♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> i'm tom hanson, and we've got a lot more to tell you about this morning, starting with plastic pollution. millions of tons of plastic ends up in landfills or in our rivers and oceans. the bottles, bags, and straws are easy to spot, but the bigger problem is all but invisible. they're called nurdles, and they're a by-product of plastic production. jeff glor reports. >> reporter: leftover pellets have been escaping into waterways and oceans for decades, but only lately has serious action been taken to figure out what can be done. that includes a monumental settlement in texas, where we traveled to ground zero for this issue. >> picking up a shovelful of

pellets, and this cox's creek. >> reporter: take a trip up cox creek off the gulf of mexico, and it's impossible to miss this gigantic petrochemical factory. that's a massive plant. what's sometimes harder to see is what's finding its way out of it, plastic pellets, sometimes called nurdleles. how many pellets are going into the water on a daily basis. >> they managed to scoop up 79 billion in two years. >> reporter: diane wilson is a fourth generation fisher woman, who used to captain a fishing boat. >> this is the all over the bay. >> reporter: she is now an environmental activist, fighting one of the largest plastics manufacturers in the world. this was never the plan, to go from a fisherwoman to an environmental activist? >> no. people don't believe it, but i am normally very quiet. i'm an introvert.

>> reporter: so why this? >> because it fell flat in my lap. >> reporter: the taiwanese conglomerate formosa plastics first opened this factory in 1983. it now covers 2500 acres of land near port lavaca, texas. trillions of polyethylene pellets like these are made here. the first step in making products that we use every day, from plastic bottles to bags, clothing, and electronics. but billions of plastic pellets are also lost and find their way into waterways and eventually oceans. many wash back up on to the beach. >> so this is thousands and thousands of nurdles, all from the most recent high tide line. >> reporter: jays tunnel is the founder of nurdle control which began tracking pellets after a massive spill near corpus christi last year. it is the weirdest name you've

ever heard, but it is a big problem. >> right. i think that's what draws a lot of people to it. nurdle, i've never heard of a nurdle. what is it? we know future a fact there is a laundry list of over 200 species that are eating these pellets, and then there is also a concern about what these pellets once they're in the environment, they're absorbing pcb, dhs, ddt, all the acronyms we hear about harmful chemicals. >> reporter: accumulating on our beaches and waterways as we speak. >> exactly. >> a hot spot over here. >> reporter: it's estimated as many as 250,000 tons of nurdles enter the ocean every year. >> we can tell based on the colors this has been out in the sun this has been happening over many decades. >> reporter: in america the problem is worse in the gulf. all the way from mexico's yooup yucatan peninsula to the florida

keys. diane began collecting nurdles in the waterways she used to fish, meticulously documenting where and when they were found. now her work has led to a record-breaking settlement. formosa plastics agreed to pay $50 million to help local fishermen and environmental cleanup projects in the area. when you first heard that formosa was going to settle, what did you think? >> i was kind of in a state of shock about it. >> reporter: $1 million of that $50 million settlement will go to fund tunnel's nurdle patrol. >> this isn't just one company that is the bad actor here. it's probably industry-wide based on the data we've acquired through nurdle patrol. >> reporter: do you think the companies who are responsible for doing this are committed to fixing it? >> i don't think these companies want their pellets out into the environment. i think that it is cheaper to leave the product on the ground after it spilled than it is to clean it up. >> reporter: they don't want to spend the money the clean it up? >> right. >> reporter: how do you make

them do that? >> regulations. >> reporter: both tunnel and diane wilson say the formosa settlement is not the end of their fight. in fact, just the opposite. >> every accessible point in the gulf of mexico has been sampled. >> reporter: tunnel gets new reports of pellets washing ashore every day. there are currently 46 companies in texas alone manufacturing plastics, and tunnel's map showing the size of the problem is only growing. do you feel like people are getting the message about this? >> well, when i give presentations, one of the key points that i make is why are we doing all this? so i have a picture of my kids holding up bottle of plastic pellets, and i tell people, this is for the next generation. they shouldn't have to deal with this. they sho

super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it's gentle on her skin, and dermatologist recommended. tide free & gentle. safe for skin with psoriasis and eczema. it was a sad farewell at oakland coliseum sunday, where the raiders played their final scheduled home game in front of their adoring fans, collectively known as raider nation. the team is moving to las vegas next season, but instead of delivering a farewell win, the raiders were booed off the field after a fourth quarter collapse saw them fall to the jacksonville jaguars 20-16. still, the fans insist they'll always love their raider, win or lose, and wherever they play. dana jacobsen reports. >> let's do it, baby, let's do this!

>> reporter: welcome to an oakland raiders game day at the coliseum. not exactly the typical nfl tailgate experience, and not exactly the typical nfl fans. gorilla-rilla is also known as mark ocasio. >> just having a regular or preseason. i missed my son's wedding because of a raider game. >> reporter: ocasio isn't alone in his utter devotion to the raiders. there is also kathy sandlin, skull lady. >> 53 years for me. been skull lady from 19. >> reporter: charles ibarra, darth raider. >> there was an original dark raider in the '70s. i had to be a guy who carried along that legacy. so 24 years later, never missed a game. >> let's go! >> reporter: and wayne avery, violator. >> been violator for 28 years. >> reporter: that's meant nearly three decades of this, rising before dawn on nfl sundays to

quite literally put his game face on. >> i'm getting ready for war. >> reporter: this isn't just a fandom, it's a calling. if you can in just one word, the raiders are? >> family. >> familia. >> family. >> family. >> raiders! >> reporter: for the last 24 years, from the black hole in one end zone to the dark side on the other, they've brought the oakland alameda county coliseum to life, and in the process, made it infamous. going into the black hole as an opposing quarterback, what was that like? >> you know, i hated playing there when i was with the chiefs. >> reporter: cbs analyst rich gannon played for the rival chiefs for four years before becoming the raiders quarterback in 1999. >> i loved playing there as a raider. i would sit there and watch the opposing quarterbacks or the opposing teams, and i just thought to myself, you know what it feels like. i have the say, it's intimidating. you come walking out of the

tunnel, and they're right there, they're right on you, and they don't stop. they're relentless. >> they're not going to get on the field. they're not going to touch you, but it really does get you. >> it does. it wasn't just the crowd noise. there were some of the comments that were very personal in nature. >> reporter: that environment has been called into question. labeled as violent, not family-friendly, even dangerous. >> i think in the beginning it was a little bit rough where people weren't really sure to know what kind of raider nation was in oakland. there were some ruffians. we kind of educated them to be something more. >> reporter: some of raider nation blames the media for perpetuating the worst stereotypes, citing a few bad seeds spoiling it for the whole bunch. but there was an intimidation factor that always went along with the black hole. >> look who you're talking to. >> reporter: maybe not the friendliest of names yelled out at opposing players, is that fair? or the refs. >> hey, they're getting it back. what people don't say is they're

pointing to us. >> look at us where if they came in there and we were quiet, real mild-mannered, it wouldn't be the same. these opposing fans and players have stories to tell about us. so the seed has been planted. >> reporter: growing a home field advantage that's both misunderstood yet effective according to former raiders ceo amy trask, embraced by fans as the princess of darkness. >> so many times members of the national media, executives of other teams would express to me concern about some of the characters they saw, and i would laugh, because a, go ahead and be scared. i kind of like that. and b, if you only knew the people you were expressing these trepidations about. the woman that you thought was going to eat you in the parking lot was an assistant district attorney. >> right. >> the gentleman who scared you a bit, department of homeland security. these are magnificent people.

>> reporter: but the intimidation, without a doubt is there. >> absolutely. absolutely. the home field advantage that they create actually translates into yardage. when our opponent would have a delay of game or a false start that was crowd driven, every single fan i saw from that moment on, i said thank you for that yardage. thank you for those five yards. because they delivered it. >> reporter: the raiders current head coach jon gruden has a similar appreciation. personally recognizing raider nation whenever he can. >> when we went, i'm going down there. and when we lose, usually i stick around the parking lot and hang out with the guys and try to get them ready for the next home game. i like to share my joy with some joyous raider fans as much as possible. >> stay in oakland, mark! >> reporter: more than a team and its fans, family, one that's been feuding ever since the team's decision to relocate to las vegas. the move was announced in 2017, leaving the raiders to play the last three seasons in front of

the oakland crowd it would leave behind. >> for me, it will never be the same. i don't care where they move to, it will still be my favorite team, my best love. but as for as here, this is mecca. this is holy grail, to me. >> the last three years, man, it's like a relationship. you know your girlfriend is cheating on you, but you ain't catching her. >> whoa! >> mark, that does not sound like something i want to be a part of. are you mad at the raiders? >> no. >> i'm not mad. i understand it's business. >> it took me some time. we've all known some fans that are done, they're completely done. that was it. that was the last straw for them. >> when you just said it took you a little while, you were angry, but then you were able to move on, and you all say this is family. and isn't that what we do with family? >> yes. >> you already know that, yeah. >> if your family moves out of state, are you going to stop loving them? no. wor

we're not going to stop loving our raiders, and we're not going to stop

hard-core fans of television memorabilia will be putting in your bids online during today's auction of the john azaryan collection. azaryan amassed a treasure trove of tv props, costumes and other items dating back to the 1980s. now they can be yours. michelle miller reports. >> the fonz relli curse cannot be broken. that's it. that's all. goodbye. >> fonzi, sit on it! >> everybody duck! >> reporter: it's considered the holy grail of classic tv collectibles, fonzi's leather jacket. >> what did i just hear? >> reporter: actor henry winkler wore several versions during "happy days"'s 11-season run. one ended up in the smithsonian

in washington where it's one of the most popular exhibits. and later this week, another is headed to the auction block, part of an extraordinary collection of more than 200 items gathered over the decades by classic tv fan john azaryan. >> i started collecting because i'm a child of the '60s. these are the shows i grew up with, that i loved as a child, and i still watch today. and for me to own some of the pieces from these shows was just beyond words. and once i was able to acquire and start buying these pieces, it just built up in me and i had to keep buying more. >> reporter: azaryan's collection may be the fine nest the nation, covering a slew of classic shows. there is gilligan's hat, and the skipper's too. >> hand me that bamboo pole. perhaps a little worn from all the times he used it on his first mate. and other costumes from wonder wom woman, the flying nun, "i dream

of jeannie". >>ow is it going, master? >> reporter: and "star trek." azaryan collected items from all the shows he loved, but his first love was "batman", the campy and psychedelic '60s version. >> holy pin cushions. >> reporter: one of the first items he acquired, the only known pair of complete batman and robin costumes worn by adam west and bert ward. azaryan's only stipulation on that sale, the dynamic duo's purchased as a pair. be >> they cannot be separated. they must stay together. they are the dynamic duo. can you imagine separating batman and robin? no way. they have to be together. >> reporter: as to why he is selling now -- >> it was very difficult for me to actually pull the trigger and make the decision to sell part of my collection, the part that

i am selling. i just think it's time to let somebody else tr sure them a honor them the way i have for the last 30 years. it's tuesday, december 17th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." deadly storms. a tornado outbreak in the deep south causes destruction, and there's more dangerous ice and snow on the way for tens of millions. for the record, house lawmakers announce how they'll vote tomorrow on the articles of impeachment. and midair emergency. flames force an airliner to land unexpectedly. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by c good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with a violent outbreak of tornadoes in the deep south.