There has always been a secondary motive for the Raider Nation to watch the Super Bowl when the Raiders don't make it. For example, most Raider fans have rooted to see the Patriots lose (twice) to the New York Giants because of a long-standing bitterness toward the Patriots since the "Tuck Rule" game in 2001.
With Super Bowl XLVII coming up this Sunday between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, there are a few ways to determine who to cheer for between the Ravens and 49ers if your mind is still undecided.
Regional Pride
As a resident of the Bay Area and a lifelong Raiders fan, I've seen firsthand how large the 49ers bandwagon has grown the last two years. I do know some lifelong 49ers fans who have been there for the ups and downs, and they say that us local Raiders fans should have regional pride.
The 49ers fans will say that the 49ers represent the Bay Area while Baltimore represents a group of people 3,000 miles away.
The regional pride factor may not matter much to the Los Angeles fans remaining from when the Raiders played there.
I've got regional pride, but my regional pride is in Oakland, not San Francisco.
Alliances
Perhaps the most intense rivalry of the NFL in the 20th century was between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Why does that matter here?
It matters because one of the most intense rivalries in the modern-day NFL has been between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
That hatred of the Steelers is something that the Ravens and Raiders share, and it could make Raider Nation more intrigued to root for the Ravens on Sunday b...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
