The conclusion of an objective Oakland Coliseum review would be very straightforward. It sucks. The stadium is dirty, crumbling and just feels outdated. Everything from the seats to the bathrooms feel like they are on the verge of breaking. That’s assuming they aren’t broken already. On the surface, the place should be blown up and swept into the San Francisco Bay.
However, any Oakland Coliseum review must be subjective. What makes it bad is also what makes it good for both baseball and football. There is something refreshing about going to a stadium that remains so raw and unfiltered. It harkens back to a simpler time in sports history.
A time when you went to games and did something besides diddle on your phone. A time when concession stands only served basic and uninspiring food items. A time when fans would fight each other for no apparent reason. The latter still happens at the Oakland Coliseum quite frequently.
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This is the last of a dying breed of stadiums around America. The Oakland Coliseum is a no frills, blue collar venue that remains almost symbolic of the fanbases whose teams call it home. The Raiders may have moved on to Las Vegas, but their spirit lives on in Oakland.
And seeing the Oakland A’s play in a shiny new ballpark full of hipsters would simply be another white flag waved in the battle against gentrification. The Coliseum is a dump but is somehow still better than the disaster in Santa Clara called Levi’s Stadium.
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There isn’t much to say about Oakland Coliseum in terms of details. You will find plenty of parking all around the stadium, including makeshift lots. It’s also right off the freeway (I-880) making it pretty hard to miss.
For baseball these days, ushers are fairly strict about the premium seating. That being said, you shouldn’t really be doing anything apart from sitting in the upper deck where you can pick any seat, or in some cases section, you want more or less.
Oakland Coliseum review score: 8
There is something about the Oakland Coliseum everyone needs to take in at least once. It’s dingy and decaying, but the experience is completely authentic. In many ways, it’s how going to a sporting event should be. That is why we score it so highly despite all the facility’s obvious flaws.
A trip to the Coliseum is also amazing for people watching. From drunk guys vomiting before a game has started to fans looking for any reason to fight, it has the most interesting collection of individuals you will come across. There may never again be a stadium quite like the Oakland Coliseum. Don’t let all the negative reviews out there fool you, it is a special venue.
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