Just in Atlanta Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 The Bills, and the Bills nation, are we to me. I spend my time, money and emotion on this team, as do most others. Without "us," the team would not exist. Other teams, and their fans, are "they" and I see no problem with that.
mrags Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 I get a lot of thank yous from people for my military service, but I want to thank YOU for making it possible for the Bills to remain in Buffalo. It is because of fans like you who are able to go to the home games that stir the drink, so to speak!!!!!!!!! No BmoreBills, thank you for service to this country. Allowing US to be able to enjoy the things WE all love. For those of you that miss HOME here is a few things to remind you how great this City is. Don't worry, it gets me all ready eyed too. I'm from Buffalo!. We eat chicken wings, not buffalo wings. Jack Kemp is a quarterback, not a politician. We drink Labatt Blue and love it. Mighty Taco always has preference over Taco Bell. Pop, not soda and Pepsi, not Coke. They are sneakers not tennis shoes. It's a sucker, not a lollipop. Bison Chip Dip, La Nova Pizzeria, Aunt Rosie's Loganberry, Chiavettas Chicken, Peter K's Potato Pancakes and Ted's Hot Dogs are all too familiar... not to forget Taffy's Shakes and Charlie the Butcher. A fake ID is unnecessary, there is always Canada. But we have them anyway. Our bars don't close until 4 AM, and we DO sell beer in a grocery store (Tops or Wegmans), which always makes for early starts and late nights. Jim's Steak Out at 4 in the morning is calling it an early night. We never cuss, but we swear entirely too much. We know that a 65 mph speed limit really means 80. We will cut you off, swear, and give you the finger if you are not keeping up AND do it all in the snow, while expecting nothing less in return. Driving in the snow not only comes naturally, it is fun. We know what ArtVoice and Nightlife are and we either love them or try to burn every copy we see. We start the weekends off right at Thursdays in the Square enjoying beer, free music, and an interesting crowd. We lived through Wide Right, The Forward Lateral, and No Goal. Dubbed by Dan Marino as "the meanest fans because no-one actually wants to live here." We all know he wouldn't stand one winter up here. We love the Bills (no matter what) and accept that it takes 2 - 4 hours to get home from a game. Nothing closes in 3 feet of snow or -20 windchills. In fact, that's how we prefer to tailgate. The 2001 Christmas Storm that dumped nearly 7ft of lake effect snow, we still think it's a mere 2nd to The Blizzard of '77. We can correctly pronounce, spell, and identify Chippewa, Scajaquada, Lackawanna, Cheektowaga, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Olean, Tonawanda and Gowanda without hesitation. When giving direction it's not " take I-90 to Route 33 east" it's "take the 90 to the 33 east"..."the" is not an option. We are less than 30 minutes from another country, one of the seven wonders of the world, and even a few beaches. It's the second largest city in New York. I AM FROM BUFFALO, a drinking town with a sports problem, and damn proud! I'm the one in the Kelly jersey at the 1:00 mark
NewEra Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 <br />Hah. I have successfully acomplished my goal here. While I do not fully support using we or us in reference to our team, I am, in effect, a hypocrite because I do it frequently enough myself. I am not a marginal fan. I am a newer bills fan, this is true, but I am not a fair weather fan. I have always liked the bills, but I do not treat myself as part of the team based upon the love I have for it. But, what I have done, is posted a question that brought true fans out of the woodwork. I sought an answer, and I have received it. Just wanted to see what kinda folks I was dealing with here. Kudos to all that took the bait.<br /> You said it yourself. You like the Bills, hence a marginal fan. I do not like the Bills. I LOVE the Bills. And that's putting it lightly. The same goes for the majority of the people that refer to the bills as WE. We ARE part of the team. Most definitely.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) If I have to explain it to you, you probably won't understand. Edited September 25, 2011 by San Jose Bills Fan
leh-nerd skin-erd Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 Hah. I have successfully acomplished my goal here. While I do not fully support using we or us in reference to our team, I am, in effect, a hypocrite because I do it frequently enough myself. I am not a marginal fan. I am a newer bills fan, this is true, but I am not a fair weather fan. I have always liked the bills, but I do not treat myself as part of the team based upon the love I have for it. But, what I have done, is posted a question that brought true fans out of the woodwork. I sought an answer, and I have received it. Just wanted to see what kinda folks I was dealing with here. Kudos to all that took the bait. I have a question. Why do you call yourself a hypocrite when you intentionally tired to trick people into answering your question? I see you as more of a trickster than a hypocrite. Or a cultural experimentationalist, given this was a science experiment of sorts. Either way, you crazy, girl.
SactoBillFan Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 I am a newer bills fan. What the hell is that?
The Senator Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 Like I said - either a troll, or a loon...or both. (Saw it right away - surprised there weren't more this week.)
EasternOHBillsFan Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 No BmoreBills, thank you for service to this country. Allowing US to be able to enjoy the things WE all love. There are a lot of us who wish they could go to Bills games and cannot because of where we live, and believe me I would be putting in for season tickets every year if I could, along with the Sabres. Without the fan support for those who can, there would be no teams. I've been to many road Bills games because they are easier to attend, but it is not the same when you are surrounded by fans of the other team!
Captain Hindsight Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 The Bills are a big part of my personal identity. I have invested so much of my time and money into this team that I feel I am a part of it.
Boludo Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 People say it because it's just short and easy to say and it's a common thing and they like to identify with their favorite teams. Don't be such a grammar nerd. You know what they mean when they say it, no one likes someone who gets all nit picky over stuff like this.
Pilsner Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 I have to pose a question here. Fans often use the word "us" and "we" when we talk about our favorite team. I personally have done this myself, but I fight it as much as I can. My issue is that I don't believe that we are part of the team exactly. Unless you are on the coaching staff, administrative staff, (GM and those above him and such) scouting staff, 53-man roster, reserve list, or practice squad, you are not officially part of the team by any means. Because of the seahawks retiring the #12 in favor of the fans being considered the 12th man, season ticket holders can make a case for being a factor for the team. Even before that of course, but the silent snap count (tapping the foot in the shotgun like john elway) has eliminated some of the issues of a loud crowd of cheering fans but false starts can still happen because of the noise blocking out the snap count. Nonetheless, they still arent actually apart of the team. Fans who go to 1 or 2 games a year or spend the season watching the games on tv surely dont have justification for saying "we" or "us." So my question is, why in the heck do so many fans say "us" or "we" in reference to their favorite team, such as " WE are going to beat the patriots," or "WE need to draft some solid defensive players," or "They won't beat US."? I've always been curious as to why this is said. Cuz if it's not "we" or "us" then y r we even here? We have to as fans feel as if we are a part of this team or culture. This is a question i would ask. but i'm too buzzed atm to. Good question tho!
Donald Duck Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 YE OLE has seen this question raised many times over the years, and inevitably there are a few people out there who just can't stand the people who refer to the team as "we" or "us" etc. I'm never sure why it sticks in the craw of some to such a large extent. As you say "The 12th Man" resides on the Wall of Fame and it's a certainty that fans do play a role in a team's success and failure. Especially in this new era of social media, the interactions between fans and players have increased infinitely. Take a look at the BillsMafia movement that has exploded on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TheBillsMafia This all stemmed from certain talking heads in the media continuing to dog Stevie Johnson after his drop against Pittsburgh. In this day and age, Chan's statement rings true, "You dog one of us, you dog all of us." I'm of the belief that fans have always had a big part in the team, but it's increasingly so in this new interactive world. Great Post, I was born in Buffalo and the Bills and Sabres are like a part of me...
Pilsner Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 It is not our team or we, it's MY team. Bowery, can u share ur team on Sundays?
SKRAAPY Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 Fans of every team in the NFL say "us" or "we" at one point or another. The difference is with teams like the Bills, Browns, and Packers, is that it feels like it has meaning. Thick and thin, we have a bond unlike any other with our football team.
Slackware Posted September 25, 2011 Author Posted September 25, 2011 I have a question. Why do you call yourself a hypocrite when you intentionally tired to trick people into answering your question? I see you as more of a trickster than a hypocrite. Or a cultural experimentationalist, given this was a science experiment of sorts. Either way, you crazy, girl. Only problem i have with that post is that I am not a girl but a diehard male football fan. My experiment has been thus far successful. I only did this cuz the official bills website forum was no longer accepting registration so i had to go somewhere. And I wanted to feel confident that whatever community i joined was not filled with "fair weather" fans. I call myself a new bills fan because my oldest bills memory was of Jim Kelly's retirement press conference when i was 7 years old. Sure, Ive watched every Nfl films presentation since the dawn of its existance, especially those focusing on the bills and niners, but Im only 22 and very unfortunate to not have seen the true glory days of either franchise.
#34fan Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) What? I'm not on the team? Yahh right, next you'll be telling me we didn't beat the Raiders last week. I dunno about anyone else, but I'm really proud of us. Question is, what's up with YOU? Edited September 25, 2011 by #34fan
Slackware Posted September 25, 2011 Author Posted September 25, 2011 What? I'm not on the team? Yahh right, next you'll be telling me we didn't beat the Raiders last week. I dunno about anyone else, but I'm really proud of us. Question is, what's wrong with YOU? Woah. I hope you were being sarcastic. Otherwise, you are exactly what is wrong with football fans. David Nelson and Ryan Fitzpatrick will tell you that we inspired them to do what they did but that is truly just a PR decision. truth is, we didnt beat the raiders. Ryan fitzpatrick throwing the game winner to nelson beat the raiders. We didnt do that they did.
BuckeyeBill Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 I would say I am a better Bills fan than some of the Bills players. 20 years from now I will be saying "we" when we win the Superbowl again. I will be jumping up and down, even though it will be a three peat... I doubt Trent Edwards or someone like that will be as excited!
Thud Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) I understand what you guys are getting at but just because you love the team, buy the apparel and go to the games as much as you can, doesnt make you apart of the team. It makes you a fan. There is a clear line and i dont believe that the existance of a football team is fully dependant upon the fans. There will always be fans. Having a football team is a good business decision. Wow. Slackware thinks too much. Anyone know who invented Buffalo Wings ? Cuz i will refer to him as US because I sure love me some wings. Edited September 25, 2011 by Thud
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