Parenting Lessons from Bills Fans who grew up during Super Bowl losses(article)

[BRH]

Subscribers can gift up to 10 articles a month. 
 

this is my gift to you all

 

when you speak of me, speak well

[schoolhouserock]

I was in elementary school during those years. I learned that the Bills would always be good. It is what first got me hooked on being a Bills fan. Little did I know…

 

Now I have nieces and nephews and little cousins and am taking this opportunity to teach them the same.

 

The hard learning will come whenever Allen retires.

[Marvin]

14 minutes ago, BRH said:

Subscribers can gift up to 10 articles a month. 
 

this is my gift to you all

 

when you speak of me, speak well

Thank you SO much.

[eball]

9 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/sports/football/buffalo-bills-fans-parents-kids.html

 

This is a fun read for those of us who grew up during the Super Bowl years.  There might be a paywall but I was able to read the entire article on my phone....it says you can sign up for a free account?  

 

Feel free to add your own lessons learned from the Super Bowl losses in this thread

 

Message we should all take near and dear to heart:  ENJOY THE RIDE

 

It’s pathetic hearing the fans who are already talking about the season being a failure if the Bills aren’t in the Super Bowl.

 

This is entertainment.  We’re all passionate fans, but life goes on.  Have fun.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by eball

[Saxum]

32 minutes ago, BRH said:

Subscribers can gift up to 10 articles a month. 
 

this is my gift to you all

 

when you speak of me, speak well

 

I subscribed once using an email I never used for anything else and had no emails for a year.

After I subscribed I regularly got spam mail from non-NYT  and each time I got email it would use spelling for name I supplied (not my real one and not a real person).

NYT uses emails to sell to junk mail companies.

 

The NYT ought to do investigative reporting on this practice bur editors would reject it since they use it themselves.

12 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Message we should all take near and dear to heart:  ENJOY THE RIDE

 

It’s pathetic hearing the fans who are already talking about the season being a failure if the Bills aren’t in the Super Bowl.

 

This is entertainment.  We’re all passionate fans, but life goes on.  Have fun.

 

Go Bills!

 

Some of the fans would be happier as Pat(hetic)s fans.

[BRH]

2 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

I subscribed once using an email I never used for anything else and had no emails for a year.

After I subscribed I regularly got spam mail from non-NYT  and each time I got email it would use spelling for name I supplied (not my real one and not a real person).

NYT uses emails to sell to junk mail companies.

 

The NYT ought to do investigative reporting on this practice bur editors would reject it since they use it themselves.

A simple “thank you” would have sufficed…

[Saxum]

8 minutes ago, BRH said:

A simple “thank you” would have sufficed…

 

 Thank you for taking the bullet.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Limeaid

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

During those SB years, they would do these huge features in the newspaper (D&C), with a huge photo of each player each day. I used to cut out those photos and hang them all over our basement.  
 

I remember right after that first SB loss, going down to the basement and putting up a piece of paper with the score on it

and date, and then writing Bills versus ______ (1991 SB) next to it for the next SB. I was so sure they would be back. 

[RyanC883]

Did not live in Buffalo then.  After the last SB loss, we moved to PGH.  Was 12.  steeler fans teasing me, they had not even been to a SB then in any of these kids lives.  Then they were suddenly good.  Was great watching Steelers lose to San Diego in AFC Champ game, eventually years later Steelers became my 2nd team. 

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

It's not if you win or lose

 

It's how you play the game

[astb41]

1 hour ago, BRH said:

Subscribers can gift up to 10 articles a month. 
 

this is my gift to you all

 

when you speak of me, speak well

Not all heroes wear capes 🍻

[Your Brown Eye]

17 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

During those SB years, they would do these huge features in the newspaper (D&C), with a huge photo of each player each day. I used to cut out those photos and hang them all over our basement.  
 

I remember right after that first SB loss, going down to the basement and putting up a piece of paper with the score on it

and date, and then writing Bills versus ______ (1991 SB) next to it for the next SB. I was so sure they would be back. 

 

Same...my mom would even take them to the PennySaver to get them laminated for me to hang in my bed room, I had a large collection of them

[HOUSE]

I was broke and so were my kids

All 4 years

Sad story....

[BillsPride12]

1 hour ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Yeah I was not much older than you, I was 14 that year. I remember being shocked and speechless just sitting there with my mouth dropped in disbelief for quite a few minutes. 

But at least on the bright side you were banging Carol Lambert around that time period 

[Stroke 17]

LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE GONE TO 3 OF THE 4 SUPER BOWLS. WATCHED THE FIRST ONE AT A  WHAT I THINK WAS A RADISSON HOTEL SOMEWHERE OUT BY THE AIRPORT. Bills lose and I wasn't the same for weeks.

 

Next year was in Minnesota, Bills lose but he hurt was a bit easier as I was there and enjoyed the experience. My kids stayed with grandparents and were upset with the result,

 

Next year off to Pasadena, kids with grandparents again. Bills lose again, bad and sad. Got back home 2 days later mother-in-law tells me the girls didn't want to go to school because their friends would pick on them about the Bills. (all Steelers fans in this area). Tried to make a change and explain its just a game, fun to root for a team. Enjoy the ride.

 

30 tears later and Bills inventing ways to lose games our happy Bills family still starved for that Super Bowl. Over the years I have apologized to them for the seasons of suffering.....but we are all in and now I have 5 grandkids all over the east coast proudly wearing their Bills colors. I am worried about their fandom futures but also so proud of all of them for keeping up the hope. 

 

11 of the 13 of us will be in town on Sunday at the game. Its a family affair.  GO BILLS!

[BillsPride12]

9 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I was broke and so were my kids

All 4 years

Sad story....

Lose all your money betting on the Bills to win those Super Bowls?

[Patrick Duffy]

4 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

But at least on the bright side you were banging Carol Lambert around that time period 

Yeah those were the good ol days long before ladies shaved off all the hair on their hot pockets

[HOUSE]

2 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

Lose all your money betting on the Bills to win those Super Bowls?

Nope, those damn football pools

[Stroke 17]

10 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I was broke and so were my kids

All 4 years

Sad story....

Those 4 years were just the beginning. So many heartbreaking losses in the last 30. 

 

Funny thing, in the Chuck Knox years with Fergy and Cribbs we made the playoffs, tore down goalposts, partied loke there was no tomorrow but the playoff losses didn't hurt so much. After those 2-14 seasons just having a winning season was a hell of a ride.

[BillsPride12]

6 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Nope, those damn football pools

I had a buddy who was running a restaurant back then.  He was running a Super Bowl pool for SB25 and Norwood's missed kick allowed his Dad to win $5K.  His Dad was still rooting for the Bills to win the Super Bowl even though he had that riding on the missed kick.  My buddy said he never seen somebody so pissed to win $5000 in his life before 😆