Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee has drawn criticism on social media for celebrating the Oakland Spiders' ultimate frisbee championship win, with many users attributing the city's loss of major professional sports teams to her leadership.
Lee, who is seeking re-election, appeared in a video from Oakland City Hall congratulating the Spiders for winning the 2026 Ultimate Frisbee Association championship. The video also featured Lee explaining who the team is.
Online detractors quickly pointed to the recent departures of the Oakland Raiders, Golden State Warriors, and Oakland Athletics. One X account, @FireBarbaraLee, stated that Lee had "ruined Oakland" and was responsible for the city losing "three real teams." The post highlighted Lee's celebration of the frisbee team's victory, contrasting it with the significant loss of franchises that once brought large-scale celebrations to the city.
"Now City Hall is hyping a disc because that is all that is left," the post continued. "This is who has ruined Oakland. Leave Barbara Lee off your ballot for Mayor!"
Other users echoed the sentiment in the comments. @5150Brando commented, "Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations," while @JimmyMac1960 wrote, "Even the rate left-wing of my family that still lives in Joakland is fed up, and that’s saying something."
The Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, and the Warriors moved to San Francisco in 2019. The Athletics' departure from Oakland was confirmed in 2024.
