2020 Raiders: Using Old and New Traditions as they Enter the Vegas Market

It's Jon Gruden 2.0 For Las Vegas Raiders - 2020 Raiders — *Photo Credit: Terrance Quaites – Franchise Sports Media*

2020 Raiders Using Old and New Traditions as they Enter the Vegas Market

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The Black Hole, The Raider Dome, The Black Pearl, The Death Star.

No matter which nickname is chosen to serve as the moniker of Allegiant Stadium, Raider Nation has found its new home. Allegiant Stadium has already stolen the spotlight of Las Vegas in 2020. The tag will be the final touch for silver and black’s stomping ground. The glitz, glamour, and flashing lights will attract not only locals but will bring in tourists from all across the world to come and experience the new football mecca. The translucent roof and lanai doors will awe The Nation. The $2 billion crown jewel of the desert, which holds 65,000 fans, will be the new hang out spot for all of Las Vegas.

The Raiders are known as warriors cut from a different cloth. Raider Nation is truly authentic. There is no doubt that the stadium will be jam-packed for every home game. It will look like it’s Halloween every game day. Fans will carry long-standing game day traditions dressing up as pirates, Darth Vader, Violator, Gorilla Rilla, and painting on their faces in every style. The throng will be waving Autumn Wind flags in uniform. The intimidation is back for the Raiders at home.

Raider Nation is known for being rowdy. The Raiders’ cheers will travel down Las Vegas Blvd like a taxi headed to McCarren on Sunday morning. The Black Hole, known for inhabiting football’s most notorious fans, will again reside in the stadium. That is where the realest of Raider Nation gathers together to form what looks like a silver and black mosh pit rocking out to death metal for 60 straight minutes. The Black Hole and its faithful are a major reason the ticket allotment for Allegiant has been sold out for months.

In 2019, Michael Lewis projected an annual NFL Fandom Report to determine which fan base is the most prime in the league. The Raiders fell at 17th overall, which was a four-spot increase from 2018. Lewis evaluated this number by averaging three different measurements. Fan Equity (box office revenues), Social Media Equity (fans engaging), and Road Equity (traveling). According to Lewis, “These metrics provide a balanced analysis of fandom — a measure of willingness to spend, a measure unconstrained by stadium size, and a measure of national appeal.”

Landing in the 17th spot is an understatement. Raiders fans are a rare breed. A team that serves as one of the most monumental franchises in history, the Raiders have overcome many trials in their journey, which has led to a brand new stadium, practice facility, and city to call home.

The Raiders were the last team accepted for the original American Football League as a replacement for the Minneapolis franchise in 1960. They didn’t have a stadium of their own. They had to play in San Francisco at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park. The Raiders were the black sheep of the league (they were called “stepchild”) with a dreaded 9-33-0 record in a three-year span. The home stands were empty, with under 11,000 in attendance, always playing second fiddle to the 49ers.

The Raiders were losing money quickly and were on the brink of bankruptcy.

The original owner Wayne Valley reached out to his owner colleagues to help save the corporation. Buffalo Bills founder and owner, Ralph Wilson saved the Raiders organization with a $400,000 contribution. The Raiders departed from San Francisco and played at Frank Youell Field temporarily. People knew the Raiders as the premiere losing team in the league, with only one win in their first season.

In 1963, the organization hired Al Davis, a 33-year-old assistant from San Diego, who played a crucial role in the Chargers organization. He was an innovator in the game of football. He constructed one of the best playbooks the league had seen and transformed the team. They went from a 1-13 season in 1962 to a record of 10-4 the following year.

*Photo Credit: Terrence Quaites Franchise Sports Media*

Al Davis established an energetic, fearless organization. According to the Hall of Fame, “The Raiders posted winning records in 19 of the next 20 years. During that period, they won 12 divisional championships: the 1967 AFL Championship, AFC Championships in 1976, 1980 and 1983, and victories in Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII. The Raiders are also the only team, NFL or AFL, to play in the Super Bowl in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.”

The Raiders will continue to pay tribute to Al Davis by continuing the tradition of the Al Davis Memorial Torch in Vegas. The brand new torch is a jaw-dropping art piece and the icing on the cake for the brand new facility. The 85-foot tall torch is constructed of carbon fiber and aluminum and is the largest 3D printed object in the entire world.

No doubt, Raiders fans are ride or die for the organization.

Las Vegas Raiders — *Photo Credit: Terrance Quaites – Franchise Sports Media*

From the Oakland Coliseum to the Los Angeles Coliseum, back to Oakland, and now to the new headquarters in Sin City, Raider fans are rebels. They like to get gritty wherever they go. Let’s what number they land at in next year’s Fandom report. We’ll have to wait because this upcoming season is projected to have no fans due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Raider Nation will have to get creative.

Fox Network is exploring methods to make our at-home experience feel normal, possibly adding virtual fans in the stands with crowd noise to elevate the broadcast. Although this is a disheartening topic and the thought of not having our presence at the games is heartbreaking, we will hope for the best outcome. Raider Nation, let’s still go out with a bang and throw the biggest Raider Nation tailgates from our own homes.

Once a Raider always a Raider.