The A's, formerly of Oakland, currently transitioning to Las Vegas via a three-year plan playing at Triple-A Sutter Health Park, clearly have some disgruntled fans.
One of them became the object of some controversy Thursday night. During the NBC Sports California pregame show, a man caught the eye of security at the stadium due to the message on his T-shirt.
The shirt, in the Athletics team color, was rather mundane. The offending message to ownership? "Sell."
The fan stood behind the broadcast and, as the video below shows, was immediately greeted by a member of the team's security.
How many A's security guards does it take to remove a guy with a "Sell the Team" shirt? (h/t @LastDiveBar) pic.twitter.com/b6UNYQQR0L
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 5, 2025
Shortly thereafter, the broadcast cut to commercial, and upon returning, several security personnel were blocking the fan from camera view.
And more keep funnelling down to join the fray.
How thin-skinned is management that a T-shirt like this is a bridge too far?
The answer is more than you would think! pic.twitter.com/NEB09XsAs8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 5, 2025
The fan, who later identified himself as Joe Horton, responded to social media posts about the incident.
"Not my first rodeo; happy to be there," he wrote on X. "When they show up, I think the whole time–you know this too is on TV right?"
Judging by how swiftly security swooped in to intercept and block him, he's right. It's not his first rodeo. It probably won't be his last either.
Fortunately, Horton revealed that security allowed him to stay for the game after a nice, lengthy conversation in close quarters.
He got to see a rare win for the "home" team over the Minnesota Twins.
The Athletics brass might want to worry more about the product they're putting on a Triple-A field than a harmless fan who disapproves of their work.
The A's were riding high on May 13, having improved to two games over .500 by demolishing the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Since then, they've been bad. Posting a record that might even make some players on the Colorado Rockies or Chicago White Sox blush — two wins, 20 losses.
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