Bills fan turns into Pats fan wants back into Bills fandom

[Beerball]

Not to go all religious on anyone here (never been my style) but, like the prodigal son, we must embrace him and rejoice in his return to the fold. Forgive him for his transgressions. He just may end up being the greatest Bills fan of all time because he knows what it is to veer from the path of rightousness. He has sunk to the depths of evil and it is our solemn duty as Bills fans to cleanse his soul of the foul and putrid stench of that other team.

 

Perhaps a dip in a stadium urinal as a way of baptismal rebirth is in order.

 

Can I get an amen from the congregation?

 

GO BILLS!!!

We tried that with T-Bone. The results were disastrous plus I think he enjoyed the urinal dippage.

[BuffaloBilliever]

I'll make sure to bring him to a game this year Hirl, or at least meet up with you guys there. Seeming as how the last game of the season is with the Patsies, why not make him show up in a Pat's jersey? Dunno if he has one, but he could deck out in Bo-Sox, I know he has a ton of that.

[/dev/null]

No

 

The only acceptable scenario would be if a Bills fan relocated to an area with an NFL team and took that team as their new home team. Such a case would be a conflict of interest

 

Now if as I'm reading this thread, dude just woke up one day and decided to be a Pats* fan, and then woke up another day and decided he wanted to be a Bills fan, I say him

[stuckincincy]

$1,000 check payable to the Erie County General Fund...

[BUFFALOTONE]

As long as hes marked with a Scarlet * at everygame.

[rockpile]

Background History:

 

My friend grew up in Western New York as a Bills fan. His whole family roots for the Bills. Around 1993, he switched to rooting for the Patriots. He says because of Drew Bledsoe. This guy once sat in awe at the same table with Jim Kelly and Andre Reed for a midget football banquet at the Castle Inn in Olean. Now at the age of 26 he wants back into the Bills family. I say no but I want to hear the opinion of fellow Bills fans. Should he be allowed back into Bills fandom or did he sell his soul to the devil?

 

 

Screen name = WAFFLE

[Hirly5]

The Castle Inn? Where in WNY did he grow up?

 

I say no - stay on his bandwagon.

Olean

 

These are all great suggestions. I was thinking of a 1 year probation period. Also, the burning of some of the Pats gear that he has. He did burn a picture of Willis McGahee this past weekend so he is on the path back to recovery.

 

I have been roommates with him for 4 years now and 2 years in college so I have heard his Patriots garbage for awhile (I have lost many bets with him). He went to the Bills-Falcons game with me a few years back and did pull for the Bills. Our own poster, BuffaloBilliever, is his cousin so maybe he could shed some light on the issue. I think the change in heart can be sparked by his rooting for the Sabres and maybe he has seen the error in his ways for leaving the home town team.

[granitestatebillsbackers]

I've been a Bills fan since 1965 (age 5). Worked at Rich Stadium during high school ('75-'77) as part of the post-game cleanup crew so I could get into games for free. Moved to the heart of Patriots* "Nation" in 1985.

 

For many years, I was able to drive down to Foxboro on game days vs. the Bills, get great seats at the window, tailgate with my family and friends who came over from the Buffalo area, and sit with sheepish Pats* fans who would say things like, "That's a wicked good passah you have theah." You'd see the occasional Patriots jersey around, but it was really the Red Sox and Celts who owned Boston-area fandom.

 

Then the Pats* fortunes started to change, and I watched--dumbfounded--as hundreds of thousands of knuckleheads came out of the woodwork proclaiming their love for the Patriots*, Robert Graft and the Graft family.

 

I offer all this to make a point: this guy who wants to switch back seems sincere. While I hate all things Patriots* (except my father-in-law and brother-in-law, who are actually lifelong Pats* fans and whom I cannot blame for their mental illness) and would normally tell a reverse-bandwagon-jumper to go pound FieldTurf, I am feeling magnanimous today. Let him back in. Make him buy a couple hundred dollars worth of Bills stuff, and make him burn his Pats* gear in the hibachi at a Bills game.

[jarthur31]

In order to be a true Bills fan you don't have to make a choice. It's a passion that you have in your heart. Anyone that could "root" for another team doesn't have that passion. I don't care if my BROTHER was on the Patriots I wouldn't stop being a Bills fan. It's as simple as that.

 

Amen brother!

 

I'll give up the Bills if they move. But then again if Buffalo can keep the name and rebuild a new team I'll be back.

[SF Bills Fan]

He can if he demonstrates loyalty by killing a family member.

[KD in CA]

Background History:

 

My friend grew up in Western New York as a Bills fan. His whole family roots for the Bills. Around 1993, he switched to rooting for the Patriots. He says because of Drew Bledsoe. This guy once sat in awe at the same table with Jim Kelly and Andre Reed for a midget football banquet at the Castle Inn in Olean. Now at the age of 26 he wants back into the Bills family. I say no but I want to hear the opinion of fellow Bills fans. Should he be allowed back into Bills fandom or did he sell his soul to the devil?

 

I'm a little torn here. Did he bail because of the SB defeats? Probably. However, he did make his switch when the Bills were still good and the * sucked balls, so that's something in his favor. And he's looking to come back when the opposite is true. Of course, the Bills are on the upswing the the dyn*sty is about to fall, so....maybe he just has good timing. Hmmm.....ok, he can only come back if he comes here and posts his stock picks for the rest of the year.

[Catholic Guilt]

Olean

 

These are all great suggestions. I was thinking of a 1 year probation period. Also, the burning of some of the Pats gear that he has. He did burn a picture of Willis McGahee this past weekend so he is on the path back to recovery.

 

I have been roommates with him for 4 years now and 2 years in college so I have heard his Patriots garbage for awhile (I have lost many bets with him). He went to the Bills-Falcons game with me a few years back and did pull for the Bills. Our own poster, BuffaloBilliever, is his cousin so maybe he could shed some light on the issue. I think the change in heart can be sparked by his rooting for the Sabres and maybe he has seen the error in his ways for leaving the home town team.

I grew up in Allegany and there is no freaking way I'd let him root for the Bills again. His WNY card should be revolked and he should be taken to the Olean Center Mall where the townies can throw rotten eggs at him dressed in his Brady jersey. Oh yeah I live in Charlotte and have Panthers season tickets, but the Bills are still my team. SUCK IT Bandwagon turd burglar!

[BuffaloBilliever]

To reiterate my post beforehand Hirly (T), we should put him through some sort of shameful bashing, but I believe that Papa Young here would do that on his own...

 

To shed some light on the story, me and this Patsie fan come from a long line of Buffalo Bills diehards. My grandfather, grandmother, all of my uncles and one of my aunts (the other is a Dolphins fan... how bout them apples?), and all of my cousins are diehard Bills fans. My grandfathers basement is littered with Bills memorobilia, lined with almost every sign handed out by 550 in the 2001 season. For him to leave the family tradition was pretty... ungodly. But, it seemed that while we were all heavily intoxicated in Virginia Beach, we all accepted him back as a Bills fan.

 

I'll still make it hell on him, I know Hirly will still too, but we'll have to see what happens this season. In a family as close as ours, we all know that family comes first, and when that family is obsessed with the Bills, he knew when to come home.

[IDBillzFan]

I'm a little torn here. Did he bail because of the SB defeats? Probably. However, he did make his switch when the Bills were still good and the * sucked balls, so that's something in his favor. And he's looking to come back when the opposite is true. Of course, the Bills are on the upswing the the dyn*sty is about to fall, so....maybe he just has good timing. Hmmm.....ok, he can only come back if he comes here and posts his stock picks for the rest of the year.

That's why this is so bogus. He switched teams at the wrong time, and then wants to switch teams AGAIN at the wrong time???? I mean, face it. Any honest football fan knows that, right now, they're the team to beat in the AFC. When you cheat as long as the P*triots did, you know they still have a few more competitive years in them. And that means they probably have another Super Bowl in them. So why quit cheering for them now?

 

Only one of two possible reasons; either this is just someone having some offseason fun with everyone, or the dude is a total and complete !@#$ing moron.

 

Now, it's very possible that he's a complete !@#$ing moron because P*triot fans tend to be that way. But...he switched teams because of Bledsoe? Really? I'm surprised he wasn't tempted to come back when he heard Kelly Holcomb was our starter. Or better yet... If he became a P*triots fan because of Bledsoe, why didn't he jump back to the Bills when Bledsoe was traded to us?

 

And that brings back to our two possible reasons again.

[bills_fan]

Something about this just does not sit right with me.....but there is a way. It is fraught with danger and peril, it may make him question the man he is and he must face his fear...if he survives, then may he be considered a Bills fan. The steps to redemption must not be taken lightly nor by those who are unworthy of the quest. I will now detail his quest...should he accept the challenge and prevail...he shall be called...a Bills fan.

 

Step 1: Thou shalt not worship false gods. He must bring all that he owns bearing the likeness of the enemy to Ralph Wilson Stadium on 9/7/08. At the tailgate, he must set flame to any item bearing witness to the false gods. He shall also be demeaned and humiliated by those in attendance for his past transgressions (but no longer after 9/7/08, this is the cleansing). He shall not wear Bills colors yet, he has not yet earned the right. The ashes must be scattered along holy ground (otherwise known as the RV lot) to disperse the evil.

 

Step 2: The road to redemption. He shall choose a Bills road game between 9/7/08 and 11/2/08, the farther away the better. He shall make pilgramage to far off lands to cheer for the Bills. He shall drive or fly, purchase a ticket, and root for the Bills. He shall be permitted one Bills hat, no other adornment. He is not yet worthy.

 

Step 3: The homecoming. He shall attend a Bills home game between 9/7/08 and 11/2/08, after completing Step 2. He shall host the feast for his faithful friends who have accompanied him on this journey. It will be his responsibility to see that his friends are well-fed, well-drunk and get home safely. He shall be permitted a Bills hat and T-shirt or sweatshirt, no jersey.

 

Step 4: Meeting the enemy. He shall attend the Bills game on 11/9, in Foxboro. He will be encouraged to wear a jersey, Bills hat and get hammered. His friends shall see him through this treacherous part of the journey. He will openly display the contempt he has for his enemy. His friends shall rally around him and offer their support. he will denounce all association with the false *'s.

 

Step 5: Despair. After Step 4, anytime between 11/9 and 12/21, after a tough Bills loss, he shall offer condolences to all, proffering food and drink at a preferred location. The bill shall be his responsibility, he will wear no Bills adornment this night nor speak about the heartbreak, but observe the anguish of true believers.

 

Step 6: Redemption. After renouncing false gods in Step 1, making pilgramage in Step 2, welcoming people in Step 3, meeting the enemy in Step 4 and sharing despair in Step 5, he is ready. He has made a perilous journey...he is ready for redemption. He is ready to meet the enemy. He must attend the 12/28 game vs. the false gods. He must arrive first and estanblish the base. He must endeavor to ensure his friends are well fed and drunk and he must meet the enemy again, dressed in full Bills regalia, cheering loudly and espousing the virtues of Bills fandom. He shall lead the charge and emerge victorious.

 

Only then, shall he be called...a Bills fan....

[don_of_manhattan]

It is a personality issue - some people are just wishy washy. Look, the kid, even though he was eleven, is probably a fan of convenience. I think people like that never really enjoy the great victories, because their loyalty is not as strong and their emotions not as deep. It took me 26 years to get over SB XXV and root for the Giants in the most recent SB (of course the fact they stood in the way of a perfect season for the hated pats made it easier), but my emotions run deep for this team - perhaps his will never run as deep. Bottom line - let him in - he'll have to deal with his own commitment issues. ps - I made this sound way too serious.