Although the Las Vegas Raiders are ready to begin a new era at Allegiant Stadium, there has still been plenty of speculation regarding the future of the Black Hole, the area designated for the most die-hard fans.
Part of the mystique that came with playing at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was the most raucous section of the stadium anointed in versatile renditions of silver and black. Despite all the hype with the construction of their new home, there are still some concerns surrounding the transition of this passionate group of fans.
According to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Raiders president Marc Badain is confident that the Black Hole will remain as strong as ever:
“A lot of the folks that sit in the Black Hole in Oakland bought tickets in the south end zone at Allegiant,” Badain said. “Whether that happens organically, we’ll see what happens.”
Vice president of the Black Hole, Cisco Ortega, touched on the current state of the south end zone:
“I believe there’s about eight (members in the south end zone),” Ortega said. “There will be other Black Hole members in the section over and different sections in the stadium…. I know that area (end zone) is known as the Black Hole area, but the entire coliseum in Oakland we had Black Hole members throughout that whole stadium.”
Although the team has done what it can to usher in a fresh start in Las Vegas, it is clear they are still putting an emphasis on bringing the same type of passion that was built in Oakland that ultimately manifested into the Black Hole.
Badain noted that 40 percent of the seat licenses have been purchased by people living outside of Nevada. Meanwhile, 13 percent of those fans had previously been season ticket holders at the Coliseum.
It appears assembling members in this particular pot may still be a work in progress. Regardless, it is still safe to assume that this section will be filled to the brim with passionate fans whether they are recognized members of the Black Hole or not.
The Raiders have certainly spared no expense to provide fans with a state-of-the-art venue that comes with all the bells and whistles. This reportedly includes plans to have a 5G network that will make a better in-game experience along with a design and color scheme that is fitting of this franchise’s persona.
