The Oakland Project: Minor Yet Major is an ongoing collection of my photography work covering professional sports teams in Oakland. Storytelling is always at the forefront of my photos. Since photographing these teams, my style has evolved to not just focus on the action, but has gained a greater focus on the fans and telling the story of the game. In such a rich sports culture like Oakland, it is absolutely devastating that they have now lost their last, major league professional team, The Oakland Athletics. In response to this, I’ve found that this most recent season (2024), the community has been even more engaged with the smaller, grass-roots minor league teams that have arisen.
Currently, the collection features photos of the following teams and seasons:
- The Oakland Spiders (United Frisbee Association. 2023 season)
- The Oakland Roots SC (USL-Championship League. 2023, 2024 seasons)
- The Oakland Ballers (Pioneer League. 2024 Inaugural season)
- The Oakland Spiders (United Frisbee Association. 2023 season)
- The Oakland Roots SC (USL-Championship League. 2023, 2024 seasons)
- The Oakland Ballers (Pioneer League. 2024 Inaugural season)
I was also invited to showcase a selection of these photos in a professional art exhibition in July 2024. The show, titled “Life After Death: A Tribute to Oakland Sport” was “an exhibition documenting the past & future, the fans & community, the landmarks and memories of over 60 years and counting.” I ended up showcasing a collage of 24 photos, which focused on the same themes as this overarching project. You can view the full collage at the bottom of this page.
Here is the collage that was showcased at the art exhibition:
MINOR YET MAJOR:
This collection of photos is focused on the smaller, minor league professional teams that have come to Oakland in recent years and while they may not all be considered a part of the major leagues, these teams have found a thriving community of dedicated fans in a city that has been abandoned by other large franchises.
This collection of photos is focused on the smaller, minor league professional teams that have come to Oakland in recent years and while they may not all be considered a part of the major leagues, these teams have found a thriving community of dedicated fans in a city that has been abandoned by other large franchises.