Marshawn Lynch is from Oakland, California—did you know that? The Raiders running back just about reps his hometown every second he can, having come out of retirement just to join the floundering Raiders before they set sail for the deserts of Las Vegas. But his team isn’t the only one escaping The Town for less green pastures. With the Warriors set to move to the cultural desert of techie San Francisco next season, the Oakland A’s are the only professional sports team still holding on. And Marshawn Lynch intends to save at least that.
Last night, at an Oakland City Hall meeting on the A’s proposed new ballpark, Lynch made an appearance wearing a hoodie and sandals (with socks) to try and save his beloved hometown from becoming team-less. Here’s what the man had to say:
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With a backpack on, Lynch looked like he rolled out of 5th period just to deliver the speech, which definitively took the talk-softly-and-carry-a-big-reputation approach, as he quietly mumbled into the mic just a scant few words: “We’re losing the Warriors, we’re losing the Raiders, best not lose the A’s. Appreciate it.” (Though he might have been there only to not get fined?)
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the proposed ballpark site including, importantly, who will pay for it. For now, the A’s say it will be privately funded, but fans across the country have heard that song before only to find out it’s actually their own tax dollars making it all possible. Add the A’s good fortune as the last show in town, and you can see how Oakland fans could be held hostage and possibly even vote against their own self interest to help out a super wealthy owner just to keep the team home.
The good thing is that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has been pretty tough on team’s trying to extort the public and she seems to like the deal (either that or she does not want to be the reason EVERY pro team in Oakland skipped town.)
Regardless of the future of the A’s, one thing is for certain: Marshawn is just trying to keep things as Bay as possible outchere.
