Being a Fan
The world of Sabres fandom is a difficult world at best in which to live right now. Like everything in life, there are divergent views on how a “true fan” supports a team.
One side argues that a “true fan” doesn’t support mediocrity. That we vote with our wallets and demand better from the Sabres, forcing them to improve the team lest they be deprived of our money. There are many “fans” who say they won’t spend another dollar on the Sabres until they “commit” to building a “winner.” In other words, if it isn’t the Sabres of 2007, they won’t go to a game.
The other side argues that a “true fan” sticks with his team through thick and thin, and supports them through any stretch. Management blunders, bad coaches, indifferent players or players lacking in skill; it matters not. Your team is your team, and if you can afford it, you show up.
I think you know the camp to which I belong.
Two recent events got me to thinking about these diametric points of view.
First, Kate from The Willful Caboose finally got her number called after being on the season ticket waiting list for two years, and she will now be my neighbor. She considers herself to be fortunate:
I’m proud to have these tickets. I’m proud that I sat on a list and waited for these seats. I’m proud that I still wanted season tickets after watching two relatively dreary seasons. I’m proud that I’ll have my own little territory in the arena. I’m proud that I’m financially organized enough to pay for season tickets. I’m proud that I’ll have season ticket neighbors (Hi, Kevin!). I’m proud that I found a fun way to propel myself through the long Buffalo winters. I’m proud that I turned myself into a Buffalonian. I’m proud to be a Sabres fan.
Some people simply will not understand that viewpoint. I’ve taken an informal oath to lay off the daily badgering of a couple of Buffalo News sportswriters and their sometimes frequent constant disdain for the fans who dare remain supporters of their team(s), despite the writers attempts to “educate” us to the contrary.
Which brings me to the second thing that set me to pondering these views…
While driving into work this morning I heard a replay of Jerry Sullivan appearing on WGR with Mike Schopp yesterday. He was talking about a trip he made to see the St. Louis Cardinals play late in the year, and he was gushing about the fans. To paraphrase, he spoke about how the Cards were out of the playoff race, and yet the park was full of die-hard fans. He spoke to many of them, who said they were proud Cardinals fans and proud baseball fans, so of course they were at the game. I cannot state enough the high regard he had for the Cardinals fans – he was gushing.
So why is it right for them but not right for us, as Sabres fans and proud hockey fans, to support our team when times are tough?
If I were to ask you about the fans of the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild, what would your initial thoughts be? My first is “loyal.” And if you asked any hockey beat writer they would likely say the same thing, and would probably talk about those fan bases as among the best in the NHL. And when was the last time either of them won the Cup?
I’m happy for Kate and her new season tickets. It says a lot when a fan is willing to put their money where their fandom is. It’s the ultimate gesture that a fan of a team can make, and although there are many, many fans who I am sure would love to have season tickets but can’t for financial and personal reasons, I am always impressed by the dedication of some folks who work to overcome those obstacles and commit to 41 games per year. Season ticket holders are the lifeblood of hockey teams, and I think that’s where Kate’s sense of pride comes into play – her committing is helping the Sabres in a way that that not many other people can.
I’m always put off when the guy who gets in to the Arena for free questions how I choose to spend my money as a fan.
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I am on the third side of the fan argument. After seeing the Sabres go 3-14 in the games I went to last year, I should rationally be looking for another way to spend my money (although I really only paid for two seats to 11 of those games). I’ll be back this year, though, because I’m a fan of the event which is the game. Every game is an event I look forward to whether its going with one of my sons, a friend, or even my wife (yes, Kev, I enjoy going to the game with my wife).
Was I pissed after half-assed efforts against the Sens, the Predators, the Blue Jackets or whatever team the Sabres decided to ice dance against for a given evening? Sure I was. But I got over it and was generally back in the arena within a week with hope and Blue Light springing eternal. Did the Sabres let me down again? Sure they did, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of a good time.
Unfortunately, I don’t see anything noble or proud about my support of the Sabres. I see it as what else is there to do in the dead of winter in Buffalo just as what else is there to do during the summer in St. Louis?
Hey, I enjoy taking the wife to a game every now and then. I try to arrange for her to make it at least once every couple years!
Good post, Kevin. I was a little baffled by the pride that I felt yesterday, and I had a difficult time explaining it in my post. Thanks for writing this because it says some of the things that I was struggling to articulate yesterday. It’s weird to find myself simultaneously grossed out by the Sabres and thrilled to buy season tickets, but the way I see it, the Sabres current suckitude is the reason I got my tickets now and not in five years. (Thanks for canceling in droves, guys!)
Obviously there is a lot about the arena experience that I value, even when the team sucks, but it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that love so much. We can make lots of jokes about the big beers (and I certainly love those), but it’s definitely more than that.
I’m so happy that we’re seat neighbors!
I think I fall somewhere in between Kevin and Trey. I think it’s important to support your team through thick and thin. Isn’t everyone else just a bandwagonjumper? but morethan anything, I just like to go. Having my kid high five me when Vanek stuffs one home or yell “Hey Dad, That was a holy Zhitnik” when Spacho blastsed one five feet wide is what its all about. Oh and the big beers too.
Kevin, great post. I don’t really have much to add. I have no problem with fans boycotting if they really have a problem with how the team is being managed/run but I think there’s something special about fans who plug away no matter what. Lord knows I expect a special crown in heaven for still identifying myself as a Pirates fan after all these years.
I guess I haven’t been jumping all over about finally making it off the waiting list because I know in order to make the cost somewhat feasible I’m going to sell some (hoping people are not all talk and no follow though)and auction a few more seats via stubhub or ebay, and I’m really not familiar with the whole thing. I’ll learn.
Then again, maybe it hasn’t sunk in yet. So yes, thanks to all those who made season tickets for this household possible!
Go Sabres!
@4 – I think I was where you are before I saw the Sabres go 3-14 this past season. Now all I have is my apathy to protect me.
@5 – There’s a very special crown in heaven for Pirates fans that is even more special if you happen to call yourself a fan of the current Bisons.
I’m not sure any crown is worth adding the current Bisons on top of the Pirates. Though I have gone to more Bisons game this year than the last few years combined so maybe I just have an affinity for bad baseball.
Becky, congrats to you too!
Heather! Another Pirates fan…yay! Maybe they’ll at least have a .500 season once in our lifetimes.
There is some nuance to Sully’s point about the Cardinals. They are a franchise with a tradition of winning, respect for their fans, and they put a quality product on the field every year. They always give the impression that winning is the goal, not breaking even. Fans of the Cardinals also never sit and wonder when their owner will ultimately fuck them over by pulling the team away.
On the other hand, I quite honestly believe that the Bills don’t care about winning a Super Bowl. I don’t think they really give a shit about their fans beyond what they can get from their wallets. I don’t think Ralph Wilson cares about this community or he would have put the region at ease by announcing some plan to keep the team here after he dies. I think they are content to put a mediocre product on the field and make a small profit each year. To that end, I won’t give the team my money. I know people like the event atmosphere of going to the games and watching quality football (usually being played by the the Bills opponent), so I don’t judge. I just know that I won’t support it with my hard earned money because they don’t seem interested in rewarding me with a quality product.
I do wonder why we’ve come to conflate the ambivalence of the Bills with the Sabres. We might not like Darcy Regier or Larry Quinn, but I’ve never wondered allowed if they were committed to putting a quality product on the ice or if their ultimate goal was winning a Cup. I think it’s very clear that they want to win. Not liking the way Regier is going about accomplishing those goals and thinking that he doesn’t care are two different things. Perhaps people are confused on that point.
Great post, Kevin, and great post, Kate.
All I can add is that I wish I was living back home so I could buy season tickets, too. I’m jealous, truth be told, and not just because of the big beers, delicious though they are. I know that proud feeling. It’s a big commitment, and it means that you love the game, you love the team, and you love the town. And hell, it’s just fun.
Now despite living 500 miles away from the Ralph, I have Bills season tickets – but that’s different, because 7 and $270 are smaller numbers than 41/$861. Besides, my fiancee puts up with enough as it is. (She likes to remind me that I watched 76 Sabres games in our living room last year. Of the remaining 6, I attended three and missed three.) So until I move back home, it’ll be another year of Center Ice for me.
Side note: Anyone know when the schedule comes out? Only game I saw in Buffalo last year was that meltdown against Atlanta. Shudder.
The schedule should actually be coming out pretty soon – it’s always in July.
And yeah, I’m among those who would own seasons if I lived in Buffalo. Even so, I’ve thought about putting my name on the list anyways, going to 5-10 games, and selling the rest. I go to 5 or 6 games a year living in Rochester. Any more is kind of a big deal for me, because I don’t have the financial wherewithal to do so. I’m not going to stop going to games though, and I’m going to find a way to go to those 5 games a year, win or lose, bad management, bad players, or anything else.
Kev, I think you did a damn good job with showing the desire of the STH’s without demeaning those who don’t or just can’t. I can’t, but I’m not offended, not in the least.
And one other thing – TBN has now opened up comments in their online articles. It’s now open season on Bucky, for those who actually listen to what he has to say and don’t just laugh it off.
Just looked it up – next Wednesday 7/15 for the schedule.
I’ll always be a sabres fan – hell, I inked the fucking logo onto my shoulder blade in ‘99 knowing full well I probably Trevor-Lucked ‘em – and the only thing I really care about is the team giving an honest effort. Sad to say we can’t say that’s what we’ve been getting from the players, at least, on a consistent basis for the past couple years. And then there’s always the debate as to what the root cause of that is.
But I will always go to any sabres game I can – as long as I can score free tickets.
Thanks Matt!
Congrats to those who waited for their chance at season tickets. I’ve been an Amerks fan since I was a little girl and a Sabres fan long before they had Rochester as their farm team and it was fun to watch a lot of the current Sabres learn how to play the game in Rochester. I signed up for the mini-packs when they started, and as long as I can afford it, I’ll continue to drive up from Rochester to see a few Sabres games each year. My hockey buddies in Buffalo keep me in mind when they have extra tickets as well. (If the LA Kings come back this year, then I will have seen the Sabres play against every NHL team.) All I hope for when I come to see a game in person is for this team to show some effort, heart, grit, etc. during each shift in every period in every game.
Vogl article today says Max has “departed” though I can’t find evidence anywhere. Anyone know about this?
Lulu – I just saw that too and was coming here with the same question. When did that happen? I hope they got something for him and didn’t just release him.
#17 + #18
I remember asking “Sully” in one of those live TBN chats what he saw in his crystal ball for Max.
He responded by saying Max had sold his waterfront place and moved out.
So it sounded like he thought he was leaving the team, but no further specifics. Like to know more about this too.
I saw that comment this morning; Max along w/ Moore & Ellis… I did the look around and found nothing as well. Maybe it’s back to Europe for Max??? I also believe Dominic Moore is asking too much for his services, the “cash in” days maybe long gone for marginal talent.
Can’t get something for a player not under contract wolf.
Max could sell a house in this economy – in BUFFALO no less – but couldn’t manage to score any fucking goals??
Very good post, Kevin. What a concept, enjoying watching hockey games.