The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most iconic franchises in the NFL despite not seeing much success on the field in recent years.
The Raiders reached their peak in the 1970s and 1980s, capturing three Super Bowl championships during that time. The team’s final Super Bowl championship came in 1983 when they were still the Los Angeles Raiders, playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Los Angeles is one of the biggest sports cities in the world, so the Raiders cemented themselves as the community’s football team of choice following their championship.
Although the franchise now resides in Las Vegas, Los Angeles natives still root for the Silver and Black. For example, rapper and actor Ice Cube is one of the most famous Raiders fans alive, as he is frequently seen wearing their gear and supporting the team.
His son O’Shea Jackson Jr. may not share his father’s love for the Raiders, but was OK repping the team in the hit movie “Straight Outta Compton” via Ryan Morik of FOX Sports:
Jackson’s father, the legendary rapper Ice Cube, grew up a die-hard Raiders fan when they played in Los Angeles. As a native of Compton, Jackson, who played his dad in “Straight Outta Compton,” said he is a Los Angeles Rams fan and only played a Raiders fan for the movie.
Jackson also recalled watching the draft with Ice Cube and how his dad was pulling for the team to draft Darren McFadden:
“I’ll never forget we were watching the draft together back in the day, and he said, ‘Son, if the Raiders get Darren McFadden, there is a god,’” Jackson said. “They got Darren McFadden. There is a god! But he didn’t do anything.”
Ice Cube is a Los Angeles sports fan through and through, as he also roots for the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Raiders left L.A. for Oakland following the conclusion of the 1994 season, but they continue to hold a strong presence in Southern California and now Nevada.
Younger fans may not have gotten a chance to see the Raiders at their best, but hopefully, the new regime led by John Spytek and Pete Carroll can turn things around and get fans excited about the Silver and Black again.
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