Oakland Raiders: The Feel of McAfee Coliseum in Autumn

greg pitschAug 5, 2008

There is no place like Mc Afee Coliseum on a Sunday Afternoon in the Autumn. The “Concrete Jungle,” which it has been named by the devout fans. This stadium plays home to the Oakland Raiders. It is mostly associated with dark, and gloomy days. But only the people that gather here understand the joy that each Sunday brings.

Long before the game is even close to starting, the parking lots around the ballpark serves as backyards, only to those here early enough to take them. There will be entire families sitting in the back of there vehicles, drinking, cooking, and talking about what is going to happen within the next four hours.

Beyond the outer walls of the stadium the air is filled with a rich bar-b-cue aroma, from patrons cooking everything from hot-dogs, to T-bone steaks. The smell has its own flavor, and is almost strong enough to taste. As you are walking through the parking lot at 10 am, you will see how close this fan base is. People will often open their grill and ice-chest to you, as long as you are wearing the colors; black and silver.

Around game-time, as you begin walking through the tall grey tunnels on the way to your seat, you will notice the wide variety of ethnicity. From Whites, to Blacks, some Latinos, and Asians. A crowd made up of all walks of life, and diplomatic status. There will be doctors, teachers, policemen, truck drivers, and even some ex-convicts, who all come together, to form the strongest fan base in the National Football League. This has become widely accepted as the Raider Nation.

It takes a gathering of sixty-thousand plus fans, who turn the dark hallowed hallways, into a mysterious form of housing for the rowdiest fans in the league. The devotion, along with pride and swagger is apparent as you see people pouring into the stands, by the thousands. For the next several minutes, the only thing you will hear, are the fans screaming, “RAI… DERS,” the pausing in between is to allow the echo to fade away. While the players are being introduced, the entire place erupts into a roar that is unfamiliar to human sound. This sound cannot be categorized, because it is simply too loud. As certain chants start, you can almost watch the sound swarm the stadium in seconds. Encompassed by the growing roar, the stadium will quickly change from a cheer of joy, into a furious booing in no time flat. Usually when the decibels increase, is when you will see the display of excitement on faces throughout the stands.