Life as a Raider Fan

What do you call a man who's fallen off a building, been run over by a car, had dirt kicked in his face, all while a crowd of people stood by and laughed at his misfortune?

You call that man an Oakland Raiders fan.

It all started when I was just a young lad, watching the 2001-02 AFC divisional playoff game between the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots. It was an infamous game forever being known for the "tuck rule". I was sitting between my two uncles who were screaming "It was a fumble!!", the refs ruled it wasn't and Oakland would go on to lose the game. It was at that precise moment that I decided I would dedicate my fanship to the silver and black. The next year was fantastic, Oakland would go to the Super Bowl, Rich Gannon won MVP, it was truly a great time to be cheering for the Raiders.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Oakland would lose that Super Bowl, 48-21 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Bucs, with MVP Rich Gannon throwing five interceptions. "They'll be back boys, right....right??"

They wouldn't be back. During the next seven years Oakland would be the laughing stalk of the league, in turn making me the laughing stalk of my friends, co-workers, family, and the list goes on. The Raiders had a 29-83 record during that span. This wasn't for lack of trying, names such as Randy Moss, Lamont Jordan, Richard Seymour, Warren Sapp and Javon Walker all had stops on the Raiders with little to no success. The once acclaimed powerhouse franchise was in desperate times.

When this season started as per usual I had high hopes. A new quarterback, healthy running backs and one of the most talented secondaries in the league. But part of me knew, that I had experienced this feeling before and it usually is very quickly replaced with heartache and despair. However this season is different, at 5-4 fresh off an overtime win against division leading Kansas City, the Oakland Raiders have a winning record going into the bye week.

Could this be the year the Raiders find their way back into the playoffs. Only time will tell. A road game coming off the bye against a 6-2 Pittsburgh Steeler squad should be a pretty good indicator of where we stand. Wish us luck.

Sincerely,

A Desperate, Beaten, Passionate Fan