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Twenty two miles separate McAfee Coliseum and Monster Park. The rivalry, however, is far greater than a mere 22 miles...

Battle of the Bay: A Look Into the Oakland Raider-San Francisco 49ers Rivalry

by Sergio Serna (Scribe)

17

1,942 reads

Opinion

August 05, 2008


Twenty two miles separate McAfee Coliseum and Monster Park. The rivalry, however, is far greater than a mere 22 miles. Every summer, fans of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers have a war; not for a win that matters in the record books or season total, but for dominance. Who owns the bragging rights in the Bay Area for the next year? Good or bad, this is the Bay Area's "Super Bowl."

These two teams have played a number of times when it has counted as well, 11 times to be exact. Their first meeting was in 1970, and the Oakland Raiders lead this all time list with six wins and five losses.

Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002 was the last time these two teams met when it counted, and the 49ers defeated the Raiders 23-20 in overtime. Jeff Garcia was still throwing to T.O. and Rich Gannon's favorite target was Jerry Rice.

So Oakland owns the all-time regular season record against the 49ers but how about the pre-season? Well, sorry 49ers fans but Oakland happens to own that too (but only by one game). Oakland leads 18-17 with the next installment to be played on Friday, Aug. 8, 2008 in Oakland. The last time these two teams met, San Francisco beat the Raiders 26-21 at Monster Park in San Francisco.

I guess the most logical question is why do these two franchises dislike one another so much? Neither share a division let alone a conference. So I asked so locals and this is what I found:

Brian C. of Milpitas, California and a 49ers fan said that "all that matters is the rings; the Niners have five and the Raiders have three."

Moises M. of San Jose and Raiders fan said, "49ers fans just live in the past. Yes, they have five Super Bowl championships but they did that in like 10 years so what have they done since? At least the Raiders have won division titles and been to the Super Bowl in the last 15 years."

Jeff W. of Fremont, California, also a Raider fan, said that "49ers fans don't respect us because we are blue collar workers. They think we are beneath them and therefore are just trash."

Phil R. of San Francisco and a 49ers fan said that "Raider fans are just thugs, gang members and pimps, and we are a much higher brand of fan; we don't consort with the likes of people like them. Raider fans make me sick."

But not all the messages from one team to another were hate filled.

Jeff V. of Milpitas, California said that although he is a Raider fan, he respects the history of the great players to come out of San Francisco and hopes that one day we have an all Bay Area Super Bowl.

Jarrett J. of Redwood City, California is a 49er fan but says he admires the great fans in Oakland and thinks that Raider fans are among the best fans in all of sports period. He too wishes for an all Bay Area Super Bowl but concedes that it most likely will never happen because the NFL would prevent such a thing from happening because like most Niners' fans, the NFL hates the Raiders.

So there it is, straight from the fans in the Bay Area. We all have our reasons for hating the other team and we all have high hopes for our teams this upcoming season, but the "war" is far from over and the next battle is right around the corner. Who will win this battle? We will find out Friday night.

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17 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Gerald Evans 11 months ago

    Nice article Sergio! I count myself among those that can respect the talent of other franchises and their history. I don't, as a rule, like to dis' other teams or their fans but there have been many insults hurled at us fans and me personally. I am not a thug, pimp, or gang member. In fact I am a professional in my field (manufacturing) and even though a part of the executive crowd I still count myself as a blue coller worker as that is where I came from.
    Peaople are people and there are the browed and the low in every walk of life. When I here things like "Raider fans make me sick" I try to remember that they are the just like the those that they scorn. Anyone that is a big enough fan to take the abuse and stay loyal through the hard times is a fan to be respected regardless of what team that fan is loyal to. Fans don't make me sick, but some people do...

    Raider on!

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  2. Rachel Denniston 11 months ago

    Yeah your right Moises M. of San Jose the 49ers haven't been to a Superbowl in 10 years. But the 49ers have also not got their butt kicked in a Superbowl either. Do you remember the Superbowl where the Raiders played Tampa Bay? If your going to criticize a team don't criticize one that has five Superbowl rings and been to numerous playoff games. Yeah the 49ers haven't been to the playoffs in 6 years, neither have the Raiders. I have nothing against the Raiders, but I do have something against the fans that try to criticize and take away all the achievements of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, just to name a few. Oh and to Jeff W of Fremont, I'm a 49er fan and I respect all blue collar workers, because for one I grew up in a hard working blue collar family. Not all 49er fans are well to do rich folks who look down on other people. I live in Red Bluff a town of 13000 hard working people, a long way from the rich city life.

    Girl 49er fan

    Rachel

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    • Raider Card Addict 11 months ago

      Ahem.
      Rachel, which is worse, going to a super bowl, and having a bad game, or never getting to play that game, in about 34 years?
      You gotta remember. The 49ers were around a lot longer than the 49ers, by 14 years. They didn't win a title until 1981, 6 years after the Raiders won first.
      By 1994, the 49ers won their last title, thanks in part to one man, DeBartolo Jr, who even out-thought his own dad. No one wanted to give Bill Walsh a fair shake, after his fall out with Paul Brown in Cinci.
      5 rings, simply means you peaked at the right time....it also helped that Walsh got to face his old team twice....sounds kinda like the Gruden curse we faced.
      But since 2002, for those who like the present.....have either team been good?

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  3. Dwan Samuel 11 months ago

    FYI....this is and always be a RAIDER NATION!! I guess that it's obvious what team I am a fan of. Born and raised in rural SC, attended college at FSU, and reside in Jacksonville, FL, but my first glimpse of football was at a RAIDER game and I must say we are serious fans, but I don't hate the 49ers. I strongly dislike them and know that both teams have had shining moments and of course I feel that we are superior, but I'm so ready for Friday. I think that a Bay Area Super Bowl could get violent. I would love to see one though. RAIDER NATION!!

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  4. FL Raider Girl 11 months ago

    Mike49er, criticizing again I see. What is your deal? Are all 49er fans this angry? Have you written anything positive? Oh, that's right. You haven't written ONE SINGLE THREAD. All you do it call out every single Raider thread and probably other ones also.

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  5. Brandon Cee 11 months ago

    I could never understand these two teams being called a rivalry!

    There has only been 11 games between the two teams since 1970! Its just stupid. Raiders have a bigger rivalry with the Seahawks than the Niners. And if you don't know why I guess thats why your clueless. The two teams play less than 25 miles away, but the Redskins and Ravens play less than 35 miles away, a mere 41 minutes, and I never heard any thing about a rivalry. Niners and Raiders barely play against eachother once every 5 years. They are not in same conference, same division, and the league doesn't even want it to be a rivalry.

    So lets just stop this non-sense, mythical rivalry.

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    • Sergio Serna 11 months ago

      two reasons Brandon, 1st the Raiders and Niners have a "territorial" rivalry because we live in a rather large metropolitan area known as the "Bay Area" this includes cities like San Jose, Fremont, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Redwood City, Union City, ect., ect., none of those cities have NFL teams therefore the residents of these cities which are sometimes a mere 3-5 miles apart root for one team and other fans in other cities or in their very own city root for the other. So the rivalry is more with the FANS not necessarily with the teams themselves.

      second, in response to the Ravens and Redskins very true there is no rivalry to speak of and that is because there is little history to go back to. The Ravens moved to Baltimore sometime late in the 1990's if I recall and before that the last team in Baltimore were the Colts with whom The Redskins did have a small rivalry with back in the day. add to that fact that Oakland and San Francisco are a bridge drive away from each other they still share the same state and such as you might know since they teach you geography in school Baltimore is in...Maryland...Washington D.C. however is NOT part of Maryland it is a District of Columbia (in other words neither a city nor state) so that can be why there is no real rivalry between The Redskins and Ravens...because well Maryland has the Ravens and DC has the "Skins"

      oh yeah one more thing the only reason Oakland had a large rivalry with the Seahawks is because up until the last NFL expansion The Seahawks were in the AFC West with the Raiders so they had to play them twice a year. and Brandon do you work for the NFL because you mentioned that the league doesn't even want them to be rivals?

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    • Raider Card Addict 11 months ago

      Good point, Brandon.
      Personally, to me a rivalry, is more like the boxing match we have twice a year with the Broncos, or the slugfest with the chiefs.
      About the only rivalry that exists, is among the fans, on what each club has achieved in it's history.....we could do the book report, but then that's for another article.

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  6. Philip Fitch 11 months ago

    I well tell you why it's a rivalry, not only many people in the same house in the bay area, are raider and 49er fans, but Al Davis made it a rivalry. When Al Davis hired John Madden, he told John he didn't care how many games he would win in his first year as the raiders coach, he told john just make sure you beat the 49ers, and that was a preseason game. I heard john Madden himself say that in an interview. John said it was a big relief to here that as a young new coach in the NFL, All he had to do was beat the 49ers in preseason, witch he did. If you live outside of the bay area, then i can understand why you may not think it's a rivalry. It's a time of year when it's brother againts brother or father againts son preseason or not. Bragging rights of the bay.

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  7. Kev 11 months ago

    There's enough love in the Bay Area to go around. I agree with this guy
    http://nineragua.blogspot.com/2008/08/smokin-that-raiderjuana.html

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  8. Chad Hogan 11 months ago

    Yay cant wait to watch two teams that suck go at it!!!!

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  9. Raider Ken 11 months ago

    Sergio
    Oct 8 at San Francisco - L (20-34) 2006 was the last time the two teams met when it counted. But that was the Shell 2 era so maybe it doesn't count.
    As for everyone who doesn't think this is a rivalry I hate to have to go to work if the Raiders lose even if it is a pre season game. Add to that it's in Oakland and I'll take shit all day. Nahhh My Raiders will win and I'll be given hell.

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  10. Chad Hogan 11 months ago

    Talk to me when the game is over buddy.

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  11. Gil Becerra 11 months ago

    Chad, you KC Queef fan... Should'nt you be crying in a corner about your team and QB situation? I'm going to love beating you bastards the next few years, easily.

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