? Is anyone? Clearly I have my own leanings, and maybe they're misguided. But my context is mine alone, and I'm proud of it. I've been taking BART to A's games since 5 years old. My parents were broke, so I earned each nosebleed ticket by reading 8 books in the Oakland Public Library's summer reading program. I love Oakland. I love baseball, and I love the A's. I'm a season ticket holder. I chose the A's EVERY time I play a baseball video game. I own 12 different A's hats, in every color and I wear one of those hats to any stadium I visit, regardless of whether or not the A's are playing. Ultimately, my fanhood can not be taken away from me... and I understand that I can not out-muscle anyone else's. Not even the gracious ambassadors from Blackhawk.

Go A's.