Home games for the Oakland Raiders are unlike anything else in the NFL. With some of the most passionate fans in the league, the “Black Hole” let’s opposing teams hear it when they come to town.
After a long five-game road trip, the Raiders are currently two games through their three-game homestand, beating both the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers.
The win over the Chargers was particularly big for the Raiders as not only was it against a division opponent on a short week, but it was against one of the teams Oakland is competing against for a postseason spot in the AFC.
After earning the big win over the Chargers, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden did what he usually does and celebrated with all of the Raiders fans at the Black Hole. Gruden does that after every home win, and he explained why that is so important to him, via NFL on ESPN:
“I never rethink that. Every win I’m going down there, I’ve got face paint all over me. I got to see some costumes I have not seen before at any football games. Awesome.”
In a bittersweet sentiment, there are only three more games at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders move to Las Vegas. The Coliseum was the last dual-purpose MLB and NFL stadium amongst either league.
The Oakland fans are really something special and it will be curious to see how Las Vegas fans compare. For many, the drive from Oakland to Vegas is not too bad and surely many fans from the Bay Area will continue to attend as many games as they can.
The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is currently on schedule and will be completed by July of 2020. The world-class stadium recently partnered with the Las Vegas Desert Ford dealers, making Ford a founding partner of the stadium.
As for Gruden, he has truly been the leader the team needed. His return to the Raiders has led to a culture change as well as an increase in win total. Gruden’s embrace of the culture and fans is just what the franchise needed to find new life.
Gruden will continue to lead the team in their new era in Las Vegas, and it should be a good one as the Raiders boast a ton of young talent that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
