Sabres' brass LOVES Leafs fans at FNC

[darksabre]

Again, the idea of outrage over the statement "We love Leaf fans" is childish. Especially in the context of Gilbert's role in charge of community relations. Absurd, really. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

I disagree. It's not absurd at all. 

[PromoTheRobot]

I disagree. It's not absurd at all.

It's beyond absurd.

[darksabre]

It's beyond absurd.

It's really not. A representative of the team is welcoming opposing teams fans. On the face it seems mundane, but to some it might not be. Just because you don't think so doesn't mean it should be easily dismissed. 

[K-9]

The latter question. And I don't think the answer is obvious. 

It's obvious because it is wholly attributable to the psychology of fans who identify as "long suffering" which makes it easy to find insult and injury where it doesn't exist and never has. Some fans take the word "rivalry" far too seriously. These are the kind of fans who would actually have preferred Gilbert to say, "We hate Leafs fans" just because their own hatred of the Leafs is so intense.

 

Think of how stupid that is. Really. 

 

On any point of the spectrum between the universal code of hospitality to good sportsmanship, it is a childish attitude. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[PromoTheRobot]

It's really not. A representative of the team is welcoming opposing teams fans. On the face it seems mundane, but to some it might not be. Just because you don't think so doesn't mean it should be easily dismissed.

It's absurd when you consider the local fans are not filling the arena. If it weren't for out of town fans there would be under 10K most nights.

 

So now it's not enough for our owner to keep the team here and spend freely on players and coaches, and invest in development that is jump starting our long-moribund downtown. Now he's expected to eat half the seats at the FNC and hiss at out of town fans to satisfy some ideological purity a small core of extremists believe should exist.

 

Take a step back and look at yourselves.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

So, now if a poster has a different point of view than some others it's *childish*.

[Claude_Verret]

And this is where I think frequency matters. There's a difference between musing about a shoe yet to drop, and connecting every dot in the known universe looking for said shoe. The latter is what grates on people IMO.

Yep, confirmation bias gone so awry that a "Pegula/sabres bad" nugget can be found in just about anything....like an innocuous travel puff piece for example.

[That Aud Smell]

Welcoming fans of all hockey stripes is part of the equation, regardless of the misguided and naive notion that by doing so, the Sabres are not being loyal to their fan base. It's a childish notion, actually. 

 

No it's not. YOU ARE.  ... TIMES A MILLION JILLION. JINX DOUBLE JINX NO TAKE BACKS.

 

Please don't confuse healthy debate with paranoid delusion. There comes a point where all you are doing is looking for the monsters you are convinced are in your closet. Rather than accept the obvious evidence of no monsters, you construct outlandish yet barely plausible explanations why the monsters are really there.

 

Much of this behavior comes from a kind of "battered fan syndrome," where after years of bad management and outright criminal behavior, and vultures circling both pro franchises, we cannot accept it when fortune actually smiles on us.

 

Our benevolent owner is no longer acceptable. Their machinations are not trusted. He/she must now meet some level of unattainable purity, one that constantly shifts with the whim of certain "guardians of thought" who divine evidence of skullduggery in the most innocent transactions.

 

Hmm. Maybe. That may be the case. But I'm a reasonable and naturally skeptical person (#knowthyself). And I think this is a legitimate area of inquiry and discussion. Once upon a time, Brandon orchestrated a series of Bills games in Toronto. He's proven to be something of a marvel of maximizing revenues in one of pro sports' smallest and poorest markets. Might the courting of out of town fans be part of his master plan?

 

It's not tinfoil hat stuff. It's also not the end of the world, if true. It's just interesting.

[K-9]

So, now if a poster has a different point of view than some others it's *childish*.

Please don't get carried away here. 

 

In the context of this thread and the question posed, the idea of not being welcoming to opposing fans is a childish response. 

 

If you choose to make that mean more than I really intend, feel free. But it is not an insult on my behalf. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

No it's not. YOU ARE.  ... TIMES A MILLION JILLION. JINX DOUBLE JINX NO TAKE BACKS.

 

LOL! 

 

I DEMAND THAT THE SABRES FRONT OFFICE HATE LEAFS FANS AS MUCH AS I DO!!! 

[PromoTheRobot]

No it's not. YOU ARE. ... TIMES A MILLION JILLION. JINX DOUBLE JINX NO TAKE BACKS.

 

 

Hmm. Maybe. That may be the case. But I'm a reasonable and naturally skeptical person (#knowthyself). And I think this is a legitimate area of inquiry and discussion. Once upon a time, Brandon orchestrated a series of Bills games in Toronto. He's proven to be something of a marvel of maximizing revenues in one of pro sports' smallest and poorest markets. Might the courting of out of town fans be part of his master plan?

 

It's not tinfoil hat stuff. It's also not the end of the world, if true. It's just interesting.

Maybe Terry & Kim can sell the Sabres to Donald Trump who can then build a wall around the FNC and make Leafs fans pay for it?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Again, I have no issue with the Sabres marketing themselves and Buffalo to out of town fans.  My preference is that they target publicly out of town SABRE fans, not openly target opposition fans.

 

It just smacks of money making and takes away from the owners statement that it's all about cup(s).

[K-9]

Hmm. Maybe. That may be the case. But I'm a reasonable and naturally skeptical person (#knowthyself). And I think this is a legitimate area of inquiry and discussion. Once upon a time, Brandon orchestrated a series of Bills games in Toronto. He's proven to be something of a marvel of maximizing revenues in one of pro sports' smallest and poorest markets. Might the courting of out of town fans be part of his master plan?

 

It's not tinfoil hat stuff. It's also not the end of the world, if true. It's just interesting.

How dare that Russ Brandon be good at his job in sports marketing. 

 

Still not seeing how Gilbert's response to an out of town reporter's questions for a travel piece is "courting" or that Brandon had anything to do with it. Just glad the tinfoil is till in the drawer. Imagine if it wasn't!

 

GO SABRES!!!

Edited February 2, 2016 by K-9

[Sabres Fan in NS]

----

 

K9,

 

If it's not an insult then why use an insulting term.  Please choose your words more carefully.

[darksabre]

It's obvious because it is wholly attributable to the psychology of fans who identify as "long suffering" which makes it easy to find insult and injury where it doesn't exist and never has. Some fans take the word "rivalry" far too seriously. These are the kind of fans who would actually have preferred Gilbert to say, "We hate Leafs fans" just because their own hatred of the Leafs is so intense.

 

Think of how stupid that is. Really. 

 

On any point of the spectrum between the universal code of hospitality to good sportsmanship, it is a childish attitude. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

I'm not seeing what is stupid. Sports inherently provoke emotional attachment. Fans are encouraged to be passionate and even to hate other fan bases in the context of the sport. The vitriol around the Patriots comes to mind. People don't just hate the Pats because they're an opposing team. They hate them for real. Childish? I'm not so sure. But if you want to dismiss "passion" and the ways it is expressed, you're going to have to justify that.

 

 

It's absurd when you consider the local fans are not filling the arena. If it weren't for out of town fans there would be under 10K most nights.

 

So now it's not enough for our owner to keep the team here and spend freely on players and coaches, and invest in development that is jump starting our long-moribund downtown. Now he's expected to eat half the seats at the FNC and hiss at out of town fans to satisfy some ideological purity a small core of extremists believe should exist.

 

Take a step back and look at yourselves.

You call it absurd and then you provide a logical counter. Clearly you're considering the logic of the argument you're countering. That on the face makes the opposing argument decidedly not absurd. 

[qwksndmonster]

I don't believe that Pegula has any goals other than winning a cup. The team is still bad and his long term planning (tank FTL and eventually hopefully FTW) hasn't yet paid off. Even if Pegula only cared about the bottom line, winning a cup is still the best way to make truckloads of money from his investment.

 

It does speak to a certain tone-deafness to have a Sabres rep saying "We love Leaf fans." In fact, our marketing in general has been pretty tone deaf from #blueprint to the twitter feed.

[darksabre]

I don't believe that Pegula has any goals other than winning a cup. The team is still bad and his long term planning (tank FTL and eventually hopefully FTW) hasn't yet paid off. Even if Pegula only cared about the bottom line, winning a cup is still the best way to make truckloads of money from his investment.

 

It does speak to a certain tone-deafness to have a Sabres rep saying "We love Leaf fans." In fact, our marketing in general has been pretty tone deaf from #blueprint to the twitter feed.

Tone-deaf is a common refrain when criticizing the Sabres. And I think it's valid. 

[K-9]

----

 

K9,

 

If it's not an insult then why use an insulting term.  Please choose your words more carefully.

What term would you prefer? Would naive be better? 

 

Sorry, but the idea of hating opposing fans is childish. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Sabres Fan in NS]

What term would you prefer? Would naive be better? 

 

Sorry, but the idea of hating opposing fans is childish. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

It seems that this is where we have the disconnect ... I don't hate the opposing fans.

[SDS]

And also an interesting observation.  Posters can go into hysterical fits on and off for months and not get so much as a firm PM to behave until they'e littered a thread with profanities, but question whether courting rival fans is consistent with a stated desire to win big and you get threatened with the ban hammer.  i don't get it.

 

Is it interesting? Have you ever been critical of Sabres management? Have you ever been warned?

 

I wonder what percentage of posters here have been critical - even highly critical of the Sabres management in the last 10 years...? If you told me it was close to 100% I would believe it.

 

How many people do you think were warned for doing so? If you told me 2 - I would believe that too. 100,000's posts and I bet that number comes in at 2-3. So, if you find that interesting, well you're an odd duck.

Again, I have no issue with the Sabres marketing themselves and Buffalo to out of town fans.  My preference is that they target publicly out of town SABRE fans, not openly target opposition fans.

 

It just smacks of money making and takes away from the owners statement that it's all about cup(s).

 

What smacks of money making?

 

----

 

K9,

 

If it's not an insult then why use an insulting term.  Please choose your words more carefully.

 

Do you mean like Pegulaville?

[K-9]

I'm not seeing what is stupid. Sports inherently provoke emotional attachment. Fans are encouraged to be passionate and even to hate other fan bases in the context of the sport. The vitriol around the Patriots comes to mind. People don't just hate the Pats because they're an opposing team. They hate them for real. Childish? I'm not so sure. But if you want to dismiss "passion" and the ways it is expressed, you're going to have to justify that. 

I have to justify why hatred for fans of opposing teams that play a phucking GAME is childish? Really? 

 

Consider the "passion" you use to justify it summarily dismissed. 

 

I'm out. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

[darksabre]

I have to justify why hatred for fans of opposing teams that play a phucking GAME is childish? Really? 

 

Consider the "passion" you use to justify it summarily dismissed. 

 

I'm out. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

I think you're discounting a lot of what goes into making sports popular. The "purpose" of sports is not a universally defined concept. And it certainly influences how people view fanhood, loyalty, etc. What you see as childish might in fact be childish, but that is based on your definition of the purpose of sports. Give some thought to it. It's important.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

 

What smacks of money making?

 

 

Do you mean like Pegulaville?

 

They seem to be focusing on selling tickets to whomever and all that jazz to a certain market and fan.  This looks to me like they are concerned about losing money, when the owner said if he wanted to make more money he would drill another well.

 

I have never used the term Pegulaville.

[musichunch]

It's really not. A representative of the team is welcoming opposing teams fans. On the face it seems mundane, but to some it might not be. Just because you don't think so doesn't mean it should be easily dismissed. 

 

Russ Brandon has never struck me as a guy who actually even likes sports. He's reached a very high point in an ultra-competitive industry. 

 

Look I used to work in marketing. One of the quickest way to get yourself ingratiating with the guys on top is to find a way to increase the bottom line at any costs. If you need to screw over your customers to do it, the question you ask is "would we get away with it?" and not "are we being loyal?". 

 

So I get it. And I get that Brandon probably knows as much about hockey as my mother and needs to prove himself ASAP. But where the hell is Pegula in all of this? The billionaire who got the city to spread it's legs over a tearful press conference. His actions with the Sabres since he purchased the Bills have been far different from his words that day. 

 

I think PA sensed a phoniness. Ghost mentioned his concern for the city to me before he got banned. The Pegula/Bills press conference told me all I need to know about how Pegula truly feels about the Sabres. Like dating the average looking girl in order to get with her hotter friend. Slick, but messed up. 

 

Is it interesting? Have you ever been critical of Sabres management? Have you ever been warned?

 

I wonder what percentage of posters here have been critical - even highly critical of the Sabres management in the last 10 years...? If you told me it was close to 100% I would believe it.

 

How many people do you think were warned for doing so? If you told me 2 - I would believe that too. 100,000's posts and I bet that number comes in at 2-3. So, if you find that interesting, well you're an odd duck.

 

There's something fishy going on here and some posters are beginning to sniff it out. Warning PA seems to me to be part of a slow plan to get rid of the "trolls" and turn this forum into pure conformity. Something similar has been happening on TBD. 

 

At the very least the mods don't like people criticizing ownership if the reason isn't "valid". To which I say, why would the mods care if they have no interests tied up with One Buffalo? I understand getting annoyed. But warning long-time posters who seem genuine about their concerns? Fishy fishy fishy. 

[PromoTheRobot]

I'm not seeing what is stupid. Sports inherently provoke emotional attachment. Fans are encouraged to be passionate and even to hate other fan bases in the context of the sport. The vitriol around the Patriots comes to mind. People don't just hate the Pats because they're an opposing team. They hate them for real. Childish? I'm not so sure. But if you want to dismiss "passion" and the ways it is expressed, you're going to have to justify that.

 

 

You call it absurd and then you provide a logical counter. Clearly you're considering the logic of the argument you're countering. That on the face makes the opposing argument decidedly not absurd. 

Wrapping a turd in a flour tortilla doesn't make it more edible. Wrapping my logic around your argument doesn't magically make it valid.

[SwampD]

I have to justify why hatred for fans of opposing teams that play a phucking GAME is childish? Really? 

 

Consider the "passion" you use to justify it summarily dismissed. 

 

I'm out. 

 

GO SABRES!!!

I would bet that the people who have created a billion+ dollar industry on a game are glad that many fans have a childish passion for it.