Why the Bay Area Is the Sports Capital of the World

A New Regime

Compared to other Bay Area teams, the Oakland Raiders have not had as much success in recent years. Whether it was the constant reshuffling of head coaches, horrible roster decisions, or just downright bad football, the Raiders have had their fair share of struggles in the past decade.

In fact, even worse than the 49ers’ run, the Raiders have not had a winning season in 10 years.

However, for the purpose of this article, their rabid fanbase and their new regime more than make up for the losing.

December 30, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fans cheers prior to the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

I challenge you to find another fanbase as rabid and loyal as Raiders fans, or the “Raider Nation.” Through thick and thin (mostly thin), they have come out and supported their team, which has yet to reward them with any sort of success.

One example of the dedication happened this week, when fans waited outside team headquarters in Alameda for more than six hours for free agent Charles Woodson to arrive. I mean, who does that? Eventually, he did arrive, and made everyone happy by signing with his former team.

The new regime has also give some hope into the Raiders’ community. Face it, the “win now” method employed by the late Al Davis in his last years at the helm simply did not work. Davis consistently overpaid mediocre players, made ill-advised trades that cost the team valuable draft picks, and just did not have it during his final seasons.

His son, Mark, has since taken over and instituted a more conventional way to managing a team. He hired Reggie McKenzie as a GM, and slowly but surely McKenzie has taken up the rebuilding process.

If the fans stay loyal and this “new regime” works some magic, the Raiders could find a way to be competitive again, like the team across the Bay.