The Autumn Wind to Vegas

I have never, ever been a Raider Fan.  Becoming a Broncos fan in high school made that an impossibility.

I’ve rooted for some of their players, like Bo Jackson and Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott.

I like their theme song from NFL Films.  I think they’re the only team to have a theme song from NFL Films.

But I’ve had a dislike, bordering on hatred, for the Raiders for as long as I can remember.

That said, I am genuinely sad that they are moving to Las Vegas.  Screw the fans.  The business of businesses is to make money, and that’s exactly why they’re being moved.

I remember how upset folks were around here when they first moved to Los Angeles.  The simple fact that they were a Los Angeles team probably added to my lifelong animosity toward the team.

When they moved back, not everyone up here in NorCal welcomed them back.  Most of the folks I knew did, but there were a handful who had a feeling that this would happen again.

And it did.

This is why people have trust issues.

All joking aside, I feel bad for the Oakland Raiders’ fans, especially the ones who now see their team leave home for a second time.  The San Francisco Giants almost moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, after 1992, but didn’t, but I remember how gut wrenching that felt at the end of that season.

And with the Golden State Warriors moving to San Francisco in a couple of years, Oakland will be left with the A’s, unless they end up moving as well.