Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire (Hardcover)

by Jim Miller (Author), Kelly Mayhew (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
If you really enjoy hating Raider fans, this sojourn into their hearts and souls will spoil your fun. -- San Diego Union Tribune, Kate Callen

Product Description
A season with the infamous fans of the football team everyone loves to hate.

"[B]eyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and whackos ever assembled in such numbers under a single "roof," so to speak, anywhere in the English-speaking world."—Hunter S. Thompson on Raiders fans

The silver-and-black-clad Oakland Raiders fans are the most notorious in American professional sports, with a mythic reputation for cursing, drinking, brawling, and generally wreaking mayhem. The devotion of the team's multiracial, largely blue-collar supporters runs deep, creating a profound sense of community. As Jim Miller and Kelly Mayhew reveal in this hair-raising and entertaining new book, the self-described Raider Nation, smitten with its outlaw mystique, provides a gritty alternative to California's sunshine-and-granola image.

Over the course of the harrowing 2003 season, Miller and Mayhew explored the reality behind the myth and interviewed legions of rabid Raiders fans—from suburban families to bikers—while attending games in the "Black Hole" (the rowdiest section in Oakland's stadium), frequenting sports bars, and crashing tailgate parties. Featuring the extraordinary photography of Joseph A. Blum, Better to Reign in Hell is both a rollicking tale of obsessive fandom and a fascinating study of the intersection of class, race, gender, and community in professional sports.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: New Press (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156584890X
• ISBN-13: 978-1565848900
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #813,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Read Better Reign, October 1, 2005

By	B. M. HICKS "melvillephile" (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Whether you loathe or love the Raiders, you'll enjoy and learn from Miller and Mayhew's insightful book about the Raiders fan empire. Although the writers are decidedly and unabashedly Raiders fans themselves, they paint an incredibly well-rounded picture of Raiders fans. They interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life and all socioeconomic strata, in all kinds of places -- training camps, pubs, sports bars, tailgate parties, the games themselves in Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Diego -- to garner the diverse opinions of the Raiders. We learn that the fan base is amazingly ubiquitous, with fans from the U.S. to Poland, Costa Rica, and South Africa. I especially admire the way the writers juxtapose diametrically opposing views of the Raiders. For instance, in the "Raiders Rage" chapter, Michele Clark, director of a nonprofit organization in Oakland, describes how she hates the Raiders and what they represent to the youth she tries to help. However, on the next page we read how one of her coworkers, Mark Henderson, a family man, loves the Raiders. Ultimtely, though, this book is not about sports; it's about people. Miller and Mayhew's deep concern for the working-class people comes out in the chapter that describes the city of Oakland and its changing demographics over the decades. There is a wonderful chapter about the women fans: "Real Women Wear Black." There are many interesting tidbits. (Did you know that the rugged eye-patched man in the Raiders logo was modeled after Western actor Randolph Scott?) Miller's "ten ways to avoid being pummeled by an angry Raiders fan" in the "Just Lose, Baby" chapter is hilarious. The most important thing that I gained from the book, even though I am not much of a sports fan, is a tremendous respect for fans of any team that form an "imagined community" that somehow brings meaning -- and even love -- into sometimes otherwise bleak lives. I have added this book to my short sports bookshelf, which includes Will's "Men at Work," Halberstam's "The Breaks of the Game," and Cosell's "I Never Played the Game." Just read, baby!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Outside the Fan Empire, October 19, 2005

By	Spencer - See all my reviews

Although I did attend a Raider-Chargers game 7 years ago,
I'm not a football fan. In fact I think the best time to go the hardware store is during the Super Bowl. That said, I love good books and great writing. Miller and Mayhew deliver that. From first page to last, this is a great read and cultural commentary.

Spencer in San Diego

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for your favorite Raider fan!, March 2, 2007

By	Art Vandelay - See all my reviews

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my father, a die-hard Raider fan. He really enjoyed the stories and pictures in the book--it brought some levity to a disaster of a season. As one currently studying English literature, I enjoyed the references to Milton and also the philosophical discussions of the Raider fans.