Born and raised in the Bay Area has given me a strong sense of what sports culture is all about. Whether talking about football, basketball, baseball, or hockey, if you grew up in the Bay, odds are, you’re a fan of one of those Bay Area sports teams.
Too many times over, we take things for granted. Some cities don’t have a sports team to call home, therefore they often call the “audible” and identify with another city’s franchise to call their own. Luckily, for me, I didn’t have that dilemma.
I grew up in the Bay Area and was always intrigued by two storied franchises:
The San Francisco 49ers & Las Vegas Raiders.
My parents owned front-row season-tickets dating back to 1991 at Candlestick Park. Fast forward to today, and I took over the SBLs at Levi’s Stadium. But the Silver & Black wasn’t far removed from my memory bank.
Truth be told, I was always intrigued by their color-scheme (silver & black), rooted history, and “Just Win Baby” mentality. The two franchises often overlapped in the Sakamoto household. Half the family were fans of the Forever Faithful, the other half was all about Raider Nation. No matter what team you rooted for, the unquestioned passion and love for that respective NFL franchise remained the same. It’s the integrity, loyalty, unity and sense of respect a Bay Area fan can identify with when it comes to their sports teams.
Some people say football is just a game. But for me, it’s a way of life. You see, one thing I will always cherish is going to Candlestick with my parents, hitting up togo’s and eating on the back of the trunk of the blue Volvo wagon next to the gate exit.
We never really had a dinner table to sit around, instead subconsciously we valued Game Days as our time to eat as a family. Those memories, I will cherish forever.
I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. My parents didn’t have much money growing up, but they worked their butts off to provide me the best of what life had to offer. That unquestioned work ethic was instilled in me & today I find myself having a “dream job” of covering the NFL as a credentialed beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders.
Being in the NFL media isn’t easy but if you have the work ethic, drive, determination, and discipline to stay the course, good things will come. I’ve always wanted to partner with a media company that shared the same ideals that my parents instilled in me–having integrity, trust, loyalty, honor, and respect while giving back to the community and those in need.
If you know me, you know how picky I can be. That is why I’m truly honored and humbled to announce that I’m no longer an unrestricted free-agent as I’ve been “claimed” by The Sporting Tribune scouted by Founder/CEO Arash Markazi, as we keep things hot covering all things Silver & Black.
Joining the DARKSIDE was the movement, joining the Sporting Tribune is now the lifestyle, join our Raider Nation family, it is your destiny-
