For the record: I’m a Buffalonian trapped in NYC. I’m probably one of the few bloggers, who writes about the Bills and Sabres from the confines of my beach front property estate in New York City. Alright, it’s a one bedroom in Queens. Anyways, a part of my motivation to start writing this blog, had to do with the fact that I didn’t have many people to talk to about Buffalo Sports in the Big Apple. It was my diary in a way. I mean, I couldn’t call WFAN and ask them about Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard. ESPN? Haha! Our city may as well be in Canada. As for conversations with New Yorkers about the state of Buffalo sports? Eh. Conversations would go something like this:
Jets fan from work: Dude, how awesome is Rex Ryan?!
Me: He’s cool, I guess.
Jets fan from work: Dude, why aren’t you excited?!
Me: Um, I’m a Bills fan.
Jets fan from work: Oh, really? I’m sorry to hear that. Wide Right, hahaha!
Me: (Eyes narrow, while cracking my neck) F#@k off (At that point, I punch the guy in the face and declare war on NYC).Oh, wait, this isn’t the movie Falling Down….Yeah, it sucked. Not exactly a great memory.
You guys have no idea how annoying it can get.
That’s pretty much my Groundhog Day approach when it comes to talking about sports in Buffalo. You name the situation, bar, work, train-stop, or just wearing a Bills jersey, that’s how the conversation goes. It’s not just about a lack of respect towards us, but its how fans outside of the (716) area code, don’t know that much about our teams. Frankly, I think that’s the same in other cities like Philly, Chicago, Atlanta, Vegas and other highly Buffalo transplanted regions. Then, of course, there’s Raleigh, NC. Hurricanes country. If you guys haven’t heard, I guess there’s some crap going on in Carolina between Canes and Sabres fans. In short: Their fans hate us. We are obnoxious in their barn. I guess there’s something going on, where their fans are trying to make sure that we don’t gobble up tickets to the next Carolina vs Buffalo game. It’s a mess, I guess.
Now, here’s where I come in.
You see, I’ve seen how Buffalo transplants act at Rangers games. I’ve been to about four or five games at MSG. In short: I’m obnoxious. Way more obnoxious than I would be at a hockey game at the HSBC Arena. Am I looking to start a fight? No. However, I’m looking to get all that aggravation out, which I get on a weekly or daily basis from fellow New Yorkers, for being a Buffalo fan. I’m in enemy territory. It’s like a group of bikers who decide to goto a redneck bar in order to pick a fight. “Hey, look at me?! I’m in enemy territory and I know you don’t respect me. But Guess what? I don’t respect you either!?”
Alright, maybe I’m looking to fight.
A part of me wants to be that guy. The guy who won’t shut up about how great the Sabres are. How Glen Sather is a worst GM in all of sports. How Sean Avery can’t even get a D-List celebrity to take him home. I want to shout as many creative and distinct insults during these games. Am I going at it for 60 minutes straight? No. I pick my spots. After Buffalo goals or when a Rangers player makes a mistake. Mostly, I’ll get a snide comment back from Rangers fans and I’ll just give a sly smile.
As a transplant, I put more pressure on myself to be a loud mouth at these games. Honestly, and this sounds so corny, I want to do WNY proud by telling others who look down upon us, to get lost. I want to cheer louder, just so I can show Rangers fans that I care about the Sabres and that we are better than you. Hey, people always say that Buffalonians get all flustered when their city comes into question. You better not be some 18-year old hockey player, who says our town is boring, or you are going to become public enemy #1. In a sense, this is my way or the transplants way of telling those fans, who laughed at us because of wide right, the snow, and other uncreative insults, that we aren’t going to take it anymore. This is our revenge. I want that Rangers fan to go home and say, “Man, that Sabres fan was an a$$hole.”
So, I can see why some Hurricanes fans don’t like us. It’s obviously different down there than NYC, because there’s actually a decent fan base here. Plus, I think a fellow New Yorker is way more tougher than some clown living in the Carolinas. Hey, I’ll admit, I think I might get punched by a Rangers fan. However, I probably wouldn’t have that thought in Carolina. So, if you don’t fear a beat down, you’ll probably go further with the insults.
There’s just a difference in the fan bases. In Carolina, it’s a newer fan base and there are Buffalo transplants everywhere. Honestly, I think it’s kind of hypocritical for Buffalo fans to get ticked off about Hurricane fans hating us. I mean, don’t we hate Maple Leaf fans for the same reasons? You know, they invade our home like they are a bunch of horny teenagers who storm the nude beaches at spring break. Maybe we should come up with a way to keep those mother canuckers out of our building.
In the end, if you haven’t been to an away game as a Buffalo fan, I assure you, we are kind of obnoxious.
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