The Oakland Athletics are not a living, breathing thing. But when the franchise’s Bay Area departure comes — whether in 2025 or 2028 — it might resemble the passing of an actual loved one.
“Sure, it’s not a death, but it is a significant change,” Dr. Lauren Lowe, Clinical Psychologist at Align Sports and Performance in San Francisco, recently told me.
“Something that is so pivotal, and so defining to an area. … it can cause a lot [of] psychological confusion,” Lowe said. “Some fans might be feeling sadness, grief, worry, anxiety, and anger. All of those feelings are emotional reactions, and valid.”
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Oakland supporters have survived uncertainty about their team for decades, but now it’s adding up and starting to multiply. More recently, as details about the A’s planned 2028 relocation to Las Vegas slowly leak out, it feels the process is moving in slow motion, rarely with definitive answers or an expiration date.
“It exacerbates the feelings and complicates the process for individuals,” Dr. Lowe said. “When we have a change and we know the end date, it provides sort of a container. When we’re left with the unknown … this is causing so much turmoil. It complicates the grief. It complicates the loss.”
Many fans already don’t know how to approach this 2024 A’s season, which could be their last in Oakland, unless the team and the city can agree on a Coliseum lease extension. Some fans also don’t know what to do with the material symbols they’ve collected over so many years: Oakland shirts, hats, merchandise — remnants of fond memories of a team that’s intentionally leaving town.
“One recommendation is create a memorabilia box,” Dr. Lowe said. “If it’s too painful to witness day in and day out, create a memorabilia box. Hold on to those things, and from time to time, go back to check in.”
Oakland Athletics
There’s also a more extreme route.
“Some folks might want to do away with all their memorabilia, do kind of a purge, and sure, that can be helpful and efficient,” Dr. Lowe said.
In conclusion, there’s not one way to most effectively deal with the next year of Oakland baseball, but Dr. Lowe did provide some fitting and timely advice.
“Keep yourself from doom scrolling,” Dr. Lowe strongly advised. “If we’re having a lot of feelings, limit the exposure to the bad news. It’s OK to take a break. It’s OK to catch up at a different time."
Watch my full interview with Dr. Lowe in the video player above.