I've been to almost every game since the Raiders came back to the Oakland Coliseum. Sundays, in many ways, take on a life of their own with all the rabid fanatics sporting the silver and black.
But here's the catch: I'm not an Oakland Raider fanatic. I, my friends, am a Kansas City Chiefs fanatic!
On Sundays, I sit about twenty rows up behind the black hole with my Chiefs jersey on in all its bold red and gold. When I first started attending the games, it was as though I had to defend my right just to be in that stadium on Sundays to watch a football game.
The looks, the verbal jousting and the tension were right out of a Clint Eastwood movie.
Fans would walk up the stairs past my seat and give me a look and say, "Are you serious?" In typical Clint Eastwood fashion I would answer, "Yes I AM."
"How could you even think to wear that god awful jersey into our stadium," I was asked over and over.
Instead of drawing my six shooter, I won them over psychologically.
I asked them to picture this:
"You grew up a Raider fan all your life. On top of all that, you are a rabid football fan in general. Life led you away from the area you grew up in, but you're still a fan just the same. Now, Monday through Saturday, you will see me in this jersey at the mall, in the grocery store or at the local gas station and we'll share a few good natured ribbings and predictions and then be on our merry ways.
"Why on Sunday, when we come to share the same passion for a sport or a team we love, should I have to be in danger of physical harm?"
Now, to the fans who weren't over the legal limit, this made sense. I started to get a lot of "Man, I respect you, you are a true die hard fan." Crazy, but true.
The funny part to this story is that from time to time, some kn...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
