Rayzer32 Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 I've been a die hard Bills fan for nearly 40 years. Once I was old enough to understand the whole rooting for a team concept, I've been watching the Bills. I remember when 90% of the people in this area (Rochester) were Bills fans. People rarely asked you who your favorite team was. They would just assume it was the Bills and would say let's go Bills or let's go Buffalo heading into the weekend. And then on Monday's you would hear allot of "did you see the Bills game yesterday" whether they won or lost. And even if you were on vacation in another state and you were wearing some Bills attire, you would get the occasional, "yeah, Bills fan". But nowadays, and this has been happening for quite awhile now, I seem to get this question heading into football season, "who's your team?". WNY used to be purely Bills country (remember those bumper stickers?) but now it's Steelers, Browns, Giants, Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos and Patriots country. And I know there were always a number of Steelers, Browns and Giants fans scattered about, but now it's more and more common. The days of good ol' Bills Country have seemed to disappear and I think this all comes back to Ralph Wilson. He used to have one of the proudest franchises in the NFL, now he has the Red Headed Step Child of the NFL and doesn't seem to give a poop about it or the fans that have supported him throughout all those glory days as well as the sorry days. It will be interesting to hear him after the season, or after 4 or 5 straight woodshed beatings. What can he possibly tell us that will make us believe anything will ever change other than he is selling the team? I for one miss those days and although I still proudly wear my Bills gear, here or anywhere else in the country, it's starting to become a tad bit embarrassing. Last year when I was in Vegas wearing my TO jersey, I was hearing about how pitiful the Bills are, but most of this was coming from Bills fans themselves. I am starting to believe that kids growing up nowadays, who aren't brainwashed by their parents, are rooting for teams that they see win regularly on TV. If I was 5 or 6 right now and wasn't influenced by someone as to who to root for, it sure as hell wouldn't be the Bills just because they are the "local" team. If I were growing up much closer to Buffalo itself, then I'm sure that would have more of an impact on whether I did or didn't choose the Bills for my team. It's really sad to see this once proud football hotbed circling the bowl right now. It's only a game, but it's also a passion for many people.
BillsWest Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 I used to have that bumper sticker on my truck here in Northern California...."You're in Bills Country". Probably confused a lot of 49er fans!
Beebe's Kid Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 My whole family was Pittsburgh or Cleveland fans. I had 2 uncles that were Raiders fans, and an oddball aunt that liked Denver. I picked the Bills. I was around 6 or 7. Then we got some dude named Kelly, and that cemented it. My mother's maiden name was Kelly as was my QB's. I started to come of age, and were getting good. We are late grade school, and early high school in the Super Bowl years. Bills fans as far as the eye can see, which I just attributed to my getting out into the world a little more. We were decent through the late 90's and I was still in good company. Music ****ty Disaster hits...franchise implodes...crickets. I seriously have like 9-10 buddies that are Bills fans, and always chat up a stranger in a jersey/hat/whathaveyou. It is an absolute disgrace. All of these people say "I used to be a diehard.." ERRRRRRRRRRR!!! If you aren't now, you never were. It was easy to like this team when we were a juggernaut, and it always felt like we were going to be back, because we always came back, right? Long and the short all of these turncoats are, for the most part, Steelers fans, which I have to laugh. When you watch football with them they have no clue what they are talking about, and will be on to the next team when the Steelers drop off. My sister lived in RaChaCha, and when I used to visit, I always had some sort of gear, usually a hat, but I was always looking for fellow sufferers, and never found any. I love having season tickets, because as I put it, it feels good to watch my Bills with 73,000 of my closest friends. We may be a dying bread, but we have been through some ****, and are as resilient as any fans out there. The ones that can't take it would say we're stupid, but loyalty is a dying trait. I would rather never watch football again, then not root for the Bills. Call it sappy, preseason, homerism sentiment, but you know what...we'll know the real ones when it finally all comes together. The riders will come crawling back, and act as though they never left, but we'll know. You'll be able to tell because we'll be the ones that are moved to tears when we finally call one "ours." Here's to hoping we get "ours" before the cash sucking capitalist monster, that is the NFL, takes, or allows somebody to take our team. There are teams that can't draw when their team is in playoff contention, but we are a decade removed, and always show up. Go Bills
dollars 2 donuts Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 I've been a die hard Bills fan for nearly 40 years. Once I was old enough to understand the whole rooting for a team concept, I've been watching the Bills. I remember when 90% of the people in this area (Rochester) were Bills fans. People rarely asked you who your favorite team was. They would just assume it was the Bills and would say let's go Bills or let's go Buffalo heading into the weekend. And then on Monday's you would hear allot of "did you see the Bills game yesterday" whether they won or lost. And even if you were on vacation in another state and you were wearing some Bills attire, you would get the occasional, "yeah, Bills fan". But nowadays, and this has been happening for quite awhile now, I seem to get this question heading into football season, "who's your team?". WNY used to be purely Bills country (remember those bumper stickers?) but now it's Steelers, Browns, Giants, Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos and Patriots country. And I know there were always a number of Steelers, Browns and Giants fans scattered about, but now it's more and more common. The days of good ol' Bills Country have seemed to disappear and I think this all comes back to Ralph Wilson. He used to have one of the proudest franchises in the NFL, now he has the Red Headed Step Child of the NFL and doesn't seem to give a poop about it or the fans that have supported him throughout all those glory days as well as the sorry days. It will be interesting to hear him after the season, or after 4 or 5 straight woodshed beatings. What can he possibly tell us that will make us believe anything will ever change other than he is selling the team? I for one miss those days and although I still proudly wear my Bills gear, here or anywhere else in the country, it's starting to become a tad bit embarrassing. Last year when I was in Vegas wearing my TO jersey, I was hearing about how pitiful the Bills are, but most of this was coming from Bills fans themselves. I am starting to believe that kids growing up nowadays, who aren't brainwashed by their parents, are rooting for teams that they see win regularly on TV. If I was 5 or 6 right now and wasn't influenced by someone as to who to root for, it sure as hell wouldn't be the Bills just because they are the "local" team. If I were growing up much closer to Buffalo itself, then I'm sure that would have more of an impact on whether I did or didn't choose the Bills for my team. It's really sad to see this once proud football hotbed circling the bowl right now. It's only a game, but it's also a passion for many people. In a very small defense of people; the internet and the Sunday Ticket have made it really easy to be a fan of a team other than one hometown team.
MyHorseAteTheKid Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 I've been a die hard Bills fan for nearly 40 years. Once I was old enough to understand the whole rooting for a team concept, I've been watching the Bills. I remember when 90% of the people in this area (Rochester) were Bills fans. People rarely asked you who your favorite team was. They would just assume it was the Bills and would say let's go Bills or let's go Buffalo heading into the weekend. And then on Monday's you would hear allot of "did you see the Bills game yesterday" whether they won or lost. And even if you were on vacation in another state and you were wearing some Bills attire, you would get the occasional, "yeah, Bills fan". But nowadays, and this has been happening for quite awhile now, I seem to get this question heading into football season, "who's your team?". WNY used to be purely Bills country (remember those bumper stickers?) but now it's Steelers, Browns, Giants, Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Broncos and Patriots country. And I know there were always a number of Steelers, Browns and Giants fans scattered about, but now it's more and more common. The days of good ol' Bills Country have seemed to disappear and I think this all comes back to Ralph Wilson. He used to have one of the proudest franchises in the NFL, now he has the Red Headed Step Child of the NFL and doesn't seem to give a poop about it or the fans that have supported him throughout all those glory days as well as the sorry days. It will be interesting to hear him after the season, or after 4 or 5 straight woodshed beatings. What can he possibly tell us that will make us believe anything will ever change other than he is selling the team? I for one miss those days and although I still proudly wear my Bills gear, here or anywhere else in the country, it's starting to become a tad bit embarrassing. Last year when I was in Vegas wearing my TO jersey, I was hearing about how pitiful the Bills are, but most of this was coming from Bills fans themselves. I am starting to believe that kids growing up nowadays, who aren't brainwashed by their parents, are rooting for teams that they see win regularly on TV. If I was 5 or 6 right now and wasn't influenced by someone as to who to root for, it sure as hell wouldn't be the Bills just because they are the "local" team. If I were growing up much closer to Buffalo itself, then I'm sure that would have more of an impact on whether I did or didn't choose the Bills for my team. It's really sad to see this once proud football hotbed circling the bowl right now. It's only a game, but it's also a passion for many people. Growing up in South Bufffalo everyone's father worked in steel mills, the railroad, the grain mills, Ford or Chevy... Worked hard all week and while on breaks talked Buffalo Bills, they couldn't wait for the weekends.. My first memory of the team was sitting in the living room and my grandfather and father watching the Bills on the old B&W Admirel TV... My Father saying,"Look at that SOB run!" He was talking about Carlton "Cookie" Gilchrist, the first man to gain 1,000 yards in the AFL... My grand dad was drinking a Simon Pure and my father a Black Label.. lol The city was thriving and so was it's football team.. The football team had it's down time but in 1969 we got to draft "The Juice"... Man I still remember watching him play for USC and thinking he is going to be a Buffalo Bill.. He came and went, gave us some fond memories and Lou Saban moved on for the second time... Chuck Knox flew into town and made us a contender once again.. A few years at the top with Cribbs, Freddy and Fergie but it didn't last long.. About that time the Steel mills started to lay people off, it wasn't a big deal because those mills weren't going anywhere!.. Steel workers were tough and used to strikes, layoff's and lock outs.. Time passed and the Mills did shut down but somehow having the Bills made you forget about your financial problems especially in the late 80's Marv Levy and company made me proud to be from Buffalo.. I moved out of the area by then because I had to find a job, but I was FROM BUFFALO! Had about a dozen years near the top and sure felt great.. It's been 10 years now, 1 winning season but not good enough for even a wildcard... My parents in Buffalo have passed away, the population of the city is about 1/3 of what it once was, the job market bleak.. But my beloved Buffalo Bills are still there and I still call it home.. It's been 30 plus years of job loss and population decline, an owner in his 90's and I watch the product that was on the field last week and I feel so helpless... I visited town a few weeks back, walked main Street from the Old Aud site to the Theater district.. I was shocked... Not a single department sore remained, Main Place Mall is just about empty, after seeing what my home town has become, I felt empty too.. I've seen what was once a Great American City become a shell of what it once was.. I've seen that City's Football Team Mirror what has happened to My Home Town... I'm sad, depressed and worried that my beloved Buffalo Bills will be playing football somewhere else soon... They will have to leave town just like I did to survive in this economy that we live in... OK.. I'm done venting, sorry if I offended anyone... I hope you can understand how I feel and what this team has meant to me... Thank You All
BillsPhan Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 I've been a die hard Bills fan for nearly 40 years....I think this all comes back to Ralph Wilson. He used to have one of the proudest franchises in the NFL, now he has the Red Headed Step Child of the NFL and doesn't seem to give a poop about it or the fans that have supported him throughout all those glory days as well as the sorry days.... It's not all Wilsons' fault. When the first lease to Rich Stadium came due in 1998, Ralph was way ahead of his time, telling all of WNY a new stadium was absolutely mandatory to remain competitive in the new world of unrestricted free agency and the salary cap. (And back in '98, that world was only about 4 years old.) He refused to buy it himself so he basically laid it all on us and our politicians to get it done. We got it done alright, as inexpensively as we possibly could, refurbishing the Ralph for around $165 Million instead of building a brand new sparkling downtown stadium. But Wilson accepted his "old-new" Ralph Wilson Stadium and his Bills Field House, and kept the team here. A few years later, the owners lost their minds with new stadium demands. Green Bay pumped in over $350 Million to refurbish Lambeau Field. Chicago spent over $600 Million to do the same with Soldier Field. Cincinnati came up with over $500 Million and built a new football and a new baseball stadium. A brand new stadium for New England, paid entirely by Bob Kraft the Pats owner. New digs out in Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, the huge $600 Million dollar palace in downtown Indy that could fit about 3 Hoosier Domes inside it went up. Even Kansas City is spending around $500 Million to refurbish Arrowhead. Pittsburgh has their new stadium. Oh and lest we forget, the two BILLION Dollar palaces, in Dallas and in the Meadowlands, are now up and running. So Ralph was almost the "pioneer" of the new stadium surge way back in 1998. Unfortunately, as ALWAYS, we in WNY were too damn short sighted to find the resources and build a new stadium right on the waterfront downtown - maybe even with a retractable roof. 1995 or '96 was the time to do it, just in time for the lease being up in '98. Wilson sat back and watched what we came up with, and we came up with "The Ralph", perfectly befitting our "red headed step child" of this new stadiumed NFL!
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