When the Raiders take the field on Sunday for the final game in Oakland, the focus will be on nostalgia as much as it will be on the action on the field.
Raiders fans have been through this before.
The last time the Raiders left Oakland was when they moved to Los Angeles in 1982. Al Davis, who had been the head coach of the Raiders from 1963-65 and became their principal owner in 1972, wanted to add luxury boxes to the Oakland Coliseum. He was denied and the Raiders took their business elsewhere.
But the team only lasted 12 years in Los Angeles. Davis wanted to play in a more modern stadium than the L.A. Coliseum and searched all over California to get it. But he didn’t get the stadium he wanted and ticket sales were struggling in Los Angeles, so Davis moved the team back to Oakland.
Raiders fans have been through this before. But this time, it feels a little different.
To start, the Raiders are finally getting the modern stadium that Al Davis fought so hard for. Allegiant Stadium, a domed venue that will seat 65,000 people and cost around $2 billion, is set to open ahead of the 2020 NFL season. It will have a silver-and-black exterior, retractable windows facing the Las Vegas Strip, and a large torch in honor of Davis, who passed away in 2011. The Raiders will have the home they always wanted — just not in Oakland.
On top of the state-of-the-art stadium, the Raiders will be moving to a city with a rapidly growing sports scene. Since the Las Vegas Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017 and became an immediate success, sports leagues across the country have been clamoring to break into the Vegas market. The combination of city residents and tourists looking to be entertained makes it a recipe for success. That’s quite different than moving to a city where you aren’t even the only NFL franchise.
This time, it feels a little different. It feels like the Raiders might be leaving for good. And that’s a sad moment for both the NFL and the city of Oakland.
Oakland sports fans have lost a lot in recent years. Last season, the Golden State Warriors played their final game at ORACLE Arena. The team had been with the city for over 50 years, but when they decided they wanted a new, more modern arena, they took their business across the bay. Now, the Raiders are leaving town. And it isn’t clear how much longer the Oakland A’s will stick around, either.
One could argue the Raiders have one of the NFL’s best fanbases. These are people who have stuck with their team for decades, regardless of competition level. They are known for having the rowdiest, most intimidating fans of any sport in the country. It’s not a team for bandwagon fans.
Some fans will follow to Vegas, but for others who either feel betrayed or who have been priced out of their team’s big move, Sunday is the end of an era.
“We’re going into the last home game in the history of the Oakland Raiders,” Head Coach Jon Gruden said to the media this week. “It’s an emotional time.”
The Raiders will go out on Sunday afternoon and try to get a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Luckily, the Jags haven’t been doing too hot themselves– they’ve lost their last five games, allowing an average of 34.8 points across that span. If they win this game, and the next one, and the next one, and if another one of the teams in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot collapses, then the Raiders have a shot at the postseason.
Some fans will be thinking about that. But most will probably be focused on saying goodbye.
Sunday is the end of an era. Hopefully, the Raiders will find success in Las Vegas. But it will never be the same as Oakland. New fans will come in with a different identity as old fans bid farewell. Some things will stay the same, but some will inevitably change. That’s what happens when you move to a new city. You change the DNA of a franchise.
To Oakland fans: you deserved better. You always have. Hopefully on Sunday you can enjoy your final home game.
After all of this, you deserve a win.