When Believeland came out on ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, we talked both on twitter and here on the site about the idea of how you’d react to a Cleveland franchise winning a championship before a Buffalo team did. Some folks were not a fan of it at all; others figured that opened the door, if only a bit, for Buffalo to do the same in time.
I’m one of those people.
As the game wound down and the realization that the Cavaliers were going to win the NBA title, my wife remarked I was more excited about that game than any other she’d seen me watch – in particular, any Knicks game I’ve watched as a fan. To me, it was simple – to see Cleveland drag itself out of the muck and become champions – true champions, not a scandal that gave it to them or something like that, meant as I said Buffalo has that shot too. To get good players. To have a team gel and argue and re-gel and get it together. And finally, to win it all.
You’d think writing and managing a site titled Buffalo Wins would make it easy to assume that day is coming. But at times, particularly in the realm of football it seems as far away as Qatar. Growing up a non-Buffalonian, non-WNY Bills fan meant as a resident NYC “downstater” my other teams were the Knicks, Rangers and the baseball team most people hate for some reason. I remember the joy of seeing Adam Graves and the 94 Rangers break a 50 year “curse” and thinking how lucky I was to be a fan of the Bills and the Rangers.
Fast Forward to 2016. I’m now rooted in Pittsburgh, with the Bills, Knicks and Sabres as my teams of choice here in the ‘States. And seeing the Sabres on the up and up is encouraging – but the nearly 20 year Bills drought is not. So Sunday night, seeing Cleveland win was to me a reminder that all is not lost – and that when the Buffalo does win, no one can take that away.
That article I just linked is amazing because even though I’m not a Buffalonian, that mindset is completely understandable. For all the digs folks make about Buffalo in general, give the city one title and watch the pride folks would have. Gone would be wide right. Gone would be the constant reminder that OJ is the head of the Bills player pantheon. I truly believe the inferiority complex is at its highest in the time I’ve followed the team. Any slight is responded by equal and extensive reaction.
Put a title in there and someone dropping shade on the 716 becomes a shrug reaction instead of a scream. Hearing someone say “because Buffalo” can in time get dead and buried. And finally, for the love of sweet baby Jesus we might also have shirts worn by fans in other countries that still count here.
Congrats Believeland, you gave me a little bit more to look forward to in fandom.
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