Oakland A's and Roots fans send message to John Fisher during Earthquakes game

An Oakland A’s fan waves a flag to protest the A’s move to Las Vegas before a San Jose Earthquakes game against the Oakland Roots at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Shae Hammond/ Bay Regional Press Group)

SAN JOSE – The noisy section of Oakland Roots fans in the northeast corner of PayPal Park quieted down momentarily in the 12th minute, their chants and drums hushed.

That brief silence during the U.S. Open Cup soccer game between the visiting Roots and the host San Jose Earthquakes was quickly replaced by a refrain that Oakland baseball fans know well.

“Sell the team!” Sell the team! Sell the team! ” echoed through the half-full stadium Tuesday night, the plea to the Earthquakes and A’s owner John Fisher quickly replaced by another three-word chant that included an expletive.

The Roots lost 1-0 on a late Quakes goal, but the noisy Oakland fans made their point.

Ruben Ortiz wore a brightly colored “SELL” shirt with a neon green “SELL” flag wrapped around his neck like a cape as he joined in chants to get Fisher to sell the A’s before they moved to Sacramento next season.

An A’s fan since 1996, Ortiz considered Josh Donaldson’s home run against the Tigers in 2014 his favorite memory at the Coliseum.

It’s the kind of experience Ortiz believes Fisher is denying A’s and Earthquakes fans as an owner.

Ortiz had never attended a professional football game before, but he was moved by the opportunity to protest Fisher while supporting his hometown team.

LET’S GO OAKLAND!!!

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— Last dive bar (@LastDiveBar) May 8, 2024

“What would be a better first game than going to show that it’s not just Oakland that deserves better, but San Jose also deserves better ownership than John Fisher,” Ortiz asked rhetorically.

Some Oakland A’s fans decided to boycott the team, not wanting to give their money to the notoriously thrifty owner.

Jorge Leon is the founder of the Oakland 68s, a fan group that bused fans from The Town to San Jose. He’s not a Fisher fan – to say the least – but he still bought a ticket to cheer on a team the 68 aligned with.

“We see this as supporting our Oakland roots,” Jorge Leon said in a text message to the Bay Area News Group on Monday.

Thomas Sanchez, an A’s fan who made the long drive from Stockton to the South Bay, milled around the same stadium in a similar “SELL” outfit.

“If there’s a way to support the ‘Sell the Team’ movement and get it out of here, we’ll do it,” Sanchez said.

The A’s move to the state capital appears to be a fait accompli, but that still leaves the last-place Earthquakes, who ranked 23rd in payroll last season according to Spotrac, in the Bay Area under Fisher’s control.

As Roots and A’s fans, perhaps the same ones, began chanting “Sell Out,” many Quakes fans could be heard chiming in, even after their team took the lead.

Oakland Roots fans chant for Oakland before a game against the Quakes at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)