Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day | Photo by Sven-Sebastian Sajak (Sven0705), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons \\ Oakland B's logo
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Buys Stake in Oakland Ballers
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is showing his support for baseball in the Bay Area by buying a stake in the Oakland Ballers, an independent minor league team in the Pioneer League.
The Ballers are now the only professional baseball team in the East Bay after the A’s announced they would play in Sacramento this upcoming season ahead of their move to Las Vegas. According to The Athletic, a second community investment round opened on Tuesday, which includes Armstrong’s buy-in, as well as the Oakland rapper Too $hort.
“Sports in the Bay Area have been transforming over the last couple of years,” Armstrong said in a statement. “We’ve had some emotional goodbyes to teams we grew up with, but recently there has been a major shift. The Oakland Ballers and the Oakland Roots & Soul represent everything I love and grew up on in the Bay Area. The welcoming atmosphere, DIY attitude and the people behind it make me proud to be an investor and support the next generation of teams kids in the bay will be proud of.”
Paul Freedman, Oakland Ballers co-founder noted that they’re “delighted that Too $hort and Billie Joe Armstrong will be joining our ownership group, along with thousands of Oakland fan owners.”
“These two local legends were real supporters in our first season, and it’s great to now have them on board in a more formal capacity,” Freedman said.
Thank you @billiejoe of @GreenDay for supporting us and other local sports groups in Oakland, loved having you! pic.twitter.com/cqpPSFtoWm
— Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) July 7, 2024
Armstrong, longtime Bay Area resident, has vocally supported the A’s throughout his career. Following this past MLB season, the A’s announced they’d be saying goodbye to their Oakland home of 50 years and heading to the Sin City to begin a new start at a planned $1.5 billion ballpark, opening in 2028. John Fisher, A’s owner, received harsh backlash since he inked the new deal, leading to a fan-led revolt.
| READ: Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Slams Oakland A’s Move to Vegas |
Armstrong echoed similar sentiments, speaking to a crowd during a show at San Francisco’s Oracle Park last year.
“We don’t take shit from people like f**king John Fisher,” Armstrong told the audience, according to KRON 4. “I hate Las Vegas. It’s the worst shithole in America.”
Armstrong took to Instagram to share an old photograph of him playing in the sand in an A’s hat when he was around 6-years-old, writing that “the athletics leaving Oakland is devastating” and “I feel for all the fans and the people that will lose their jobs because of greed.”
This year, the A’s will head to Sacramento for a three-year stay at Sutter Health Park. The venue, which has a capacity of 14,000, is home to the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants, the River Cats.
The Ballers are set to kick-off their second season on May 20 at the 4,000-seat Raimondi Park. Find tickets via the team’s official website. Fans can also score resale tickets via Ticket Club, offering no service fees. Use the code TICKETNEWS for a free, one-year membership offer.
