How Can the Oakland A's Take over the Bay Area from the S.F. Giants?

Once upon a time, California's Bay Area belonged to the Oakland A's, and though the road back is difficult and in the distant future, it is possible to once again take back No. 1 status from the San Francisco Giants.

Let's face it: the Giants are more popular than the A's.

I mean, how can they not be? They've won two World Series in three years. They have a gorgeous stadium. And that catcher of theirs—already a Rookie of the Year and NL MVP—is OK too, I guess. Heck, even the Giants announcers are some of the best in the league.

What isn't there to love?

But it wasn't always this way. San Francisco didn't begin to outdo Oakland in ticket sales until around 1993, according to BallparksofBaseball.com. From there, the race transitioned from a neck-and-neck competition to a green and gold tortoise fighting against the orange and black hare.

Today, it's not even close.

Over three million baseball fans watch the Giants play live today. The Athletics are lucky to draw in half that number.

In order to re-claim the title of the Bay Area team, Oakland has a long road ahead—a three-step process that won't be completed overnight. Naturally, all three steps go hand-in-hand with one another.

Step 1: Win Now

In 1999, the Giants put just over two million bodies in seats. One year later, the figure spiked to 3.3 million.

So what happened?

Two things. One action occurred quickly, but let's touch on this first.

After a couple of consecutive-season stinkers in the mid-90s, San Francisco went into rebuilding mode. In 1997, Brian Sabean took the reigns as GM. His first moves? Bringing in Jeff Kent and J.T. Snow. The turnaround began, and fans started paying attention again.

Since the turn of the century, San Francisco has made the playoffs five times in 12 tries. Three of those fives times have included World Series opportunities, and they've capitalized on two chances.

For the A's to realistically get back on top, though, they need to not only win a lot of games and consistently make the playoffs, they need to also become a legitimate World Series contender.

Then they need to go one step further and win the whole thing a time or two in a short span.

Diehard fans will always be present.

Unfortunately, there aren't 3.5 million diehard Oakland A's fans in the Bay Area. And those fanatics might not necessarily like it much, but to consistently sell out, a team needs its bandwagoners.

People like winners. Besides, winning is fun too.

But it's not just about winning a lot in the regular season and attending the postseason. If it were, then the fact the A's have gone to the playoffs six times in the past 12 years—compared to the Giants' five—should net them more fans. But you can't just win a lot of games. You have to win the whole thing.

The Oakland A's have won the World Series four times in their history, twice the amount the San Francisco Giants have done it. So there's more to it than the history of winning ways. Baseball fans can have a "what have you done for me lately" mentality. 

So what else can the organization do for fans?

Step 2: Build a New Stadium

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize people will do something, anything, if it involves having a good experience. So how do you ensure a good experience?

The Giants found an answer.

San Francisco increased their ticket sales by 1.3 million tickets in one year. It just so happened, it was the same year the Giants moved from Candlestick Park to the newly-built AT&T Park. The stadium by the bay consistently ranks as one of the top five baseball stadiums in the country.

According to Joe Mock of BaseballParks.com in a USA Today report, good 'ol Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum ("O.co") ranked 29th in 2013. Said another way, it's the second worst baseball stadium in America.

AT&T Park is surrounded by the water. There's plenty of places to eat before and after, and if you're staying overnight, there's places for that, too. To get to and from the stadium, you can park, boat up to the dock or take the convenient public transportation. You'll even find a guy who will give you a bicycle ride from BART.

That doesn't happen in Oakland.

There's a freeway, tons of empty parking lots and no restaurants or hotels are within walking distance. But even if they were, the area isn't safe enough to do so anyway.

That's not to say the A's should leave Oakland. If they do stay, a new stadium needs to be built in a more consumer-friendly area. Then, of course, they must supply the seating.

If O.co sold out every single game, they'd seat 2.8 million fans—a half a million less than the Giants do annually.

It's a double-edged sword, though.

You need to win to fill seats and make money. But you need an enticing stadium to draw in fans in order to make the money to keep talent and continue winning ways.

That brings us to point three.

Step 3: Keep Talent

You know what really drives fans away? Watching their team grow talent, then ship them away. When it happens constantly, it's very difficult to stomach.

Even in the "down" years, Barry Bonds kept attention fresh in San Francisco while he chased individual accolades. And when the Giants went through a few transitions, big stars stayed.

There will be no dwelling on what might have been here.

But it's true that in Oakland, it can be a bit difficult to find a fan-favorite who will stick around long-term.

A fan remains cautious to choose a favorite because deep down they might believe he won't stay long. After three years, the nervous fan throws caution to the wind and buys that Tim Hudson jersey. Then Huddy gets traded. Wash, rinse and repeat, this time with Eric Byrnes, then Huston Street and so on.

It's a painful process.

A few recent World Series-winning teams not only won, but gained an obscene amount of fans in the process. Why?

Personality.

The 2004 Boston Red Sox were the "idiots." It was so easy to root for the bearded crazies who paid little attention to a rumored curse. They played like they didn't care, but they won and had fun in the process.

Even the Giants apply here, too.

From Tim Lincecum's hair to Brian Wilson's antics, the intrigue surrounding Posey to the unforgettable rise of the Panda, Pablo Sandoval—the Giants had a personality worth supporting.

To reference pop culture, people go to movies to escape reality.

The Red Sox and Giants can easily gain so many fans because they supply a beautiful backdrop (stadium) rich with backstory (history) and an awesomely funny cast of lovable characters (team) who overcome conflict and succeed.

With the extensive and successful history the A's own franchise, the scene has been set already. Now they just need to supply the rest.

Winning does wonders for a fanbase. Providing them the incentives of a state-of-the-art stadium will attract them. The final piece to the puzzle is the personality of the team—guys who have fun, stick around and help the team win the whole shebang...a few times.

If one piece is missing, the black and orange puzzle remains the more appealing one.

Keep the talent. Win games. Consistently go deep into playoffs. Win a World Series or two (or three), in a short span. Build one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country. That's what it takes to become the most popular team in the Bay once again.

It can be done. But it's going to take a whole lot of effort.