Hate. One word with four letters that defines the state of the Buffalo sports fan. Buffalo lives and dies through their sports like no other city. Now, some would argue that hope is our defining characteristic while others argue that failure defines us, but hate is deeply imprinted on Buffalo sports and shines through any other emotion.
A great deal of hate runs through our veins for our rivals. Who doesn't love a great rivalry? Two teams fighting tooth and nail to get the upper hand in a pedestrian regular season game or a do-or-die playoff situation. Our hate for the Dolphins runs deeper than almost any other. The sweep of the Bills in the 70s. Dan Marino. Bryan Cox. They don't hate us and even after the dominance of the Bills in the early 90s, Buffalo fans can't stand the sight of a teal football jersey. The Cowboys soundly dispatched the latter two Bills Super Bowl teams and the resentment has lasted for years after Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin have long departed. The Maple Leafs, the Canadiens and the Flyers are the Sabres historic hockey rivals, but they wouldn't list us in their top hated teams. The Leaves and the Habs hate each other and the Sens vastly more than the Sabres and the Flyers have historically dominated the "rivalry" between the teams. Unrequited hate flows through the veins of the Buffalo fan more than in any other sports city.
The lack of success Buffalo teams have experienced has turned us against our own athletes in a vindictive fit of rage. Rob Johnson. He was at the helm of the Bills during the playoff run in 1999 (which was notably the Bills last appearance in the playoffs). After replacing fan favorite Doug Flutie in the last game of the regular season, he proceeded to lead the team to a devastating loss in the famous Music City Miracle game against the Titans while Flutie watched from the sideline as our best chance for success since the early 90s washed away. He won a Super Bowl backing up for the Buccaneers. Antowain Smith. Watching him run between the tackles and get immediately knocked down was unbearable following the great run of Thurman Thomas. Watching him run for double digit touchdowns for the Patriots and become a lauded two-time Super Bowl champion was worse. Miro Satan. A high scoring winger for the Sabres in the late 90s, he was one of the most talented players on the team, but was reviled by the fans for his soft play and poor attitude that couldn't bring the team to the promised land. He also reached the pinnacle of his sport by winning the Stanley Cup with the Pens this year. As the Cup got passed around, I was apoplectic to see him holding it grinning ear to ear and it was all I could focus on.
I know this hatred might seem a little extreme to some, but maybe it's just me.
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