Credit: Oakland Athletics
Oakland’s O.co Coliseum:
Opened in 1966 as a utilitarian multi-purpose stadium that was common to the era, the A’s played their first game here in 1968. The stadium has been shared by the A’s and the NFL’s Raiders ever since except for the fourteen-year interlude when the Raiders played in Los Angeles. It’s really not a ballpark so much as a concrete bunker that hosts sporting and other events, and the A’s have been angling for years for a new ballpark to no avail. The recent revelation that the Raiders will not be moving back to Los Angeles does not make the A’s situation any clearer.
When set up for baseball, this park has more foul territory than any other ballpark, resulting in more foul pop-outs than in any other park. It also uses a tarp to cover the seats in the highest upper level to reduce the seating capacity that is necessarily lower for baseball games than for NFL games. The park is below sea level and that has reportedly caused periodic sewage problems, including in 2013 when raw sewage visited showers, offices and storage areas of the stadium.
The A’s have a rich history, including the early 1970s World Series winners and the late-1980s powerhouses that included a World Series victory, but you’d never really know it by visiting. There’s not much in the way of baseball history or tributes to the A’s legacy here.
Check Out: The A’s. They play games here. The Golden State Warriors also have their arena in the same parking lot. That parking lot is ringed with barbed wire, so you know you’re safe.
Fun Fact: The San Francisco Giants’ gorgeous AT&T Park is a short ride away on the BART. Go see it!
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