Re: Being a poor sport
I just wanted to share a quick update on the State of Buffalo Fan Behavior following the Bills' Sunday shellacking at the hands of the New England Patriots.
While I didn't go to the game, I know several people who did along with several travelers in town for the game. And while I hoped (and honestly believed) a fan base relatively accustomed to losing would handle defeat with a modicum of dignity, early word-of-mouth reports are telling me that's not the case.
Bearing in mind this is all hearsay, many people I spoke with said hometown fans became hostile as quickly as the game turned into a blowout. Several Patriots fans told me that while they were anticipating being heckled, they were surprised at the violent threats they received and decided to leave midway through the third quarter to avoid trouble.
Another Canadian gentleman I met, sporting no fan gear marking fandom either way, said when he stood up after Randy Moss' third touchdown catch, others around him threw beer cups and other trash while shouting at him. For standing up. To go to the bathroom. Seriously.
Now I know all this is hearsay, but I'd be willing to bet in the coming days that there will be news reports that will say either the volume or magnitude of drunken goonery was uncomfortably high. I really hope I'm wrong.
As a fan, I've been known to be boisterous and use colorful language, but there's a fine line between funny and being a jerk. I'm not saying entire stadiums should be G-rated, but I'd hate for a certain spelling-challenged Arizona commenter to be justified in calling us Buff-oooooons.
-Evan Parker Pierce
PS: I know I return taunts. The difference? These guns stay holstered.
