The West Coast of the United States has seen its fair share of franchises which have relocated more than once. The Las Vegas Raiders are one of those such teams which have had the chance to play in three different cities as of date. The franchise was first established in 1960 in Oakland, California but later moved to Los Angeles in 1982 where they played till 1994. Shifting back to Oakland in 1995, the team has relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada since 2020 where it is playing currently.
The Raiders are in the AFC Conference and play in the AFC West division with the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and the Los Angeles Chargers. The team had its best period of dominance during the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s where they won three Super Bowls. However, more recently, the team has not had much to talk about in terms of on field performances. The Raiders have missed the playoffs in all but two seasons since the 2002 NFL season when they last made it to the Super Bowl but lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Raiders mascot Raider Rusher
The Las Vegas Raiders officially announced and unveiled their mascot, Raider Rusher, prior to the 2013 NFL season. He is somewhat of an unusual mascot given the fact that he does not resemble any animal or a person but is more like an alien from space.
Raider Rusher has a head that looks three to four times bigger than the rest of his body. He has a broad smile revealing all of his white teeth, and he wears a weird spiked helmet on his head with what looks like big black glasses covering his huge blue eyes. The helmet also comes with a chin strap which has the Raiders logo on the side. The rest of the body is a normal person’s body from the hips down.
The Raiders mascot wears the team’s light gray pants for his legs but funnily enough, he can’t wear the jersey because his massive head takes up the entire upper portion of the person’s body.
On the field, the mascot initially did not excite many fans, but over the years people have accepted him as part of the franchise. As a mascot, he carries out his duties very well, engaging with the fans and spending a lovable time with them giving out high fives wherever possible.
Off the field, Raider Rusher can be seen at various events throughout the year, such as fundraisers, community outreach programs, special events and more.
Raiders Mascot Raider Rusher Salary
The exact salary of the Raiders mascot is not revealed, however, the average salary of mascots in the NFL ranges between $50,000 to $60,000 annually. A couple of mascots are making a little more than that but in general, the league average falls in between the above figure. Of course, the mascots also earn a decent amount of money on the side by attending various events and parties throughout the year.
A majority of mascots have been known to attend more than 300 events in a year but there isn’t much information available about the Raiders mascot’s presence at such events.
Criticism of Raiders Mascot
Although the Raiders mascot is now in his eleventh season, the going was very difficult for him in the initial days. When he was first revealed as the mascot, there were quite a bit of mixed reviews from fans due to his unusual appearance. In fact, in a poll taken by Sports Illustrated in 2016, Raider Rusher was revealed to be the worst mascot of all the NFL teams that have a mascot. One magazine even described the mascot as being just a huge head with no torso.
FAQs
A. The Las Vegas Raiders mascot is called Raider Rusher.
A. The Raiders mascot, Raider Rusher was introduced prior to the 2013 NFL season.
A. The Raiders mascot is quite unusual looking with a huge head and normal lower body. He wears a big helmet on his head which has spikes on the top. More than a normal human he looks like an alien from space.
A. The Raiders mascot which is very unorthodox in appearance was met with very mixed reviews initially. Many people didn’t like his appearance and felt it did not look anything like a mascot.
