Post by TheShadow on Sept 11, 2009 18:17:26 GMT -5
www.emediawire.com
THE BLACK HOLE®, an organization of Oakland Raiders NFL football fans, who are known for their fanaticism while always clad in Black, is organizing an effort to turn the Oakland Coliseum completely black beginning with Monday night's game against the San Diego Chargers.
Alameda, CA (PRWEB) September 11, 2009 -- A group of die hard Oakland Raiders fans who started the notorious "Black Hole" at the Oakland Coliseum are unveiling a new plan to encourage all Raider fans to unite and build on what is truly football's best home field advantage. At Monday night's game vs. the San Diego Chargers, die-hard Raider fans will be kicking off "Campaign Black," an attempt to turn the entire Oakland Coliseum into a "Black Hole" by getting all of the Raiders' fans to wear black.
"We want to drown the opponents in black this season," said Rob Rivera, a member of The Black Hole, LLC, and a Raiders season ticket holder since the Raiders' return to the Oakland Coliseum in 1995. "In the past, The Black Hole has been an intimidating force in the end zone. This year, we want to cover the entire Coliseum with black and make sure opponents realize this is the Original House of Pain."
The "Holers", as the die-hard Raider fans sometimes refer to themselves, have created a more organized effort this year than in the past. Last month, The Black Hole LLC (the legal entity the fan group created) launched an official website, www.blackholefans.com. The website allows fans to connect with other fanatical Raider fans and to buy Black Hole T-Shirts, Hats, Swing Towels, Static Clings, and other gear to show their support for the Raiders.
"When we started the Black Hole in the 1990s, we made up T-Shirts by hand and sold them in the parking lot - so everyone could be a part of it," said Rivera. "They kind of cracked down on that because you're not supposed to sell things in the parking lot. So we haven't had any Black Hole shirts for a while. Our current arrangement with the Raiders and NFL is perfect. We get to design what we like, without anyone telling us what to do. We just can't sell anything in the parking lot anymore. So people need to buy the Black Hole gear from our website."
Over the years The Black Hole has attracted a strong following, with many fans coming to games in costumes to add to the intimidation factor for opposing teams. Black Hole Chapters are currently being established in cities around the country, as Raider fans can be found anywhere. These fanatical fans think of each other as family. A number of Black Hole fans have been featured on ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS and a number of other media outlets.
As part of this year's expanded effort, members of the Black Hole will be setting up a 20-foot Black Hole tent in the North Parking lot of the Oakland Coliseum for interested "Holers" to congregate before each game. For the season opener on September 14, The Black Hole BBQ team has entered the Raider's Most Valuable Griller contest to show off their award winning ribs.
About The Black Hole:
THE BLACK HOLE fan club was started by a core group of intensely fanatic Oakland Raiders fans in 1995, the year the Raiders returned to Oakland. Since then, these fans have earned a reputation throughout the NFL as the most intense, passionate and loyal fan base, earning the nickname, "Football's Most Notorious Fans™." THE BLACK HOLE® trademark is an officially registered trademark exclusively licensed to THE BLACK HOLE, LLC, the club formed in 2001 by Oakland Raiders fans. The club is based in Oakland, CA. For more information about The Black Hole, please visit its website at blackholefans.com. The Black Hole, LLC has partnered with GameChanger Products, LLC based in Alameda, CA to help manage merchandise production and sales.
For more information contact: Valerie Popelka at 510-521-2308.
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