It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m depressed again. Another check under the loss column has plagued the Bills. But it’s OK because this is what being a Bills fan is all about – right?
Being a Bills fan is a huge undertaking. Not only are you forced to explain how we managed to lose four Super Bowls in a row in the ’90s, now we’re stuck with justifying our lack of success for another season. I think you will be hard pressed to find a Bills fan that doesn’t believe our Bills teams are always chock full of potential. So what happens? It’s not that we’re ever a bad football team – like some in the league. It’s as if the Bills always manage to find a way to lose. Yet as painful as it is to watch, you just can’t look away.
Being a Yankees supporter, I am throwing caution to the wind by making this analogy, but in many ways I feel the Bills are almost like the Red Sox of football. Year after year, the Bills threaten in the AFC East, just enough to get our hopes up. As I’ve heard many Red Sox fans say before, you begin to feel like your team is just destined to choke. The recent World Series wins by both the Red Sox and the White Sox have given me hope. Probably not this year, but the Bills will win a Super Bowl, and I will be around to see it. The amazing thing to me is the pride that Bills fans have for their team despite the pain that comes with being a Bills fan – much like the pride that Sox fans had before their World Series win.
Whether or not you agree that the Bills are the Red Sox of football, Bills fans say a lot about the people of western New York. Yes, there are those who have become too frustrated with watching the Bills lose, but in general, Bills fans are the definition of loyal. For so many, the Bills game is not a sporting event on TV – it’s what you do with your Sundays. So, I say to those of you who are too frustrated with watching the Bills blow another game – get over yourself. The Bills take the field every Sunday and give everything they have. Say what you will about their seemingly inordinate salaries, but believe it or not the Bills leave it all on the field and that’s enough for me. If your still not convinced just watch a highlight reel – would Eric Moulds take the shots he does running through the middle of the field just for the money? I would never want to be a Colts fan or a Chargers fan – it’s just too easy. The Bills fans are hearty people. We trudge through three feet of snow, stand in freezing cold bleachers, wear those ridiculous striped sweat pants and love every second of it.
To all loyal western New Yorkers and Bills fans – stick with it. Every time you find yourself being attacked by another Dallas Cowboys fan jumping on the bandwagon, remember that it’s about loyalty and toughness. The Bills eventual Super Bowl win will just be that much sweeter.
Edwards can be reached at cedwards@campustimes.org.
