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MCAFEE COLISEUM Seating Chart, MCAFEE COLISEUM Tickets
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MCAFEE COLISEUM: Oakland Athletics
History has been made at McAfee Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics. Just not the kind A’s ticket buyers might have expected.
The first-ever appearance of “The Wave” at a baseball stadium happened in Oakland at McAfee Coliseum (then known as Oakland-Alameda Coliseum) on October 15, 1981, and MC Hammer served as a batboy there in the early 1980s. It’s that kind of quirky history that defines the home of the A’s, a place where it’s not unusual to find a football-style tailgate several hours before Oakland takes on one of their many American League rivals like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or instate foes the Anaheim Angels. They’ve also had their share of history-making moments since moving from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968-Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record here and Catfish Hunter twirled a perfect game.
McAfee Coliseum seating is not optimal, because the stadium was designed to accommodate both football and basketball. Both the A’s and the Oakland Raiders play there, and the cavernous stands (and acres of parking) hint at the game they host every Raider Sunday in the fall. But the organization has done its best to camouflage the multipurpose nature of the venue. A 1996 renovation-which at $200 million dwarfed the original construction cost of $25 million in 1966-added two new video boards and two new matrix boards, plus 125 suites available to lucky A’s ticket holders.
Fans have responded to the changes. Attendance reached its peak during the “Bash Brothers” heyday of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire of the late 1980s and early 1990s, back when World Series tickets were one of the hottest commodities in the Bay Area, but slumped late in the decade. After the renovation, the fans began to return, and the Oakland A’s are currently riding a four-season streak of drawing at least 2 million fans.
If you want to be a part of that 2 million-plus horde that boasts a set of A’s tickets, it pays to know the McAfee Coliseum seating layout. The best seats in the house are ostensibly the MVP Infield seats that range from Sec. 109-125. Keep in mind that because of the multipurpose nature of the stadium, even the very best seats are likely to be more than a bunt’s distance from home plate. A’s ticket holders have to deal with the largest amount of foul territory in the majors. The View Level is the most economical A’s ticket, and it comes with an added bonus-from certain spots in those seats fans get a view of the water behind McAfee Coliseum’s home plate. One note for bleacher fans, though: don’t plan on sitting in the upper deck in the outfield. The 48,219-seat capacity doesn’t include the upper deck outfield seats, which are used only for football.
Capacity: 48,219
Year Built: 1966, 1996 renovation
2004 attendance: 27,179 per game average; 2,201,516 total
Dimensions: 330 to left, 375 to left-center, 400 to center, 375 to right-center, 330 to right
Hotels Nearby: Clarion Oakland Airport, Days Inn Oakland Airport/Coliseum, Hilton Oakland Airport
Thrill of victory: Oct. 15, 1989: The Oakland A’s took a 2-0 World Series lead over their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants. No one knew at the time that it would take almost two weeks for Game 3 to be played, as a large earthquake shook Candlestick Park two days later and wreaking havoc across the Bay area.
Agony of defeat: Oct. 20, 1988: The Los Angeles Dodgers closed out the A’s 4-1 in a World Series shocker. The Fall Classic began with Kirk Gibson’s legendary pinch hit home run to capture the victory at Dodger Stadium and ended five days later with a whimper, as the Dodgers captured a 5-2 victory and the Series title.
A’s Ticket Tips: Choose wisely. McAfee Coliseum is very large, so a distant seat can be very distant. For the best view, try the Diamond Level behind home plate. Fans in the right and left field corners have easy access to the Barbeque Plaza, which provides a picnic-type atmosphere.