Las Vegas Raiders: Why the fans keep coming back every season
By Keith Ricci
Las Vegas Raiders: Why the fans keep coming back every season
How Raider Nation’s Loyalty is Different than Other Fan Bases
I realize sports fans are usually loyal. A primary reason for that is fans generally have a geographical connection to their team that keeps them committed through the losing seasons. That’s what I love most about sports – a team represents the people who live in that particular location, giving the city and its citizens a sense of pride and an identity on a global scale.
So of course, Lions fans keep coming back every season, they’re Detroit’s team. That guy in Flint, Michigan isn’t going to suddenly root for the Chiefs. Same with Miami. Those teams have always been intertwined with where they play, so their fans stick around through their playoff win droughts.
The Raiders, however, have kept a strong fan base despite playing in three different cities and two different states in a 26-year span.
Raiders fans, more than any other NFL team, are loyal without having a geographical bond. It’s because of this, that Raiders fans have their own non-geographical association with the team.
They relate to the team on a personal level, which is stronger than anything else.
I know there are people in Oakland and Los Angeles whose geographical tie started their fandom, but the fact they still root for the Raiders shows their loyalty is much more than that. On the other hand, there was a significant transition in fan bases when the Rams left St. Louis, when the Browns went to Baltimore, and when the Oilers went to Nashville.
What makes the Raiders so unique, is that they’re more closely associated with their fan base, than their home city. The Raiders belong to Raider Nation, they just happen to play in Las Vegas. And sure, they will always be Oakland’s team, but there are as many fans from outside the Bay Area as inside.
According to Google trends data from 2017-2022, the Raiders are the 9th most popular team in the United States. Seven of the eight teams in front of them have all made a Super Bowl during the Raiders’ playoff win drought. So the Raiders are a losing team with a nationwide fan base – that seems incredibly hard to sustain, but they have.
The current identity of any NFL team is typically comprised of their fans, stadium, home city, and recent performance. But with the Raiders, their identity is solely their fan base, which is the most consistent part of Raiders football this century. Nothing else.
Winning three Super Bowls in seven years cemented an entire generation of Raiders fans outside of California. Take it from me, the guy in Boston who has been a Raiders fan since the day I was born (while the NFL team in my neighborhood built a dynasty) because my father got to experience those Raiders.
Rooting for the team appeals to all cultures too. Oakland is one of the most diverse cities in the country, which established the roots of the fan base. They’re the most diverse fans in the NFL. According to Statista, an online survey during the 2019 season showed that the Raiders have the highest percentage of Hispanic fans amongst their fan base in the entire NFL.
So it’s not about one specific location or one specific group of people. We keep coming back every season because it’s part of our identity. Many of you reading this are “the Raiders fan” in your social group. People who know you hear about the Raiders and they think of you instantly. People in my town know I’m the guy who wears a Raiders hat everywhere!
The Raiders more than any team in the NFL “live” wherever their fans live and that relationship is unmatched.