The Culture of Fear

I know with the loss last night against Ottawa, people are panicking, and worried. Just like usual around this town, when it comes to our sports teams. But I saw angry guys after the game yesterday. Angry is good. Angry gets you motivated the next time, angry makes you better. Angry makes you focused.

Worry makes you distracted. Worry makes you collapse. That is why I'm not worried about this team. They are going to make the playoffs. I could care less how they play right now. March and April are important. Ottawa is hot now, that's great, but let me see come April how they are playing and worry about them then. I have no time for panic. And its stress in my life that I can do without.

I feel this town worries too much about the sports teams. We have ZERO influence on the action of the game. The team wants to entertain the fans, sure, but winning is more important and how they do it should not matter. Just let things fall as they may and go from there. Maybe without worry, you'll fear you are not a good enough sports fan, and you aren't behind the team. What does it matter? Is Jason Pominville going to stay up at night, because Ralph from Depew isn't watching every minute and care about every win or loss?

Yes I know the Bills and Sabres have an effect on the Psyche of the town. As do most Sports teams. But I feel the feelings for the teams creep into everyday life. A can't do this or this won't happen or everybody is going to leave attitude. Can do attitude is as easy to find as a Panda in this town. And anyone that thinks they can do something or be successful is shot down and put down. It depresses me to no end. I know I'm guilty of it too.

But if I see another the Bills are moving, so who cares anyway comment. I'm going to scream. WNY has a inferiority complex the size of the Pacific Ocean. We aren't good enough, no one likes us, we're poor. blah blah blah. Doesn't mean we can't do what we want. But no one takes a chance, and without taking chances, you can't become a success, but then you can't also fail.

Buffalo: Too scared to succeed, too scared to fail.

I think we want our sports teams to be better then us. Take the chances and the heights we are too scared to go for. If they succeed then we succeed. And when they struggle, we worry. I think its time to take ourselves back from the close connection. I don't want the Bills to move because I love going to games, but in the back of my head, the Bills moving might be a good thing for the region as a whole. I don't think it will kill the region. Many places do well without NFL football.

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can make a comeback. The Bills are making us feel that we are bigger time then we are. There is nothing wrong with being a small city. With the right leaders and the right ideas, we can turn the region into a very nice place to live and work. And worrying about our local sports teams is the first thing that has to go. The lose, big deal, they move? Big deal. What about jobs, what about schools, what about safety. Deal with those first, then worry about if the Sabres can win a cup.

A stanley cup isn't going to bring jobs to Buffalo.

The Lombardi Trophy, isn't going to stop the snow jokes.

All they do is provide us with some entertainment, and a little bit of joy our team won. But nothing else.

Let the fear lose its grip and success will follow I believe that.

The Sabres believe that too.