Dang, Dale.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has talked extensively about his complex, at best, relationship with his dad Dale Earnhardt, on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, and the Earnhardt children actually a pretty difficult childhood compared to what most people probably think. Their relationship with their dad seemed to be strained for most of their lives.
But naturally, Dale Jr. wanted to be just like his dad and race, though he sometimes had difficulty voicing that, especially when he was younger. And like many fathers and sons, they often butted heads. Jr. has told countless stories that exemplify their friction over the years.
While this one isn’t quite as serious as some I’ve heard, I think it sums up a lot about their relationship. During the Ask Jr. segment of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, a fan asked what sports teams Dale Sr. cheered for.
And the answer might surprise you…
Dale Jr. said the only team he really remembered his dad being into was the MLB team the Atlanta Braves, but in 1984, his dad decided to cheer for the Los Angeles Raiders when they went up against the Washington Redskins, which is Dale Jr.’s team.
The Raiders ended up beating the Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders) 38–9 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and Jr. says he was around 9 or 10-years-old, and it was the first year he’d really gotten into watch his team and NFL football.
And for whatever reason, his dad, who wasn’t a fan of any NFL team, decided to cheer for the Raiders, who “destroyed” Jr.’s Redskins:
“I mean, he met a lot of people, I’ll just say that. I know that Dad liked the Braves. I can’t remember him with much college…
No, he didn’t have an alliance to a specific team in the NFL, but I remember when Washington played the Oakland Raiders in 84 for the Super Bowl, I had just in the past year become this massive fan of Washington. And I’m nine-years-old, maybe 10, and dad pulled for Oakland. And I knew that he wasn’t, like, a fan of Oakland, but I’m sitting there going… and Oakland just destroyed them.
We threw a pick 6. It was like, I’m crying in the floor the living room, it was awful. We had an awful game. Marcus Allen just ran through gaping holes, big ole [holes]. It was awful. And Dad’s just like, ‘Yeah! Alright!’, you know.”
Of course, a very young Jr. was not loving any bit of the whole thing, and he says “it was hurtful”:
“And I’m like, you don’t even like the Raiders. What are you doing? It was hurtful.”
I mean, being that young and watching your team lose sucks enough, so I imagine having your dad, who wasn’t even a fan of the other team, rubbing it in the whole time was NOT a fun experience, at all.
Dale Sr. grew up in small town Kannapolis, North Carolina long before the state became home to the NFL team the Carolina Panthers, which played their first season in 1995, so it makes sense that he never really chose an NFL team… except for the Raiders in 1984.
I think it’s pretty obvious he liked to give his son a hard time, but this one clearly stuck with Jr. after many decades now, and I can’t say I blame him:
