Post by TheShadow on Dec 24, 2005 21:21:15 GMT -5
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary DeWaay" <dewaay2spikeNOT@sio.midco.net>
Newsgroups: alt.sports.football.pro.oak-raiders
I am part way through a book called "Immediate Fiction" by Jerry
Cleaver, a kind of how-to book on novel writing. Without getting into
too many details, his premise is that all good fiction has the following
things: want, obstacle, conflict, emotion, and solution.
While reading this, I started thinking how this applies to the Raider
organization and their fans.
Lets take a look:
-Want. Well, every team has the same want. To win, and to ultimately
win the SB. Nothing special here.
-Obstacle. I suppose every team has pretty much the same obstacles
also. Injuries, the salary cap, poor draft picks, free agency, etc.
But many Raider fans think we have more obstacles. Like the frigging
refs f*cking us every game, fer instance... heh heh.
-Conflict. Ahhh, here we go. What team has more conflict? Al Davis's
middle name is conflict. Have you ever met anyone that has a neutral
feeling towards him or the Raiders? Just looking at Al involves
conflict. I am conflicted as to whether he is insane right now, or if
he will once again pull a championship team out of his ass.
The immaculate reception... conflict.
The forward fumble game... conflict.
The tuck... conflict.
Moving the team to LA... conflict.
Moving the team back to Oakland... conflict.
Picking up other teams cast-offs... conflict.
Lawsuits... conflict.
Picking a drunken kicker in the first round... conflict.
All NFL teams hating us... conflict.
There is more conflict involved with the Raiders than 30 years of unrest
in Isreal.
-Emotion. Just the logo and the colors exude emotion. An
extraterrestrial visitor first shown the Raider logo would have an
emotion about it. Attending a Raider game is a cross between Halloween,
Mardi Gras, a drunken tribal ritual and a gang fight. Have you ever met
a docile Raider fan? Anybody that reads this NG with any regularity
knows there is nowhere else on Usenet to go with so much emotion. Good
friends hate each other here pretty much methodically, and the only
solidarity we show is f**king with other teams trolls. Emotion equals
passion, and I don't think anyone can argue we don't have passion.
-Solution. A non-factor. The NFL never has a solution. It is never
ending fiction. Last years chest thumping championship fans may be this
years paper-sack-over-the-head fans.
In conclusion, what makes great fiction is also what makes the Raiders
the greatest NFL football franchise... hands down.
Gary