Fanosophy

“You see, that’s why I like Nascar. You either go forward or you crash. You don’t go backward.”

- Anonymous Raider Fan

As I sat perched in my nose-bleeder seat awash in the Oakland winter sun at the Raiders v. Rams game this Sunday last, I was provoked into a serious session of people watching due solely to my immense boredom with the less than mediocre game waaay down below on the McAfee Coliseum’s field. However, boredom is easily alleviated by turning one’s attention to the people of the Raider Nation for entertainment. You just gotta love Raider fans after all. They are diehard if nothing else, boisterous, spirited, a little bit crude, lively, loyal and sometimes rude, but if it’s people watching you’re after, these peeps never disappoint. I mean, in addition to the characteristics I listed above, the fanship, as a whole, is also peppered with many a black and silver donning proletariat poet, hence the quote above.

Sitting high (and I mean really high) in the stands, inbetween sips of my amber brew, I scribbled bits and pieces of the conversational din I’d overheard around me. The hubs and I were chuckling at the sheer revelry apparent in the various tid bits of verbiage we were able to catch. Even despite yet another devastating blow to their beloved team’s standings, the people of the Raider Nation were not about to let another impending loss ruin their good time. They cheered hard, toasted often and mused about the plethora of positive possibilities sure to present themselves to their team next season, all the time myriad “colorful” expressions in use emphasizing a shared bliss.

Largely ignoring the massacre on the field below, I also began to reflect on the oh-so-wise quote kicking off this post made from one in the crowd. So simple, yet so true. We are constantly marching forward. We all are subject to upsets, obstacles, crashes if you will, and no, we cannot go back. For me, there is such resonance in that statement. Since the death of my father a decade ago I’ve struggled to navigate about a family structure that had been completely transformed by that event. A painful era riddled with anger, denial, discovery, acceptance and reorganization, for lack of a better word, that I feel as if I’m finally emerging from. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I do know that I am open to putting foot to pavement and seeing where my path unfolds. I acknowledge and accept the past. Hell, hopefully I’ve gained a little insight and even, perhaps, a bit of wisdom learned from the events leading up to the here and now that will aid me in my journey ahead. I’m ready now for whatever the future holds.

Who knew that an afternoon at a football game could hold so much depth?

It must be true. I guess real men and women do wear black...