PORT ANGELES — The Oakland Raiders were getting hammered, and that was just fine with most of the football fans watching the game at the Naval Lodge No. 353 Super Bowl party Sunday.

Area Raiders fans were scarce, at least being very quiet, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran up a 20-3 halftime score to eventually belt the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII as seen on the big television screen in the Elks Club facility.

But why root for the Bucs when the Raiders are located just down the road, a little south of here?

“I just never liked the Raiders, they’re too mean,” said Linda Snyder of Port Angeles in-between screaming encouragement for the Buccaneers. “They’re just not a nice team. They play too hard to hurt.”

Ernst Schafer of Port Angeles, who was sitting next to Snyder, had a different take on supporting Tampa Bay.

“I like them because they’re the underdog and I have family in Tampa,” he said.

The Raiders did have a small pocket of three fans sitting at another table. This group was pretty quiet except for Rosemary Thompson of Port Angeles, who wasn’t afraid to go against the tide to show her backing of the Raiders.

She raised her fist and yelled when running back Charlie Garner made a good gain on the ground.

“We’re outnumbered but it doesn’t matter to me,” Thompson said with a smile. “I’m an avid fan, and I don’t care about the others,” and then she add, “as long as my team wins.”

————-

The rest of the story appears in the Monday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE at the top of this page to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.