Ever since the San Fransisco Giants won their first title, the Oakland Athletics have been an afterthought by the Northern California sports community. Despite having the majors best record since last summer, the Athletics have been pushed aside. This has a lot to do with prominence, and the fact that people will always be attracted to championships.
Regardless of what the A's do this season, the fact is that it still won't top the fact that the Giants have won two of the last three titles, and that Oakland is just not as big of a media hub. People have always been drwan to winners, and it is no different in this instance. People forget that up until 2010, the Giants hadn't won a title since 1954. Or that in 1989, the Athletics swept the Giants in the world series, that was even interupted by the biggest earthquake in Bay Area history.
With this said, I'm not a Giants hater, I just feel that it's time that the Athletics get the recognition they deserve. Reality tells us that we may have to wait for an Oakland championship for this to happen, but if the Giants fail to make the playoffs like they did in 2011, it may only take another AL West Title to get the respect the A's deserve.
I totally agree with you! I don't follow that much baseball but the A's are definitely......not important to anyone anymore and it's really sad! They need to beat the giants!
ReplyDeleteHi Steve,
ReplyDeleteI guess it all depends on the individual and their team preference. I grew up in San Francisco and the Giants will always be the best baseball team for me. I remember I was a little girl when the 1989 earthquake interrupted the game, that was scary. My husband is the A's fan and will remain a true fan. Many of my family members favor the Oakland A's over the Giants. The media is the one who will always promote the winners, because that is what people want to hear about.Great job.
Nice post, Steve. This really shows the result of media attention -- and the attraction to what's hot now ...
ReplyDelete