The Bay Area, renowned for its rich sports heritage, is currently grappling with a series of ownership decisions that have adversely affected its professional teams and their devoted fan bases. Multiple owners have threatened to relocate out of the Bay Area, or failed to invest into the on-field product, and these actions have resulted in jaded fans and bad teams all across the Bay. The owners’ greed and ineptitude are the biggest obstacles for a successful sports community in the Bay.
There are six major sports franchises in the Bay Area: the San José Sharks, San José Earthquakes, Athletics (formerly of Oakland), San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and the Golden State Warriors. Over the past few years, all of these teams have had issues with city governments, and each other, and a lack of spending, creating a very underwhelming sports market in the bay.
This ineptitude on the field is mirrored by the owners’ choices off the field too. Earthquakes and A’s owner, John Fisher, has become infamous for his lack of spending to improve team talent and his complete avoidance of the press.
Just recently, Fisher finally completed his decade-long goal of moving the A’s out of Oakland, the city they have resided in for more than half a century. The A’s moving out of the Bay became national news, but it would have never happened if the Giants had not blocked the A’s proposed move to San José to have a tighter hold on the Bay sports scene.
The theme of Bay Sports teams fighting each other, only to hurt the fans, is one that Raider and Sharks fans will know well. CBS reported that the Bay’s one and only NHL team is looking to change venues and with no good home in the Bay; they may look at other cities.
This is similar to what happened when Fisher refused to help renovate the Raiders and A’s shared home of the Oakland Coliseum. This forced The Raiders out of the Bay and to Las Vegas.
The Bay’s other NFL team, the 49ers, made the Superbowl last year but the 2024-25 season has left many fans feeling deflated. This was only made worse as the team’s home, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara,was ranked as the 7th worst stadium in the NFL by Sports Illustrated.
Levi’s has been criticized for high-priced seats, bad location, and a lack of a roof that can make summer games horrid to attend. The way the stadium is set up creates a shield of shade for the expensive box seats but leaves the majority of fans in the path of the sun or rain.
Notably, the Golden State Warriors remain the Bay Area’s one bright spot, with Joe Lacob’s ownership setting a standard for success both on and off the court. Lacob has consistently invested in the team and its fan base, building a championship dynasty. He has also made multiple attempts to purchase struggling Bay Area teams, offering a chance to revitalize them, but has been blocked by resistance from other owners.
For a region as proud and storied as the Bay Area, these setbacks are not just about sports—they symbolize a broader loss of identity. The Bay Area has the potential to be one of the primer sports markets in the U.S. if the owners begin spending more on their teams.