As the Athletics return to the Bay Area for the team's annual three-game series against the San Francisco Giants this weekend, many longtime fans are staying home and instead focusing their support on local teams.

According to East Bay Times, many Oakland fans are skipping this weekend’s series, formerly known as the Bay Bridge Series, against the Giants at Oracle Park because attending now feels like supporting a team that abandoned them. Many fans have redirected their energy into building community around homegrown teams such as the Oakland Ballers, Roots, and Soul. “We support Oakland teams and the A’s are no longer here,” said Oakland 68’s president Jorge Leon.

Anson Casanares, Oakland 68s vice president, echoed this sentiment:

I’m not planning on going to any A’s games anytime soon. I honestly didn’t know they were playing the Giants this weekend. I haven’t heard (about) any of my friends attending. Everyone is detached from the team since they left Oakland.

Others have said they’re attending the series simply because they received free tickets. Will MacNeil, known as “Right Field Will,” said Friday’s game will be the first he's attended this season. “It’s the deepest I’ve gone into a season without going to see them play since elementary school.”

MacNeil still follows the players, but the connection to the team feels fractured:

Trust me, it’s weird. I hate it because I’m proud of the players. I love watching what Jacob Wilson is doing and seeing Nick Kurtz in the big leagues. It’s just so unfortunate they’re doing it in a different city and in a minor league park. A part of me thinks I should stay home Friday, but I want to hopefully see some of the guys like Lawrence Butler before the game.

As Bryan Johansen, owner of Last Dive Bar, explained:

After what Major League Baseball allowed the move to happen, and with what the A’s themselves did and how they treated fans, employees and players on their way out, a lot of people are just detached from MLB as a whole.

I think Giants fans are angry too. They were stripped of a nostalgic matchup for the Bay Area. They’re deprived as well.

For diehards, the heartbreak hasn’t faded — it’s simply evolved into quiet resistance and a redirected passion for hometown sports.

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