On Apr 24, 6:38 pm, Brian Perry <bperry1....RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote:
> EBjazz wrote:
> > Why are all Giant week DAY games on TV and none of the A's are?
>
> > *Note:
>
> > A's- 1st place, exiting young team full of prospects.
>
> > Giants- Last place, two good young pitchers and no hope.
>
> > Why?
>
> People just like the Giants more?
1) The Giants were in the Bay Area ten years before the A's were,
which is a huge market advantage in any industry. When you can gain a
foothold in a big market with no competition, you're bound to collect
a huge following that will last for generations, as the interest and
loyalty is basically hereditary;
2) When the Giants moved here for 1958, they were bringing a
significant tradition with them as well from New York. While they
haven't upheld that tradition well in San Francisco, the Giants still
represent one of the marquee franchises in MLB history. In conjunction
with the thought above, this cannot be underestimated. Think about
1992 when the Giants appeared to be leaving -- would anyone care if
the A's left? The Giants are like the Cubs, basically -- they are a
regional institution;
3) The A's came here from Kansas City, where there was no tradition
except that of being the Yankees' major league farm team. Even before
the move to Kansas City, the A's had been irrelevant in Philadelphia
for the better part of two decades. Despite winning almost from the
moment they showed up in Oakland, there was never a huge anticipation
for their arrival, etc. And as noted, other than the small die-hard
fan base, who would care if the A's left?;
4) While the A's franchise certainly has comparable roots to the
Giants' franchise, the inconsistency of the A's in the Mack years (win
big and then sell off parts) has extended through the Finley years and
even into the 1990s and now. That does hurt a fan base, while the
Giants are like the Cubs (again, an apt analogy): they keep connecting
with fans even when the team isn't winning any championships, because
there is tradition, loyalty, etc., involved. The same cannot be said
for the Oakland franchise, despite its plethora of division titles,
six AL pennants and four World Series championships;
5) Even when the A's were winning three straight World Series in
Oakland, they didn't draw well. Gertrude Stein can explain this one,
I'm sure;
For the above reasons (at least), the A's have not been able to
attract a large number of fans on a consistent basis despite winning
significantly more than the Giants have on the baseball diamond.
I grew up in an affluent East Bay community where many A's players
lived -- no one was a Giants fan in my town. It was geographic more
than anything else, I'm sure, but as I've gotten older, a lot of those
people who were A's fans are now Giants fans instead.
Why? Probably a handful of the reasons above, for in the end, San
Francisco? Best city in the U.S.A., while Oakland is a relatively
armpit: there is no "there" there. And if that's what people want,
they have that option in the San Francisco Giants franchise -- Cubs
West.
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