I'm aware of the reason why we have that reputation and to me it's rather short sighted. In fact I'll take that a step further...before we moved to l.a., the players took on the reputation you described, after we moved to l.a., the fans took on that reputation. (Admittedly, the "fans" in l.a. were ready for a fight and it didnt matter who you were and I'm beyond happy we dont reside there anymore).
That's why a lot of Raider fans like myself take being called a "criminal", even in jest, so personally. To me it's no different than a conservative being called a fascist. I don't have a criminal record, I obey laws like most everyone else does and this is true with the rest of Raider Nation.
If it seems like I'm blowing this out of proportion, well, so be it. What most of you call gospel truth--the "criminal" Raiders and our fans--I call slander.
No, not so much. I was relaying the original reasoning for folks to call the Raiders criminals. I didn't refer to the fans so don't include me in your slander case. Every town has their rabid fans Oakland is no different than Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York... in that regard. A lot of Raider fans enjoy the "badder than you" persona, but that's as far as it goes IMO.
If you feel offended by someone calling you or your team a "criminal" that's your prerogative. This is the kind of fire that makes football the great sport that it is. I never see basketball or baseball fans get fired up to defend themseves or their team in such a way.