Are the Oakland A’s Punishing Their Own Players for Supporting an Anti-Ownership Brand? The Internet Seems to Think So

Ahmad Austin Jr.Apr 2nd, 2024, 4:18 pm
 
Oakland A's outfielder Esteury Ruiz

Matt York/AP

After a recent roster move by the Oakland Athletics, a portion of the internet is convinced that the team is punishing specific players for supporting calls for ownership to sell the team.

On Monday, the A’s announced it sent outfielder Esteury Ruiz back down to the team’s Triple-A affiliate just five games into the season. Despite the team’s 1-4 record, Ruiz had the hottest start on the team with a .429 batting average.

The move was met with confusion and outrage from A’s fans, with many wondering why the team would demote Ruiz after such a promising start. It didn’t take long for some to begin theorizing it may have been done out of spite by ownership.

Ruiz, among other players who have suffered similar fates, has worn gear from an organization known as Last Dive Bar.

Since team owner John Fisher has gone public with his intention to move the team from Oakland to Las Vegas, A’s fans have urged him to instead sell the team. While ownership has claimed the move is motivated by low attendance, fans have countered that by pointing out they haven’t put together a competitive team the current product isn’t worth watching. At one point, fans even staged “reverse boycotts” and filled the stadium to chant, “Sell the team,” throughout games.

Then, Last Dive Bar began selling merchandise expressing the same anti-ownership stance. According to its site, Last Dive Bar was started as a way to celebrate the history of the Oakland Coliseum. The organization’s Opening Day collection includes multiple pieces of clothing that reference the recent boycotts.

More observant fans noticed that Ruiz and others have worn wristbands that from the organization. The wristbands only feature the name Last Dive Bar and nothing else.

Outfielder Brent Rooker was benched; outfielder Cristian Pache was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last March; and pitcher James Kaprielian was released in November. All of them have shown support for Last Dive Bar.

Last Dive Bar has also bought into the theory and has been using the hashtag #WristbandGate on social media.

The A’s have not acknowledged the theory.

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