Today being Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday and all, I thought that I could tell my own tale of two cities. Two cities that I happen to love…but one desperately needs to get a grip.
After all the Super Bowl XLVI hype, at the end of the day, there has to be a winner and a loser. It’s a well-known fact. I may live in New England now but I can assure you I will never be a fan – doesn’t mean I joined the Giants bandwagon either, but I definitely cheered for them.
Hailing from my beloved rust-belt city known as Buffalo, I know all about heartbreak when it comes to hometown sports teams. Hello…they even made a Scott Norwood reference in this year’s game! We cannot seem to shake our oh-so-public misfortune. I mean, four Super Bowl trips and not one title? Not one ring?! And of course people never let us live it down. To be fair, we have been mostly harmless. ‘Oh, you’re a Bills fan? HAHAHAHA.’ That’s what we hear. And we shut up, smile, and shrug it off all while thinking, ‘You just wait…’
This past season had started with such promise – even beating New England early on. We finally were a team to be reckoned with and taken seriously! We devout fans finally had some clout and pride! We were taking the AFC East by storm! We were a winning team with a spotless record…but then, almost as if on cue, we fell apart. Big. Which is the only way a Buffalo sports team could fail. And only one from Buffalo can live through such tragedy year after year and still support them by having season tickets, wearing zubaz, and tailgating all day for games in December outside the Ralph.
Do I dare compare the Patriots to the Bills? No. But some here in New England are. I have seen the hashtag #patsthenewbills. Seriously? Unnecessary. First of all, you know nothing of loss, defeat, or disappointment. And second, you have winning seasons regularly; you have more Ws in the column than Ls year after year. These are all good things that are working in your favor. Tom Brady is not Joe Montana; receivers dropped passes; Gronk was hurt – we all know. But stop whining and be proud to wear your Patriots gear on the T again. Dig a bit deeper and find some Buffalo faith…or I should say, ‘BILLieve.’
iSpirit:
- Buffalo Bills Shout Song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psZWETVNgyI&feature=related]
- Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoKr9VDg3A]
- Guns N Roses – Welcome To the Jungle [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1tj2zJ2Wvg&ob=av2e]
- The Bravery – Believe [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv2OyI0nXEE]
.[ask].
intro of four. 