Thursday, May 16, 2013

Dissecting the Oakland Raiders logo while eating a Vietnamese pork roll sandwich

I frequent Cam Hung in Sunnyvale to get my occasional Vietnamese sandwich fix. It's the closest to an authentic Vietnamese sandwich in my 'hood (sorry, Lee's Sandwiches). Next door is a liquor store with an Oakland Raiders logo displayed on their window.

The Raiders logo is probably one of the more recognizable in football. As I sat in my car pounding down a tasty pork roll sandwich, I began to wonder. Logos are such a core part of a company's identity. How was the Raiders logo conceived? Who's the guy with the patch on his right eye? Sure, I recognize the logo. I've seen it all over the place, but how much do I really know about it?

It turns out that the Oakland Raiders logo has quite a history. And like true Raider fashion, they were embroiled in controversy even at their inception (I guess you gotta hand it to them for brand consistency). The guy sporting the eye patch is modeled after Randolph Scott, a Western films actor from the 1950s.

I won't say which Bay Area team I'm a fan of. But I will say this. When it comes to Bay Area football, you're either a 49er or Raider fan...very black and white, with no shades of gray (no pun intended).