Raiders have competition as Mexico’s favorite NFL team — VIDEO
MEXICO CITY — Football fans gathered Sunday near ramp four at Estadio Azteca to watch the New Orleans Saints’ rally against the Washington Redskins before walking to their seats for the Raiders-Patriots game.
The TV screen sat on top of a podium with a Derek Carr and Tom Brady side-by-side poster. A father and son sporting purple Minnesota Vikings jerseys with Teddy Bridgewater’s number walked by. How random is that?
A Miami Dolphins fan wearing a Mike Wallace jersey stopped the woman carrying the Cup Noodles on a platter like cocktails at a nightclub. Ever had Cup Noodles with lime and Tapatio? Delicious.
All 32 NFL teams were well represented, showing the growth of American football in Mexico. Before the Raiders and Patriots kicked off, the NFL announced it had come to an agreement to play three more regular-season games in Mexico from 2019 to 2021.
But wasn’t Mexico City supposed to be the home of the Raiders? They might not be a lock to return next year for a third straight game.
The Silver and Black were well represented, but there might have been more Patriots fans walking around Estadio Azteca.
“That was very much a surprise,” Tom Brady said about the strong Patriots support in Mexico. “Especially after seeing some of last year’s game, they were very pro Raiders. It seemed like there were a lot of Patriots fans here too. That was great to see.”
Brady was the fan favorite among the crowd. Brady chants broke out after each of three touchdown passes from the five-time Super Bowl champion as the Patriots defeated the Raiders 33-8.
Longtime Raiders fan Cesar Quetzalcoatl Torres Sanchez said the Patriots have helped grow the sport in Mexico.
“I hate to say this, but thanks to the Pats, more people are watching American football here,” said Sanchez, a 32-year-old local. “They’re the trendy team because they win a lot and they’re an exciting team.
“Before that, the Raiders weren’t winning. Some lost interest in them.”
Don’t call Miguel Ayala a bandwagon fan. He’s been cheering for the Patriots since 1978 when Steve Grogan was the quarterback.
Ayala, 57, from Monterrey, Mexico, chose the Patriots because he liked the old New England logo with the Revolutionary War figure snapping the ball.
“It was 20 bad years and now 20 good years of football,” Ayala said. “Now there are a lot of Patriots fans before it was no one. Just me and one relative I forced to watch.”
Ayala’s top three rankings for Mexico’s favorite NFL teams are the Dallas Cowboys No. 1, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said the Raiders and Patriots are tied for third.
“Many view the Cowboys as a Latino team,” Ayala said. “A lot of people from here have family in Texas.”
The Raiders are viewed as a bad team in Mexico, but bad in a cool way. In Mexico, the Raiders aren’t known as the Raiders. They’re called “Los Malosos,” a term used for mean and malicious people.
“It’s a bad translation the Mexican media created for the Raiders,” Sanchez said. “They’re rude, they’re strong and they’re bad. That’s what I like from my team (Raiders), personally.”
The Raiders might not be the most popular NFL team in Mexico, but they might be at the top when it comes to merchandise sold.
“If you walk the streets, you’ll see Raiders gear every day of the week,” Sanchez said. “They might be knock offs, but the people love the colors and logo.”
Diego, 32, from Cancun, Mexico, doesn’t care about the Raiders’ record or what city they play in.
“I’ve been a Raiders fan since I was a kid and I don’t care where they live,” said Diego, who declined to give his last name. “I’m here to support the Raiders. They’re from Los Angeles, they’re from Oakland, they’re from here (Mexico) and now from Las Vegas. Just win, baby!”
Gilbert Manzano covers the NFL for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.
