“I think the organization said, ‘Man, let’s get out of California and do something different.’” “That situation was a slap in the face to Mark Davis,” Brown said of the Raiders’ current owner. The Chargers, not the Raiders, were given approval to relocate, and they will share the new $5-billion SoFi Stadium with the Rams starting this season. But that bid lost in 2016 to a competing proposal by the Rams to build a two-team stadium in Inglewood. The Raiders announced in 2015 a plan to build and share a stadium with the Chargers in Carson. Twenty years later, as the team contemplated a move back to L.A., that passion still burned in Southland fans. fans initially viewed the team as an afterthought, prioritized behind the Lakers and Dodgers.īut the Raiders’ popularity grew, with seven playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory in 1983, before they moved back to Oakland in 1995. Brown played seven seasons in Los Angeles and nine in Oakland. “I had to follow my heart,” Herrera said, “and no one can question that.”įans such as Herrera weren’t always common, said Tim Brown, the Raiders’ Hall of Fame wide receiver. They moved July 1 into a two-story townhome located 15 minutes from Allegiant Stadium. “I let out a big Kool-Aid smile when she said that,” he said. Herrera, 42, a lifelong fan, adopted the “Raider Jester” alter ego in 2018, saying the nightmarish circus attire fit his class-clown personality.Īfter he and his fiancee started the four-hour journey home from the Vegas photoshoot - driving though the winding, hilly interstate surrounded by a sea of dry brown landscape - she asked if he wanted to move there. “I don’t know of many other brands that resonate with such a wide range of ages, races, genders and ethnicities.” “The Raiders brand is still one of the strongest in the NFL and the DNA of the brand is known.” she said. Nancy Lough, a Nevada Las Vegas professor specializing in sports marketing, said the Raiders succeeded with that messaging, and it will continue to resonate in Southern California, one of the most diverse regions in the country. The team also was the first to draft a Black quarterback in the first round and to hire a woman as CEO. Longtime owner Al Davis’ commitment to diversity by hiring the NFL’s first black coach of the modern era inspired fans, others said.
Some younger fans say rappers such as Ice Cube, who sported the team’s apparel, drew them in during the ’80s and ’90s. Some grew up as fans during the team’s first stint in Oakland in the ’60s and ’70s. Raiders fans similarly overwhelmed a 2018 preseason game against the Rams at the Coliseum, the Raiders’ former home. The noise seemed to fluster Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. 1 team in the market.Īt the Chargers’ last home game in December, Raiders fans took over Dignity Health Sports Park. But even a quarter-century after leaving L.A., the Raiders still can make a case for being the No. Los Angeles has two NFL teams, and the Rams have roots that date to the 1940s. As the team prepares for its first season in Las Vegas after leaving Oakland a second time, the faithful in Southern California stay devoted. It epitomized the enthusiasm of the Raiders fanbase.
When his friend rose from one knee after his girlfriend said “Yes,” everyone erupted in “RAIDERS!” cheers. Herrera, nicknamed “Raider Jester,” wore his signature snarling clown mask and ripped checkerboard outfit.
The proposal coincided with a planned music video shoot - about 100 other superfans dressed in exotic Raiders-themed costumes descended on the stadium’s entrance on a 108-degree afternoon. Herrera loves the Raiders so much, this summer he moved from Inglewood to Las Vegas. That’s the nickname for Allegiant Stadium, the glistening, new, jet-black home of the Las Vegas Raiders - the favorite team of Herrera and his friend. In a city with more than 50 wedding chapels, Anthony Herrera helped orchestrate an unusual marriage proposal by one of his best friends - at the front gates of the Death Star.
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