The unforgiving chants of “Sell the team!” by angered fans had hardly died down before John Fisher’s latest moves seemed to have ruffled feathers again.

It’s no secret that the Oakland A owner is probably one of the hated figures in the baseball community. Why? Well, for starters, a team that has had the word ‘Oakland’ in its name since its inception is going to abandon that very city, thanks to some promises that were reportedly not kept. On September 26 last year, approximately 27,759 fans turned up at the Oakland Coliseum in what they described was a ‘Reverse Boycott’. The dedicated crowd’s main aim was to launch a very public dissent against Fisher, as their favorite team played their last game at the venue—a 3-2 win against the Texas Rangers—before a move to the Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California for the 2025 season, and then to ultimately settle at Las Vegas come 2028.

Fisher had done his part, though. A few days before the last game, he issued a public apology on X. “We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short… I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness. Though I wish I could speak to each one of you individually, I can tell you this from the heart: we tried. Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it. And for that I am genuinely sorry,” part of the letter read. But did it solve anything? Not really.

The hate was widespread, with the latest development only adding fuel to the fire. On February 5, the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin revealed a piece of news that many would deem controversial. 

“MLB owners have elevated A’s owner, John Fisher, to their executive committee, Rob Manfred said,” he informed. Looks like Rob Manfred is eager to identify some ideal remedies for the disparity in team spending. He wants to merge the perspectives of the owners of both large and small markets and evaluate a solution that works perfectly for both. While this may be the reason for promoting John Fisher, fans say otherwise, with many considering Fisher the worst owner in MLB.

Notably, the New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has also joined the eight-member council. The council will also have Paul Dolan of the Cleveland Guardians, John Henry of the Boston Red Sox, Greg Johnson of the San Francisco Giants, Ken Kendrick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arte Moreno of the Los Angeles Angels and Bruce Sherman of the Miami Marlins. As per The New York Times, the Athletics owner and Cohen will be replacing John Middleton of the Philadelphia Phillies and John Sherman of the Kansas City Royals, respectively.

There were many who wanted to purchase the Athletics, like Joe Lacob and others, but Fisher had other thoughts, which ultimately led to drawing criticism over Manfred’s decision. While this news has garnered a lot of attention recently, some fans are supporting this decision while others are not.

Rob Manfred is still the bad guy

Rob Manfred‘s decision to promote John Fisher and Cohen indicates his focus on maintaining a financial balance in the MLB, as per many. However, fans look unhappy as they criticized Manfred heavily.

Well, everyone in MLB, be it the players, media executives, broadcasters, and fans—all have dictated how bad John Fisher has been as an owner of the Athletics. But Manfred has a different idea, praising Fisher and giving him a promotion, which seemed unexpected.

An X user took a humour-filled dig at MLB and Manfred for the way they are running the sports. Rob Manfred promoted someone like Fisher, who did more bad than good things for the Athletics, and even after that, he got promoted. The user’s frustration further indicates his losing trust in the MLB management for such a ridiculous decision; however, the main goal might be to get the Athletics out of Oakland, which wouldn’t have happened instantly. “Makes total sense, why not promote someone who spent 20 years doing less than minimum for his team….yep MLB and Manfred are on top of it,” they wrote.

Another commenter expressed his disappointment by pointing out, “Major league baseball is about to be in a crisis. John fisher is the best they can do. Good luck.”

On the other hand, one fan simply declared, “Oh for f—- sake. MLB is done, throw it in the can, it’s over.” After the state the game has been in these last few years, despite the blockbuster deals team seem to be doling out, a large part of the fanbase is rather unhappy with the changes.

There was one X user who took it up a notch further by issuing a warning. “I don’t think MLB realizes just how easy it is for people to quit the league and even the sport itself. They looked at what happened after the ‘95 strike and thought they’d like some more of that. One can both cherish memories of what was and loathe what something is now,” they wrote, while another wrote with a hint of sarcasm, “MLB is gonna get relocated to Luxembourg.”

For the unversed: Known as the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, the stoppage was the eighth and longest work stoppage in MLB history. The strike was reportedly called because of disagreements between MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) over a proposed salary cap and revenue-sharing agreement.

It all comes down to some major mistakes made either intentionally or unintentionally, as pointed out by a fan who seeks justice for all the Oakland Athletics fans. He shared a post highlighting the major faults that can never be forgotten: the Athletics scrapping the Fremont stadium plans in 2005-2006, rejecting the Howard Terminal idea, missing deadlines, and walking away just on the verge of deal completion, to name a few. So, it’s quite evident that the fans have a grudge, which they wouldn’t like to forget soon after this decision.

Having said that, do you think that the sudden outrage among the fans after Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to promote Athletics’ owner is justified? Well, do let us know in the comment section below.