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Raiders fans orderly in Gaslamp after defeat
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

SAN DIEGO -- Outside a bar appropriately called "The Bitter End," less than a minute after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders, the first postgame fight between fans of the two teams occurred.

But aside from a few small fights, and a handful of arrests, Raiders fans -- some of whom celebrated last weekend's AFC championship victory by setting fires and breaking windows in Oakland -- didn't get out of hand in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter in the first two hours after their team lost 48-21 to the Buccaneers.

"I'm speechless and I feel sick," said Rick Campuz, a 29-year old Raiders fan from Pacifica, Calif. "But there's no need to cause trouble. I'm just focusing on supporting my team no matter how they played."

The majority of the crowd that lined the streets were Raiders fans, but there were a couple Buccaneers fans, like Tom Ellie and John Zimmerman, that caused a stir thanks to their bold garb.

"It's more about joy than hatred right now," said Ellie, who was wearing a "Raider Hater" T-shirt. "My veins are full with orange blood and I've shed tears for all the Buccaneers like (former Bucs defensive end) Lee Roy Selmon and (former Bucs offensive lineman) Paul Gruber that weren't on the field for a moment like this."

Zimmerman, a 30-year-old Bucs fans from Minnesota drew plenty of attention with his "Bucsman" outfit, a Superman in Buccaneers colors. "There are a couple Raiders fans out here that are a little bit too crazy, but 85 percent of them are very respectful."

"I really think their behavior has been so good because of the possible war coming up," said Joe Lazzera, a Buccaneers season-ticket holder who was dancing through the streets dressed in a Hardy Nickerson jersey. "Considering what is going on in the world right now, I think a lot more people more than ever before, realize that this is just a game."

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com.






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