My mother and her boyfriend moved my siblings and me from Brooklyn, NY to Green Island, IA in 1972, Iowa being my home from second grade through college graduation.
When my interests in different sports started, I had great latitude in whom to follow: Iowa has no major league teams and therefore no home-team biases to accept/reject.
My father’s formative years were in Chicago, so he follows the Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks (Bulls weren’t a franchise then). My grandparents lived in Westport, CT so New York City teams were an option. In the early 1970s, however, both cities’ teams were not great (Miracle Mets notwithstanding). And it’s unlikely I knew that Minnesota bordered Iowa!
As a typically-shallow child, I chose team who were winning championships at the time: A’s, Steelers, Celtics, Flyers. Unfortunately, past performance is not indicative for future results and the bad years have far outweighed the good. I’ve stuck with them despite the disappointments.
The A’s do not have a history of strong ownership. The Philadelphia Athletics often resorted to selling their best players (and even the ballpark) to pay the bills, going from penthouse-to-cellar very quickly. Connie Mack was part-owner throughout and managed for fifty seasons (into his late 80s). Charlie Finley bought the team after their move to Kansas City and subsequently moved them to Oakland in 1968. They won three consecutive World Series despite the animosity between Finley and the players. He once asked a player to fake an injury during the World Series. His attempt to sell star players was canceled by Major League Baseball. And he traded Reggie Jackson to Baltimore.
I honestly don’t know much about the current owner other than he doesn’t consider winning as a goal, as the 2022-2023 seasons clearly show. And, after 18 years, attempts to build a new ballpark in Oakland have ended and every indication is the next stop is Las Vegas.
Will I still follow the A’s? TBD. Will I change allegiances to the hometown Minnesota Twins? Definitely not!
