Raider Hatred: Curse, or ingrained foolishness?

We all have our favorites. It doesn't matter which sport, which country you're from, it doesn't matter if you're a cubs fan, in a period of long-suffering, or a Pats fan. Everyone, who enjoys sports, has a favorite.

And, like a lot of people, you also have the evil twin, or the dark side to contend with.

Some of these, come in the form of regional issues. Like Denver and Oakland, or Pittsburgh and New England, or even the Red Sox and the Yankees, you'll find fans on both sides of this argument.

Curse? Foolishness? Healthy rivalry?

Could be all three.

The first aspect, is having it as a curse. Sure, you're deathly loyal to your team. Hey, I know of a Bronco Fan, who in a fit of loyalty, badly painted his van orange, his bumpers blue, and then hand-painted on the side the stats for their seasons.

I also know of a Raider fan, who through 34 seasons, has kept the faith, wearing a jersey from the glory days, and enjoys collecting autographs.

Both of these people, to this aspect, are fans, with loyalty. Where the curse aspect comes in, is when they try to start claiming which team is better.

Sure, just like in politics, you can slant the facts, and say, oh, the last ten years. Ok, fine and dandy. Does that mean we can slant the total picture, on super bowl wins? Sure. Heck, we can even compare Super Bowl wins, on QBs, Plunkett and Elway both had two winning super bowls. Now, who's better?

Personal opinion.....everyone is entitled.

Now, the second phase, either shows when someone is bitter, losing an argument, or, has run out of good things to say, so, he drums up some line, like,

"Typical Raider line". Really? I can imagine there's a lot of lines to be said. Ask the people in MVN, who host an independent Raider Blog section, how active the Raiders are online.

Secondly, is the typical standard. Does that mean that we should not consider say, Bronco fans' opinions' matters? After all, they're just Bronco fans.....biased, blind, and foolish. Last time I checked, being a Raider fan doesn't cause your High School Diploma to be revoked, or your degree from college to be void.

Some people should think a few moments before uttering a word....or the word might be used about yourself.

Lastly, comes the healthy rivalry. I tend to enjoy sports a lot. As I've said before, I follow all four primary sports, The Raiders in football, Celtics in basketball, Avalanche in Hockey, and the Athletics and Cards in baseball.

You won't find me saying kind words for the Broncos, Red Wings, Pistons, Royals, Twins, or sorry, even the Cubs, if I can help it.

Will I offer an opinion on them? Of course. You don't play an opponent over 60 times, and not learn something about them.

Take Denver for example. Here was a club, that was a perfect mess, for a number of seasons. During the mid to late 60s, the QB position was a merry go round.

They stabilized with Morton, got one super bowl appearance, then filled in the gap with Steve DeBerg, until getting Elway.

I also know, that in Elway's rookie season, 1983, 4th game in, Elway discovered the Raiders.

It's a healthy rivalry.

But if you try to take anything away from anyone else....

It's kinda like eating your cake without the frosting.....don't cheat yourself.

Go Raiders!