A hot topic of discussion in the Bills’ offseason this year has been the high season ticket sales in spite of the consistent mediocrity (or worse) on the field. While I think that the relatively low price is an important factor, I don’t think it means all that much.
I think there are two reasons for the ticket sales: The Imprint Effect and the Red Sox Effect. By The Imprint Effect I mean that there is a certain span of time in your childhood when your team becomes Your Team and you develop an unconditional love for them. I would know, because at age 32, I have The Imprint. I wish the team didn’t mean so much to me, but it does. When the games start, I’m a nervous wreck. No other sports team has that effect on me. I think you get The Imprint sometime between about ages 6 to 16. The Bills big run during the Kelly and Flutie eras spanned from 1988 to 1999. That means there is a group of Bills fans age 16-37 who got Bills Imprint during those glory years. I, like other fans with The Imprint, grew up with the Bills being consistently great. Now that we are adults, I think the Bills are now reaping the benefits of being great for a decade. Those fans who were kids in the ‘90s are now adults in their 20s and 30s, ages when they are most likely to have the disposable income and time to allow them to make a commitment for season tickets.
What is The Red Sox effect? In 2004 when the Sox finally won the Series, it suddenly became fun to be long-suffering fan, and no one was hated more than the bandwagon Sox fans who had suffered for all of 1 or 2 seasons as Sox fans. With the Red Sox off the board, the Bills fans move up the list of the longest suffering fans in America, right behind the Cubs fans and fans of all things Cleveland. I think today there are a lot of fans who want to go through the bad times with Bills so they can say they were there during the hard times when the Bills someday do win the Super Bowl. Any team can win one championship and then slink back to mediocrity, but the teams that win all the time or lose all the time are the ones with the truly passionate fans. The Bills team might be mediocre on the field, but the franchise with its history of heartbreak is anything but ordinary. Granted, the fans’ plan will backfire if the team leaves town or the salary structure in the NFL turns them into the Pittsburgh Pirates of the league, but you gotta admire the optimism!
To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 1 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 2 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; tournament; WGR; Jeremy White; Golf; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 3 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 4 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 5 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 6 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 7 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 8 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala;
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