Posters who became fans during the drought—why?

[#freejame]

Thread is in the title. 

[steveoath]

Just “discovered” hockey. Wanted east coast team to follow as I could see some of the games live. Sabres were about to pick Dahlin. Looked like the only way was onward and upward. Jerseys are nice too. 

[Kr632]

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, steveoath said:

Just “discovered” hockey. Wanted east coast team to follow as I could see some of the games live. Sabres were about to pick Dahlin. Looked like the only way was onward and upward. Jerseys are nice too. 

 

22 minutes ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

If you aren’t sentenced to life with this god forsaken team, use your get out of jail free card and go root for the Bruins like Ullmark’s buddy did.  

[Stoner]

25 minutes ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

[Buffalonill]

40 minutes ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

 

[bunomatic]

1 hour ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

Well you picked the right team. Its a perpetual rebuild.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

This is a rather unique approach to fandom.  Good on you.

[Demoted]

B.c I always listen to WGR550 for my Bills news and I picked up the Sabres from that.

[BMWR100RT]

This thread is fascinating. My mid 20's kids all had Briere, Drury and Miller jerseys and I took them to games throughout the first 10 years of the drought. Then I noticed they didn't want to go anymore and claimed the Sabres always put me in a bad mood. I'm sorry I ruined them. I took my son to the Devin Levy debut against the Rangers and thought I was getting him back. He poked his head in last night and said "Dad, how do you watch this "S##$3!" 

I would ask that of any new fans. We don't even have RJ to sugarcoat this turd. 

[inkman]

Because they got tired of doing this apparently 

[shrader]

Do we really need threads where the clear intention is to ridicule people?

[#freejame]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

Do we really need threads where the clear intention is to ridicule people?

It’s my thread and I’m not ridiculing anyone. I must have missed my own memo. 

[Thorner]

11 hours ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

This is a rather unique approach to fandom.  Good on you.

It’s a candid, and believable approach, too. Don’t see it as disingenuous at all as maybe alluded to in thread. I’ve mentioned this before (usually when people say, “what do you think this is, a video game?” in response to asking the GM to make moves), that I’ve suspected some (actually a lot of people) just prefer what I term the actual video game, the Online GM Simulator mode where we analyze prospects, figure out the long term cap sheet, etc etc.

Not trying to clown that approach at all: it’s more likely to lead to satisfaction if that’s one’s M.O. Same reason I’ve opined that being a “hater” of a team actually has intrinsic logical value: that team is mathematically extremely likely to not win the Cup every year. You can get a lot of mileage from just rooting against rather than for. Being a sports fan(atic) is indisputably illogical and in the end we only have ourselves to blame for continually “purchasing” a product we don’t like 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Thorny

[PerreaultForever]

8 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s a candid, and believable approach, too. Don’t see it as disingenuous at all as maybe alluded to in thread. I’ve mentioned this before (usually when people say, “what do you think this is, a video game?” in response to asking the GM to make moves), that I’ve suspected some (actually a lot of people) just prefer what I term the actual video game, the Online GM Simulator mode where we analyze prospects, figure out the long term cap sheet, etc etc.

Not trying to clown that approach at all: it’s more likely to lead to satisfaction if that’s one’s M.O. Same reason I’ve opined that being a “hater” of a team actually has intrinsic logical value: that team is mathematically extremely likely to not win the Cup every year. You can get a lot of mileage from just rooting against rather than for. Being a sports fan(atic) is indisputably illogical and in the end we only have ourselves to blame for continually “purchasing” a product we don’t like 

Which is why I need 2nd, 3rd, even 4th teams to root for. 

I cannot imagine what it must be like for someone who only likes the Sabres over this last decade. That has to be absolutely brutal. 

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, PerreaultForever said:

Which is why I need 2nd, 3rd, even 4th teams to root for. 

I cannot imagine what it must be like for someone who only likes the Sabres over this last decade. That has to be absolutely brutal. 

I wish I could do that. But for me, my first love wasn’t hockey. My first love was the Buffalo Sabres. They introduced me to the game, not the other way around. I’ve been a fan literally longer than I can remember because of my dad: there was no choice. I don’t really give a sh*t about hockey, truly, beyond the Buffalo Sabres. And that’s me being candid 

[Thorner]

To answer your question: what it feels like most succinctly…I’d imagine it’s what Gollum would have felt, if he was a real person (and we allow for a to-sports conversion)

You hate it, you love it. But your destiny is entirely entwined within it - I don’t feel I have the ability to step away even if I wanted to 

I’ve poured so much into them over such a long time - there’s no going back. To lose them would be to lose a big part of myself

Edited December 7, 2023 by Thorny

[PerreaultForever]

17 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I wish I could do that. But for me, my first love wasn’t hockey. My first love was the Buffalo Sabres. They introduced me to the game, not the other way around. I’ve been a fan literally longer than I can remember because of my dad: there was no choice. I don’t really give a sh*t about hockey, truly, beyond the Buffalo Sabres. And that’s me being candid 

Ya, that would be a difference. I played hockey and love hockey. If Buffalo disappeared tomorrow I could move on. I've stuck with the team since the French Connection days as my number one team but I've managed to stay sane rooting for Boston and others over this time period as well. Managed to have some enjoyable highs that way along with the constant lows. 

Local residents who cheer local obviously have a harder time with things. I get that. I'd still have a B or C team though, even if I did live in Buffalo. 

[Mango]

12 hours ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

Wow, you must have love being a Bills fan.

But also, I sorta get this one. I’m a big fixer in my professional and personal life. It’s my sweet spot. It’s really helpful in one of those endeavors and not the other. 

[Thorner]

27 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Ya, that would be a difference. I played hockey and love hockey. If Buffalo disappeared tomorrow I could move on. I've stuck with the team since the French Connection days as my number one team but I've managed to stay sane rooting for Boston and others over this time period as well. Managed to have some enjoyable highs that way along with the constant lows. 

Local residents who cheer local obviously have a harder time with things. I get that. I'd still have a B or C team though, even if I did live in Buffalo. 

I played too. Still do in fact. I cannot stress enough that I was a fan from a very young age. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t a fan, I was brainwashed into it, I like to say 

And I’ve never even been to Buffalo

[Weave]

56 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Which is why I need 2nd, 3rd, even 4th teams to root for. 

I cannot imagine what it must be like for someone who only likes the Sabres over this last decade. That has to be absolutely brutal. 

You have no idea.

[SABRES 0311]

Was already a fan. Started paying more attention to strategy and systems since joining SS. Became somewhat more aware of stats. Not the fancy ones that involve witchcraft.

[SABRES 0311]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Which is why I need 2nd, 3rd, even 4th teams to root for. 

I cannot imagine what it must be like for someone who only likes the Sabres over this last decade. That has to be absolutely brutal. 

It’s not that bad. After a couple seasons of suffering, whips, chains, safe words, and leather masks replaced game day jerseys. 

[Porous Five Hole]

14 hours ago, Kr632 said:

My favorite part about sports is the rebuild. I love the draft, developing players, finding the right pieces. Once teams are good I kind of lose interest until they need to be fixed. 

This isn’t your point, but there’s something about rooting for the small guy, the tough luck team, the perennial loser, the “cursed”…because if they ever become the little engine that could, then it’s even sweeter. Buffalo fits that bill as well.