Oakland Raiders: If We’re Not A Nation, What Exactly Are We?

With the Oakland Raiders bound for Las Vegas, the hearts of fans in the East Bay are broken and the reaction – or overreaction in some cases – has been nothing short of perplexing and has some asking what the Raider Nation truly is.

Full disclosure. I was a kid when the Oakland Raiders called Los Angeles home. I grew up steeped in the lore and the culture of the infamous Raider Nation. To this day, I am still a proud member and am relatively certain that if you cut me open, I’d bleed Silver and Black – something not uncommon among the Raider faithful.

I recall going to those games and engaging with fans from all over. Some had made the trek from up north. Others had come from down south. Fans I got to know at those games came from everywhere and were just as passionate about the team as I was.

To me, it was a great experience that has given me plenty of memories that I treasure to this very day. To me, all of us, coming from all points north, south, east, and west, to celebrate our team, to cheer our hearts out for them – that’s what made the Raider Nation special. That, to me, is what made the Raider Nation unique. Because we truly did seem to be a Nation.

In the wake of the news of their impending move though to Sin City, I have engaged with some fans who have shown me that although we may claim to be a Nation, some don’t exactly practice that. For some, if you’re not a Raider fan who is from the Bay Area, you’re not really a Raider fan at all.

It’s as if to some, the depth of your loyalty and the genuineness of your fanhood depends upon your proximity to the ancestral home of the Raiders.

As the backlash from the relocation news grew, I watched as some people – most claiming to be Oakland area fans – renounced the team, burned their jerseys, declared their allegiance to the Raiders to be at an end, and repeatedly heaped scorn upon those of us not in the Bay Area who declared that our allegiance would continue.

But why wouldn’t our loyalty continue? After all, we are a Nation, are we not?

From dictionary.com:

"na·tionˈnāSH(ə)n/nounnoun: nation; plural noun: nationsa large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory."

I’d always believed that our common history was our love of team. That our common language was that of Raider-ese. And that as the Raider Nation – the best, most intense, and most passionate fan base in all of professional sports – that we were all part of something bigger.

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Apparently, I was mistaken. For having been born and raised in Southern California, I’ve been informed – multiple times – that I’m not a true member of the Raider Nation and am not a true Raider fan. That I can’t possibly understand the culture or history of the Raiders and the fans. That even though I grew up steeped in the culture, it was all more or less, just a sham.

It’s unfortunate, really.

Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell fans in the East Bay how to feel or not feel. And I’m not going to tell them that they’re wrong for feeling any one particular way. That’s not my place.

But I went through the pain of losing my team as well. When the Raiders left Los Angeles, I was just as heartbroken as anybody in the Bay Area is right now. But at the end of the day, my loyalty was to the team, and I wanted what was best for the organization.

Because for me, the meaning of Raider Nation is that the team belongs to us all. Our love and loyalty for this team transcends city limits. I learned that from the fans I spent time with over the many, many weekends spent tailgating at the LA Coliseum.

We are a Nation, and that means our loyalty defies borders and boundaries.

My heart genuinely goes out to those fans in the Bay Area who are hurting right now. That are still dealing with the pain of the loss. I understand how painful it is very well. My hope is that once the emotion has run its course, some will recall what the meaning of the Raider Nation truly is.

Because if we’re not truly a Nation, what are we?