Sacramento News & Review did a feature on Raider Nation in Sacramento during the 2007 season. I thought it was all right, but that it didn't really do us (NATION) enough justice. So I had to strike back in the name of the Silver and Black. I kept waiting for this granola paper to print my rebuttal so maybe I could get some pub, but they never did. What's the matter, SN&R, no balls?
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RE: "Fear of a Silver and Black Planet " 11/29/07:
As a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan, I feel compelled to address your amateurish but nonetheless (somewhat) even-handed portrayal of Raider Nation with three salient points:
One: Coker apparently lifted his whole story idea from Jim Miller and Kelly Mayhew's Better to Reign In Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire, hence the copious quoting from the book itself. However, he omits the book's most poignant line in my opinion: "In an era that craves order and safety, Raider Nation offers chaos and fun. In the face of the new Puritanism, 'Just say no' and 'Watch what you say,' the Raider Nation says, 'Fuck you.' That in and of itself summaries the individualism and iconoclastic uniqueness that is synonymous with true Raider faithful.
Two: Despite Coker's claims to the contrary, Sacramento is largely a 49ers stronghold and has been ever since the Raiders moved downstate in 1982 to L.A. While the Niners fan base in Sacramento has shrunk markedly in recent years due to their fall from greatness, many fans turned from the silver and black to the red and gold as a knee-jerk reaction to the L.A. betrayal. Coincidentally, the Niners emerged as a championship team at the same time Al Davis turned his back on the Bay Area for greener pastures. As a city, Sacramento basically aspires to be a mini-San Francisco and shed any vestiges of blue-collar identity it did possess. Thus, the gentrification and increased corporate atmosphere. Not to mention the freak show at 20th and K.
Three: While Raider Nation has a black eye (no pun intended) of bad reputation amongst its' members (who range from company executives to janitors), in reality the misbehavior of a few churlish louts at McAfee Coliseum is a minority. The media loves nothing better than to paint all with the same brush, and Raider fans are no exception. Personally, I don't feel the need to dress up as a pirate or a skeleton to get on TV, but to each his own. Coker also ends with quoting the property management consultant: "I wouldn't tell any my clients I'm a Raider fan." I'm no closet Raider fan , and I wear my allegiance on my sleeve whether others approve or not. That's the whole essence of bleeding Silver and Black.
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