When I was in elementary school, my aunt and her husband took me and my cousins to see the LA Raiders vs. the LA Rams at the LA Coliseum. The atmosphere was unmatched! Years later, they moved to Oakland. While in college at Monterey, myself, my wife and friends would drive to Oakland and catch as many games as we could. The ’02 AFC Game with Metallica in the parking lot, I was there! In 2009, my wife and I moved to Vegas. Little did I know that years later, the Raiders would follow. Our family of 4 are season ticket holders and Raiders for life!

I became a Raiders fan because my tíos and tías are all die-hard Raiders fans. I grew up in the Fruitvale District in Oakland, so the Coliseum was my backyard. The Raiders’ grit and rebellious spirit felt like home. Sundays were sacred with silver and black everywhere. My family lived and breathed those games, and I got hooked on the legacy, the underdog energy and the unapologetic toughness. Even through the ups and downs, that loyalty never wavered. Being a Raiders fan isn’t just football. It’s an identity, pride and tradition.

At the end of the 1970s, I was in elementary school and lived in a railroad town at the entrance of the Sierra of Chihuahua. Two of my friend’s brothers would go to California to work every year, and when they came back, they brought American football magazines. They would talk about a team from Oakland that other teams feared. Their logo was a shield with a pirate and seeing them in those magazines excited me even more.

In 1980, my family moved to the city, and I was finally able to watch the Raiders on TV. That’s when I got to know quarterback Jim Plunkett and Head Coach Tom Flores. I couldn’t believe they were of Latino descent. From that moment on, I’ve followed the Raiders every season.

Back in 1972, my father’s Tío Alfredo left Mexico to come to the U.S., the first of his whole family to come to America. He immigrated to Oakland, California, where the Raiders were playing at the time. As the years have gone by and we’ve had all of our family move to America, we’ve kept the Raider pride with us. We’ll never lose the Raider Nation ever!

My dad is a football fan, and I always watch games with him. We were watching a Raiders game when he told me about the history of the team, Tom Flores, and how the ”Malosos” nickname for the team came to be. I was mesmerized by their history of resilience and perseverance. I’ve been a ”Malosa” since I was 10 years old.