Merced Raiders fans will buy Silver & Black no matter where the team calls home

Employees with the sports apparel store in the Merced Mall said the Raiders’ move from Oakland to Las Vegas won’t matter to fans who buy Oakland Raiders merchandise.

“Raiders fans are the most loyal in the NFL,” said Jake Lindo, an employee at Sports Fever. “No matter how good they do, Raiders stuff always sells.”

NFL owners had voted 31-1 on Monday in favor of allowing the Raiders to move to Las Vegas. They won’t play in their new Nevada home until 2020, and could be in Oakland for at least the next two years.

Lindo and the store manager Adam Barden don’t anticipate the move hurting the store, they don’t anticipate fans rushing to buy Oakland merchandise before the team moves in 2020.

Of all the merchandise, Raiders hats are the most popular at the mall store. And, anything with quarterback Derek Carr’s name is especially popular.

“Derek Carr jerseys fly off the wall,” Lindo said.

“He’s from around here, and he’s probably the best quarterback they’ve had in 15 years,” Barden added.

The Bakersfield native and former Fresno State star tweeted about the move after the announcement on Monday.

“So Las Vegas, you can count on us bringing a piece of Oakland with us and you are getting a tough, loyal, and competitive fan base and team,” he said.

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Merced Raiders fans will buy Silver & Black no matter where the team calls home."