Raiders vs. Chargers: San Diego Stabbing Proves Fan Pride Is Outrageous

With the official start of Week 10, we should be talking about the Raiders' victory over the Chargers today.

Will the Raiders now go on and win the division? Will the Chargers rebound? Will the Chiefs or Broncos stage a comeback?

Those are all nice questions that will be speculated on and eventually answered in due time.

Today, instead, we're talking about more violence from the fans.

As was reported by USA today, a fan was stabbed after Thursday night's game in Qualcomm Stadium's parking lot. Fortunately, the injuries don't appear to be life threatening. However, that doesn't mask a problem that's only getting bigger.

How many people remember the preseason game between the 49ers and Raiders that was filled with fan violence? At the end of that game, multiple fans were sent to the hospital with serious injuries. 

If you're anything like me, one thought jumped into your head when comparing the two incidents.

What is the common denominator?

The Raiders were a participant in both games.

While Oakland was a visitor in both situations, the two games were still in the state of California and in stadiums where Raiders fans are known make their presence felt. 

I was at the game against the 49ers and saw a lot of the fights which took place. That being said, they did not appear to be instigated by Raiders fans any more than 49ers fans. 

I do believe that the Raiders and their fans allow themselves to get represented too much by a tough-guy image. Rest assured, that completely overrides the vast majority of their fans, who are great fans. I live in the Bay Area and have a little bit of background on the matter.

When the Raiders fans make their presence felt in a big way at an opposing team's stadium, the worst element of the opposing fans comes out. That was what I witnessed in San Francisco during the preseason. 

Even so, this is ridiculous. This is happening far too much with fans during sporting events. I know that this report said that it wasn't football related, but it rarely is. 

In all of my experience of going out to games, I have developed a theory that's rung pretty true.

Fans will tolerate some of the most obnoxious behavior imaginable, as long as the person who is behaving that way is cheering for the same team that they are. Conversely, a lot of fans get annoyed by fans doing nothing more than cheering, if they are cheering for the other team.

Whatever the reason behind these fights is, they need to stop. 

I am not blaming the Raiders or their fans for this. That would be completely unfair. 

However, whatever the element is that is bringing this to sporting events needs to stop doing so. In the era of modern television, the games are becoming less and less attractive to attend live.