Las Vegas Raiders Fans: More Than Football, It's a Way of Life
HENDERSON, Nev.-Years ago, growing up in the Midwest part of the United States, I looked forward to Monday nights as much as any evening.
My love of sports stemmed from a close relationship with my amazing father.
I became a sportswriter because of that bond with my father. Sports, for me, transcend entertainment; they mirror reality and unite us in ways few things can.
Sports alone unite us like nothing else in our world.
Sports matter not for the games themselves, but for their impact on our psyche.
Those Monday nights in the fall, my hardworking father would come home, as always, sometime around 7:30 p.m. By 8, he would implore me like clockwork to "Call us a pizza, son."
We got pizza delivered, went to the basement, opened the box and watched Monday Night Football at 9 p.m.
My bedtime as a child was 9 p.m., and it was the one time per week that my mother's hovering attention to getting to bed was sidestepped. This was our time.
Back then, it seemed the Raiders appeared every week. Who played didn't matter; I was with my dad.
My father admired the Raiders' "Midwestern toughness." I followed his lead.
Raider Nation: It Means More
Years later, one of the Raider greats would not only be someone I would know (I now know many), but a dear friend.
A great football player, but an even better friend: Matt Millen.
Sitting in his office one day in Allen Park, Mich., the general manager of the Lions and I were talking. Al Davis called him and asked for the player he had just selected in the NFL draft.
Millen, as honorable a man as there is, spoke to Davis with reverence. He didn't just like Davis; he loved him. Millen's father, Harry, was a great man; it wasn't as if Millen was filling a void in his life vicariously through Davis. It was genuine. It was real.
Davis earned Millen's devotion.
When the call ended, Millen pontificated about "being a Raider."
Known as a prolific television communicator, Millen is not one to bloviate in private. When we speak, I listen and value every word. He then said something to me that had an impact on my professional life.
"There are 32 teams in the National Football League, and 31 of those fanbases think they are part of the team. But there is only one team that thinks the fans are part of the team: the Raiders."
Millen's words weren't hyperbole. His actions proved his sincerity.
Face to Face with Raider Nation
I eagerly accepted the opportunity to cover this iconic franchise and the people Millen respected.
Meeting Raider Nation, seeing the facility, and interacting with Mark Davis and others confirmed for me that the Raiders' devotion to their fans is authentic.
I can report to you that inside the Raiders' building, the organization's devotion to the fans is as genuine as Millen said it was.
While I would never break Mark Davis's trust or share any private conversation, I can tell you that your emotion and devotion to his franchise are matched by his to you. It is not fake. It is not an act.
Turning the Corner
Covering the Raiders for seven years has been sad; their futility gave me no joy.
The dysfunction is real, and the blame rests with the franchise. Frustration in the fanbase matches that inside the building.
This offseason, the Raiders have moved past desperation. In the Las Vegas valley, real change seems to be taking root.
I confess that when it comes to this franchise, while I hold no hostility, in fact, I hold respect, I now feel as if I have traded my Michigan Midwestern roots for more of a Missouri feel, as this franchise must show me, not tell me, of true change.
They are.
The Oddsmakers
Since we are in Vegas, no story can run without talking about the odds.
While odds for success are low, the Raiders' rebuild is consistent, calculated, disciplined, and purposeful at every step.
Books will be written, probably by me in 15 years, detailing this rebuild and whether it succeeds or fails, but only the disingenuous will write that it failed because of terrible decisions.
There have been none that look wrong or desperate.
We very well may write that it failed, the odds say that, but only a disingenuous man would say Mark Davis, Tom Brady, John Spytek, and new coach Klint Kubiak aren't doing this the right way. It is the NFL, and success depends not only on what you do, but also on what others do.
It is a business, unlike most others, in which one can do all the right things, and still the odds of winning stand in your face screaming, "No," at the top of their lungs.
Raider Nation Shares
This offseason, the Raider Nation is grounded in reality. Fans see clear intent behind each move and sense the franchise's direction.
They can sense it.
Hope restored, fans want and need to believe. Wise, disciplined decisions empower their faith this time.
I asked you to share some of your emotional ties to this franchise, and you did.
Many, relating to family, as I, too, found my love of sports with my dad, and the humor, wit, and emotion you shared were moving. I now share those with you on X (formerly Twitter). I asked for your stories, and as you always do, Raider Nation, you graciously shared them with me.
Raider Nation is a Family
The bond raiders fans have with each other no matter where they are. Recognizing each other and taking about the raiders with complete strangers after years of losing and still having that fire and feeling welcomed after the discussion. No other fan base does that.
- Mike (@MikeHanch1) April 16, 2026
Mine was telling my dad when I was 6 I didn't want to be a Raiders fan and I got grounded for as long as it took to be a fan again. Superbowl week when I was 13 was really cool as well.
- BoiseRaider (@TheBlue_est1986) April 17, 2026
But a boise state player going to the dark side my #1.
My bachelor party was at the November 1st 2015 game against the Jets. My uncles rented of a box for the occasion. I've been to many great games but that was my favorite experience.
- ryan (@RVLiberal) April 16, 2026
Me and my dad going to see the raiders play the jets. up close to the field meet the Qb McGloin's folks, in the black hole he also got high, meet two of the super fans. Last time before Parkinson's had taken my dad from me.
- Fields (@Fieldsy35) April 17, 2026
December 28th 2002 my compadre and I took my brother to his first Raiders game in Oakland he was 17 years old and we drove up from LA to the game. Great times watching the game in the rain at the coliseum.
- Eufemio Cortez (@plataynegro562) April 17, 2026
My wife and I were in Oakland (We're from Canada). We met season ticket holders at the tailgate who thought it was cool we travelled for the game. They upgraded us and gave us their tickets in the club level right on the 50 yard line, as they had box seats for the game.
- EDMM (@EMRNFL) April 17, 2026
When my 6 year old son decided to be a Raiders fan for halloween. He loved all the crazy fans they'd show on the broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/BtvujNm0K5
- Macks (@MaxHG15) April 17, 2026
The reality is that Raider Nation is made up of people. When folks around the country ask me about these fans, I tell them the same thing.
They are a collective of people from all colors, creeds, and backgrounds who have one thing in common: they bleed Silver and Black.
Thirty-one fan bases feel like they are part of their franchise. But only in the Raider Nation does the organization know that, and feel that.
Please share some of your memories with me, when you follow me on X, formerly known as Twitter @HondoCarpenter
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Las Vegas Raiders Fans: More Than Football, It's a Way of Life.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:59 AM.