NFL
What is Raider Rusher, the Las Vegas Raiders mascot, supposed to be?
Raider Rusher made his debut during the 2013 NFL season in the home opener against Jacksonville on September 15, in Raiderville.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a well-known American football team that was founded in 1960. Originally based in Oakland, California, they are now located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The team has a rich history of success, having won three Super Bowl championships and four AFC championships. Following the NFL and AFL merger in 1970, the Raiders moved to the NFL.
Their first AFL championship was won in 1967, and they reached their first Super Bowl in 1968. They won in Super Bowl XI against the Minnesota Vikings and in Super Bowl XVIII against the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2020, the team changed its name to Las Vegas Raiders and now plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
The Las Vegas Raiders fanbase, known as the Raider Nation, is incredibly loyal to the team, even during difficult times. The name Raider Nation originated from the city of Oakland’s working-class background and its “underdog status” compared to neighboring San Francisco. This is what defines the Raider Nation and its image.
However, in 2013, the team introduced a new mascot, which seemed out of place given the team’s history and image.
Who is Raider Rusher?
Raider Rusher is a character from an animated cartoon series called “NFL Rush Zone”, co-produced by the NFL and Nickelodeon. The Raiders were the first team in the NFL to bring one of the show’s characters to life, as a costumed youth ambassador. In the series, every team has its own unique character, and one of those characters is Raider Rusher. Raider Rusher is a young boy who wears an oversized spiked helmet and a black and silver jersey with the number 00 on it. He has a large, smiling head and his role is to make the franchise more appealing to children.
After three years since his introduction, Raider Rusher was listed as the 28th-best mascot in the NFL in the 2016 Sports Illustrated poll. This ranking was higher than the Giants, Jets, Packers, and Redskins, who do not have a mascot.
This is how SI described Raider Rusher: “He’s a big head, with no torso. With that said, we’re all so relieved that he’s the Raiders’ mascot. It’s like when the weird kid in class reaches into a backpack and asks if you want to see something really cool. He happens to pull out just a toy instead of a nameless stranger’s thumb.”