7 hours Ago
I was never a sports fan so it surprised everyone when I jumped in to cheer for the Bills. Growing up in a big family, our areas of interest defined us and became our lanes. For example, as a young girl and as a teen, I liked synchronized swimming and yoga.
My sister liked sports, and so it was decided that competitive sports were her thing but not mine. Judith Frizlen now embraces being a Bills fan. In the meantime, my sister is a yoga teacher, and I have reconsidered my perspective on sports.
As a Bills fan, I have learned some rules of the game, but don’t quiz me as there is a lot I don’t understand. Besides, what interests me especially about being a fan is the emotional commitment. Fandom means holding a torch for the team − win or lose.
Our son demonstrates that. He is ever hopeful, enough so to brave freezing temperatures to cheer for them. I don’t go that far, but I remain hopeful that a win is always within reach.
When I showed up as a fan for the playoff game on Jan. 26, I noticed the sense of anticipation before and during the game while we were hoping for a win. It is a practice to be loyal to the team.
And the more I understand the game, the more I find out what that means. This is how I experienced our final game this season. We wore the colors (red and blue), spoke the greeting (“Go Bills!”) and gathered in front of televisions in homes, bars and restaurants.
It was a day bursting with anticipation, while we hoped and prayed our team would win. Everyone was collectively rooting for our team and our town. When I became a fan, it wasn’t so much about a love of the sport, but rather to share the sense of community, that joint anticipation that this time − maybe this time − we could win.
Although we were playing a team who had beaten us four times in the playoffs already, we dared to hope. We looked for signs that this year would be different. The sun was shining in January; that was different.
I was drinking my tea from a new Bills mug; that was different. It’s a mayoral election year and there are many candidates in the race; which made it a different day, a different time for Buffalo. Didn’t it? The thing about waiting is that in that time and space, anything is possible.
We could win. Throughout the game and to keep hope alive, we repeated facts, like we have the ball and we are ahead. But when the last drive in the fourth quarter did not produce points, and the other team was ahead by three with time running out, my husband turned off the television.
Our friend got up to go. “Wait a minute,” I said, “What just happened?” They said, “It’s over, they don’t have a chance of winning anymore.” That’s when I realized that they were waiting to see if we would win.
But I was waiting to see when we won or lost, how we would take it. Would our guys be graceful either way? As a writer, I would not want to waste an opportunity to witness such an emotionally laden moment. I was waiting for a reason to love our team enough to share the ups and downs of being a fan.
It’s sad to lose, but it’s truly great to come together in hopeful anticipation. And I know I’ll be rooting for our team next season! Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!.
