Rooted in Oakland: A’s president Dave Kaval provides hope
The tarps are off.
On April 11, Dave Kaval, the new president of the Oakland Athletics, took to Facebook Live and announced the removal of tarps that covered more than 12,000 seats in the upper deck of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for over a decade.
On the surface, it was a strange decision. Boosting the Coliseum’s capacity to 47,170 certainly isn’t necessary. After all, despite welcoming 36,067 fans April 3, the A’s drew a combined 37,922 fans during the final three games of the opening four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. Since Opening Night, the club has drawn more than 20,000 fans only once. Last season, the A’s averaged just 18,784 fans per home game.
The tarps were put on in 2006 as a result of low attendance. And, even when the team made three straight trips to the postseason from 2012-14, and annual attendance broke two million for the first time since 2005, ownership left the tarps on citing a more intimate atmosphere.
Nevertheless, excited by the sellout crowd the A’s hosted on Opening Day, which included an additional 1,000 fans opting for standing room only tickets, Kaval and the A’s opened large sections in the upper deck, along with the nearby concession areas, in addition to specially priced tickets. It’s worth pointing out that the idea itself came from weekly “office hours” sessions Kaval holds to meet face-to-face with fans.
Kaval doesn’t mention it when we speak, but meeting with so many fans on a regular basis is rare for a high-ranking major league executive. Nonetheless, the practice is at the core of Kaval’s strategy with his new club, which he says is to create more “evangelists for our mission with the A’s,” and to cultivate an already strong and passionate fanbase.
Talking with Kaval, it’s easy to understand his vision for the future. He has organized an effort to improve the Coliseum for fans, while embracing its part of the team’s history of success along the way. He is passionate about the team’s new marketing strategy – Rooted in Oakland – that highlights the city in a way the franchise hasn’t in recent years.
Perhaps most importantly, he is also at the forefront of the team’s plans to build a new ballpark in Oakland, which he believes is the key to winning the 10th World Series in franchise history.
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The Athletics have a rich history. An original member of the American League, Connie Mack guided the A’s to five World Series titles in Philadelphia before the team moved to Kansas City in 1955, and then to Oakland in 1968.
In Oakland, owner Charlie Finley built the club into a flamboyant dynasty with players like Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers and Vida Blue donning bright green and gold uniforms and white cleats on the way to three straight World Championships from 1973-75.
Walter A. Haas, Jr. bought the franchise from Finley in 1980, and helped guide the team to a successful run headlined by Rickey Henderson, sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, and pitchers Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley. It culminated with a sweep of the nearby San Francisco Giants in the 1989 World Series – the ninth, and to date, the last World Championship for the club.
During the Haas era, the Athletics regularly boasted one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues. However, that practice ended when Stephen Schott and Ken Hofmann bought the club following Haas’ death in 1995.
Over the next two decades, the greatest success the team achieved came through general manager Billy Beane’s Moneyball maneuvering, in which the club was able to overcome its tiny budget thanks to outside-the-box thinking. Oakland never advanced past the ALCS, but Beane and the A’s became a symbol of doing more with less. And, when the team won, the fans showed up. From 2001-05, the Athletics won an average of 96 games and hit the two million mark in attendance each season.
John J. Fisher bought the team in 2005. Unfortunately, the club largely struggled on the field afterwards, and averaged just 76.2 wins from 2007-11. Attendance dipped to an average of 1.578 million over that span.
Following a three-year postseason streak from 2012-14, the bottom fell out. In 2015, Oakland lost 94 games – its worst performance since 1993. The 68-94 record was the third worst the team has posted since arriving in the Bay Area. Last year, the A’s followed with a 69-93 mark and a second straight last-place finish in the AL West.
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Dave Kaval has gotten involved.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio that holds two degrees from Stanford, Kaval is a longtime Menlo Park resident with an impressive sports résumé. He co-wrote a book in which he visited all 30 major league ballparks in 38 days, and also launched the Golden Baseball League in 2004.
Since 2010, Kaval has served as the president of the MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes, which Fisher also owns. Kaval actually began the office hours practice with the Quakes, and brought it with him to the A’s.
Kaval estimates he has met with about 300 fans since he was hired in November. He was on hand at January’s FanFest, which as Kaval pointed out was relocated to Jack London Square for the first time in 20 years after feedback from fans during office hours. He can often be spotted on the concourse and in seating sections at the Coliseum, and is also accessible through social media and email. A result, he has quickly become one of the most recognizable faces of the organization.
“It’s been a great way to learn about so many different ideas and perspectives from our fanbase on how to improve the Coliseum,” Kaval says, “what their thoughts are on the new ballpark, and just what are ways to enhance everything with the club.”
With help from A’s fans, who have provided valuable insight, Kaval and the team have made a point to celebrate their nine World Series titles in Championship Plaza, and have implemented a wide range of amenities and activities. The A’s have pumped more than $4 million into the park in the name of fan appreciation.
There’s a new video board, as well as new places to hang out and play games, such as bocce ball. There are also improved food and beverage options, including the new Shibe Park Tavern in right field as a nod to the team’s days on the East Coast, plus food trucks and Major League Baseball’s lowest beer prices. Many improvements are aimed at younger fans, but there’s even a couple that could help the team win more games on the field.
“We’ve enhanced some of the amenities for the [players’] wives and girlfriends, including suites and a nanny, and everything we can do to make the players feel that they’re really part of the family,” Kaval says. “And I think that really makes a difference. In my experience in all the teams I’ve run, that makes the team play better and it’s just the right thing to do, so it’s been very positive.”
And, though an “under new management” sign might be appropriate, Kaval and his team have made a constant effort to highlight the achievements of the past.
Fans come to Kaval with a wide range of thoughts for improvements, as well as experiences to share, such as the fond memories of watching games from the Coliseum’s upper deck: Postseason clashes, World Series wins, even the first game the franchise played in Oakland 49 years ago. The idea to rename the field after Hall of Famer and Oakland native Rickey Henderson – one that Kaval says he greeted with a high five – came from such a meeting.
The team made the celebration a focus during its Opening Night festivities, and in doing so accomplished several of Kaval’s short-term goals at once.
“Not only is that a great thing for the community, it’s a great thing for Rickey,” Kaval said, noting the decision to honor Henderson as his proudest with the A’s so far. “He’s one of the great icons of our game. I was just with him last night after the game… it was great to see how proud he is to be able to drive in every day and go to Rickey Henderson Field.”
“It’s just a great American story,” he added. “This is someone who grew up really with not a ton of means in Oakland, California and played for his local team and was one of the greatest baseball players of all-time – maybe the most dangerous player in the history of the game. And now that the field is named after him and he’s affiliated with the club – he’s my special assistant – he was in the dugout yesterday helping players. It’s just a perfect, perfect story and I think that’s something I’m very proud of.”
The team also celebrated the late longtime radio broadcaster Bill King, who called games for the A’s as well as the Warriors and Raiders on Opening Night. The team has plans to feature his legacy more in the future.
“We’re really proud of Bill King and that he’s going into the Hall of Fame and winning the Frick Award, and we’re excited to celebrate that in Cooperstown this summer. We also have decided to honor him at the Coliseum where we’re putting a sign in dead center field that’s a video board that says ‘Holy Toledo!’ that will be illuminated whenever there’s an exciting play, a double play, a home run, whatever it is. Any play that Bill King would have yelled ‘Holy Toledo!,’ his famous call.”
Many fans bring big concepts to the table, but some are less noticeable outside the ballpark.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Kaval says. “Some things are small. Some people are like, ‘hey, I really want brown mustard.’ You know what? We go get brown mustard.
“Each one of those small things makes a real impact,” he added. “These fans appreciate it.”
Even if they don’t say it. Though Kaval makes a point to be visible and speak with as many fans as possible, he understands there are many in the fanbase that he won’t reach personally, or that won’t speak up.
“I’ve always believed in the silent fan,” he explains. “They don’t email you. They don’t call you. They just don’t come back. And I think that’s what happens with stadiums that last only 20 years. They weren’t full and it just wasn’t the right type of experience both on and off the field. It’s partially based on how the team does, but it’s also the fan experience. Especially baseball.”
So far, he’s covering all his bases.
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The fans certainly appreciate the team’s new marketing campaign: Rooted in Oakland, as well as the team’s renewed commitment to the city.
It’s been a difficult time for sports fans in Oakland. Sure, the Warriors have blossomed into the NBA’s best team behind two-time MVP Steph Curry, and the team hung their first NBA Championship banner in 40 years at Oracle Arena in 2015. However, the Dubs have broken ground on a new arena in San Francisco and are headed across the Bay in 2018.
And yes, the Raiders snapped a streak of 13 non-winning seasons with a 12-4 record in 2016 and the first playoff appearance since the 2002 campaign. But the proud NFL franchise that left for Los Angeles in 1982 but returned to Oakland in 1995 is on its way out again. In January, the Raiders filed official paperwork with the league to relocate to Las Vegas. Owners approved the move in a 31-1 vote in March, setting up what will likely be two awkward seasons in Oakland before the franchise actually leaves in 2019.
Furthermore, A’s fans have had to deal with relocation rumors for decades. In the late 1970s, the franchise flirted with New Orleans. Team ownership attempted to build a new stadium in Fremont in the early 2000s before setting their sights on San Jose, though that too fell through. Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Montreal and a wide range of other cities are often thrown out as logical locations should the Athletics one day leave the East Bay. However, the team has no longer plans to pursue any options outside Oakland.
“We’re focused on Oakland as a strength and not a weakness,” Kaval says. “I think that’s a departure from the past. And I also think it reflects Oakland’s changing nature as a city. You’ve got a lot of new residents, you have a lot of new economic activity.”
Oakland is a vibrant, creative city, he says, and the A’s want to show it off while also bringing it together around baseball.
“We did all of our television commercials in Oakland for the first time instead of out in spring training,” he says. “We filmed at Lake Merritt, we filmed at the Fox Theatre, and we filmed at the zoo and on BART, and really celebrating these great Oakland landmarks. I think that’s something that people in the East Bay, in Oakland are excited for, and it’s exciting to see that.”
Kaval also points to the fact that living in Oakland is much more affordable than it is across the Bay in San Francisco – one of the most expensive cities in the United States. Seeing a Major League Baseball game in Oakland is more affordable as well, which is actually one of the few benefits of still playing in the Coliseum.
“There’s a lot of value,” he says. “It’s very affordable for families, especially in the Bay Area, to come to the game.”
The newly uncovered upper deck seats were sold for $15 through the first available home stand, with half the revenue from them going to a local Oakland educational charity.
“Oakland has become a place that has a much higher quality of life,” Kaval said. “People enjoy raising their families there, and I think it’s a perfect location for a baseball team.”
Sill, until the new ballpark becomes a reality, the A’s are limited in the Coliseum.
Built during the multi-use stadium craze of the 1960s, the Coliseum is widely considered among the worst ballparks in Major League Baseball. The rest of the league has abandoned such two-sport facilities, and the A’s are the only MLB team that still shares its stadium with its NFL neighbor.
The Raiders’ move to Los Angeles in 1982 actually helped the A’s because they were able to concentrate on turning the Coliseum into a baseball-only facility, but the team’s return added obstacles. “Mount Davis,” the garish third deck added for the Raiders’ return to Oakland in 1995, stripped the ballpark of one of its best features: views of the Oakland Hills beyond the outfield grandstand.
The area, which boosted the Coliseum’s official capacity to 63,132, is covered by large green tarps. While the Green Monster is beloved in Boston, the ugly green mountain in Oakland is one of baseball’s worst eyesores. Even Kaval hasn’t yet dared remove the tarps from the 8,775 seats that cover Mount Davis. In fact, the Raiders have kept the section covered as well in order reduce capacity in an effort to avoid television blackout restrictions.
Of course, empty seats and Mount Davis aren’t the only things that stink about the Coliseum. Sewage problems in the clubhouse made headlines in 2013. The playing field has an incredibly large amount of foul ground, and the gray slabs of concrete throughout the facility strip the Coliseum of charm like that found at other vintage ballparks like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, but also modern gems like Camden Yards, Coors Field and Petco Park.
Nevertheless, Kaval likes to shed a positive light on current circumstances.
“It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that some of the new places have,” he says, “but it is some ways a throwback to the way baseball used to be watched. It’s the only place left in America where you can do that. People should realize that it’s only going to be around three, four, maybe five years at most. So this is the last opportunity to see that, and I think it’s something everyone should see in their lifetime.”
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Of course, one of Kaval’s top priorities is to help get the A’s out of the Coliseum, and find the right location for a new ballpark. Doing so would give the A’s a brighter future for a variety of reasons.
“The reality is that we understand that a competitive product is important, and that’s going to be a key to our success,” he says. “And that’s why the ballpark is really the North Star. It really does provide us the opportunity to compete at the highest level, and that’s why we’re laser focused everyday to get it done.”
Fortunately, he has experience. Kaval helped convince Fisher to put $40 million into the construction of Avaya Stadium, the 18,000-seat gem now considered one of the top soccer facilities in the United States. The stadium has hosted the MLB All-Star game, both the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, and the Quakes have averaged an above capacity 20,455 fans per match in the two full seasons since it opened.
Kaval plans to turn that experience, including the lessons learned through the process, into a new privately funded ballpark for the A’s.
“That’s really the only way we know how to do it,” Kaval says. “We built Avaya Stadium that way, all privately financed. That’s really the model here in California. We’re going to leverage what we did in the past with the soccer stadium where we developed privately here in the Bay Area. We’re putting the band back together to do it. That’s a project I spearheaded along with the same ownership group.”
A new ballpark in Oakland would be great for the franchise because it would allow for more revenue streams, which is turn, would mean a greater investment in the on-field product – a common concern among fans.
“One of the reasons we’re building a stadium is that it allows us to jump into that top quartile of spending on players,” Kaval says. “Right now we’re at over a $100 million disadvantage compared to the Giants or Dodgers because they have more revenue streams. They have premium tickets and sponsorships and other event revenue and all this other stuff that we don’t have, and it obviously drives their media value and things like that.”
It’s clear that Kaval is thinking big, and he isn’t afraid to talk about lofty goals.
“For us, it’s like ‘how do we level the playing field?’ We’ve always had an amazing baseball operations department that can do more with less with Billy Beane and David Forst and really some of the best thought leaders in all of professional sports, and that’s been a great competitive advantage for us. But beyond that, in the long term, if we have more resources we can give them as well, I think we can easily be proficient to compete and win more World Series to add to the nine that we already have.”
But there’s more to it than just winning ball games.
“We’ve committed that this calendar year we are going to announce the final location,” Kaval says, noting that the club has narrowed its location search to four sites. “We’re trying to do it as soon as possible, but we’re also being very deliberate because if we do this right this is a 100-year decision.
“We don’t want to build a ballpark and then build another one in 20 years. We want to have a Fenway or a Wrigley that can stand the test of time, that can be here for a hundred years, that can be built into a neighborhood with a ballpark village and be a lasting part of the community. That’s something we’re taking very seriously and we’re spending a lot of time, money resources and effort to make that happen.”
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In the mean time, there are a few underrated resources available to Kaval and the A’s. First of all, the A’s have a relatively small but passionate fanbase in Oakland.
“I think when you have such a passionate and intelligent and energetic fanbase,” he says, ” one that through thick and thin supports the team – that’s a huge advantage! You want to leverage that, you want to have people happy and cheering and laughing and doing the wave and that fun stuff. That’s going to create a better fan experience that’s going to lead to a fun experience at the ballpark.”
And, as luck would have it, the A’s also have the benefit of a significant anniversary coming up. Though his first season with the club is just a few weeks old, Kaval is already thinking about 2018.
“We’re going to have a huge celebration,” he says. “We have a special patch that we’re going to have on our uniforms and we’ll have new special uniforms as well. It’s going to be a great way to celebrate 50 years in Oakland – four World Championships, amazing players and characters whether it’s Reggie Jackson or Rickey Henderson or Jose Canseco or Rollie Fingers.
“We have so many different people who played for us, and the A’s have always prided themselves on having players that were interesting characters and fun to follow and we’re going to carry that forward, so there’s a lot to celebrate,” he says. “I think it’s a great year-long celebration and we can’t wait.”
He also has a seemingly endless work ethic, and has put it to good use connecting with fans. Thanks to Kaval’s spirit, after years of looking for greener grass elsewhere, the franchise is now embracing the team’s history in Oakland – and most importantly – its future there.
“It’s been a lot of hard work. I’m just trying to respond to the fans. We certainly don’t get everything right, but we’re doing everything we can to put one brick in place at a time to build our long-term success.”