Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

OAKLAND—Ten years ago, the thought of having a mainstream sports team hosting a Filipino Heritage day would have been a pipe dream for many members of the Fil-Am community.

The Fil-Am community was small then but now, Filipino awareness and culture is gaining ground.

Last week (October 18), the Oakland Raiders held its second annual Mabuhay Fiesta when the team faced the Philadelphia Eagles the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The Raiders paid tribute to Filipino Heritage Month by showering the stadium with Pinoy excitement. About 1,000 Fil-Am’s dressed in silver and black celebrated the occasion.

Philippine flags were hung up in certain areas of the coliseum, towels promoting the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight were given to fans and the Raiders made a special Filipino Oakland Raider T-shirts commemorating the event.

"As a member of the Raider organization, we pride ourselves in diversity and commitment to excellence," said Ethel Brual, a Fil-Am who works as a Senior Ticket Service Manager for the Raiders. "And the Filipino community respects and supports us and it’s only fair we do the same."

The Raiders have a long-standing tradition of multicultural initiatives and became the first team in American professional sports to launch its own Tagalog language web section when www.raidersintagalog.com went live in 2007.

The Raiders are the third team this year to celebrate Filipino Heritage. The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a Filipino Heritage night during the summer, and the San Francisco Giants held one earlier this year. The NBA Golden State Warriors will host a Filipino Heritage night in November.

Franco Finn, a Fil-Am broadcast personality for the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors, said the Filipino community awareness is gaining ground.

"It’s great that different organizations are doing this," said Finn. "There’s this ripple effect going on. It’s starting on the west coast and hopefully, the Filipino awareness will go nationwide."