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Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire
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.
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.
- GenresSports
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2005
About the author
Jim Miller
5 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jim Miller is a native San Diegan and a graduate of the MFA program at San Diego State University. In addition to his MFA in Fiction, Miller has a Ph.D. in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. He is a founding member of the San Diego Writers Collective and a co-founder of San Diego City Works Press. Miller teaches English and Labor Studies at San Diego City College where he was the founding director of the San Diego City College Literary Center and the San Diego City College International Book Fair from 2006-2008.
Miller is the author of Flash and Drift, both novels. He is also co-author of the radical history of San Diego Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See (with Mike Davis and Kelly Mayhew) and a cultural studies book on working class sports fandom, Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire (with Kelly Mayhew). Miller is also the editor of Sunshine/Noir: Writing from San Diego and Tijuana and Democracy in Education; Education for Democracy: An Oral History of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 1931. He has published poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in a wide range of journals and other publications.
As a young man, Miller was a bouncer, a factory worker, a warehouseman, and a laborer in his late father’s home repair business. A proud union member, Jim serves on the executive board of AFT Local 1931 and does political action work.
Jim Miller lives in downtown San Diego with his wife, Kelly Mayhew, and their son, Walt.
Jim Miller is a native San Diegan and a graduate of the MFA program at San Diego State University. In addition to his MFA in Fiction, Miller has a Ph.D. in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. He is a founding member of the San Diego Writers Collective and a co-founder of San Diego City Works Press. Miller teaches English and Labor Studies at San Diego City College where he was the founding director of the San Diego City College Literary Center and the San Diego City College International Book Fair from 2006-2008.
Miller is the author of Flash and Drift, both novels. He is also co-author of the radical history of San Diego Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See (with Mike Davis and Kelly Mayhew) and a cultural studies book on working class sports fandom, Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire (with Kelly Mayhew). Miller is also the editor of Sunshine/Noir: Writing from San Diego and Tijuana and Democracy in Education; Education for Democracy: An Oral History of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 1931. He has published poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in a wide range of journals and other publications.
As a young man, Miller was a bouncer, a factory worker, a warehouseman, and a laborer in his late father’s home repair business. A proud union member, Jim serves on the executive board of AFT Local 1931 and does political action work.
Jim Miller lives in downtown San Diego with his wife, Kelly Mayhew, and their son, Walt.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 2, 2013
Even if you're not a fan of football, you'll come to appreciate the collection of interviews of folks that share the passion for being fans of the Oakland Raiders. Miller does a nice job of showcasing just exactly why the Raiders, despite their struggles to win on the field, have such a strong and fiercely loyal fan base; he highlights how the team has, over its fifty year existence, has evolved into a BRAND, and how that brand has grown to represent a rebellious and free spirited attitude. Consequently, the Raider shield has become one of the most popular and most easily recognized logo in all of professional sports. Miller also draws a curious parallel in the book; he compares Raider Nation with the legions of Grateful Dead fans more commonly known as "Deadheads," and his findings are interesting, to say the least. Very entertaining read!
Displaying 1 of 1 review