Raiders fans in the Bay Area know the question all too well. “Are you still a fan now that the team is in Vegas?”
I don’t even have to think about my reply.
Of course, I’m still a fan.
The answer is simple. It’s the question that I struggle to understand. Why would I stop being a fan? Just because the team packed up and walked away from the Oakland Coliseum – again, for the second time in a generation?
Sure, it would have been great if the Raiders organization and the city of Oakland had been able to work out a deal for a new stadium because, let’s face it, the old place is a dump. But it didn’t work out that way, no matter how much the local fan base pleaded and demanded. Politics and money, ya know. That’s what drives these sorts of decisions.
But why would I let a decision driven by politics and money erase decades of loyalty to this team when countless seasons of letdown losses and missed on-the-field opportunities couldn’t sway me?
Why would I hold it against the players and the coaches and everyone else down on the field who have no say or control over any of these business decisions? Why would I walk away from an unspoken bond that I have with millions of fans not only in the Bay Area but around the world?
For me, the Raider Nation is like a big extended family that formed its roots in a hometown — Oakland, in this case — but then spread its wings to a new location in search of a better opportunity or a nicer home.
Think of a family member or dear friend who left the hometown nest for a nicer, newer, bigger home somewhere else. Would you disown them and cut them out of your life because of that decision? Would you stop supporting them and cheering for their success?
No, you would wish them well, support them from afar and visit as often as you can. That applies even if they leave, come back and leave again. It doesn’t matter. They’re family. And no matter where they hang their helmets at the end of the day, their roots are here and nothing will ever change that.
Just like family, the Raider Nation has been through too much with this team to just throw in the towel now.
We’re well aware of how the politics of the NFL have impacted the underdogs of this league – look no further than Kaepernick. We’re well aware of how the Bay Area media has favored one regional team over the other in their coverage – and that goes for baseball, too. And believe me when I say that we haven’t forgotten about blatantly bad, game-changing calls that have no excusable explanation.
Tuck rule, anyone?
Years ago, when comedian George Carlin tapped into his colorful vocabulary to explain why he’s a Raiders fan, he reinforced a bad-boy image that would probably scare or otherwise intimidate any visiting fan from Kansas City, Indianapolis or any other part of the American “Heartland.” Over the years, my tailgate crew and I have welcomed plenty of visiting-team fans to our parking lot parties – and each of them has always left the stadium at the end of the day feeling like they were part of something special, like they were part of a family.
Over the years, I’ve spotted my Raiders brothers and sisters sporting a Raiders hat or a shirt in cities across the nation – at the airport, in a restaurant or just walking down the street – and never once hesitated to direct the infamous “Raaaaiders” chant toward them. There’s a sense of camaraderie and belonging that comes with being a fan of this team, an understanding that our support for the Silver-and-Black is about more than a city or a stadium.
It’s a commitment to a family that you can never turn your back on. And that’s why, whether they’re playing in Oakland or Las Vegas or anywhere else for that matter, I will forever be part of this Raiders family.
Just Win, Baby.
