A CITY (AND A COUNTRY) HANGING ON TO A DREAM

by T, The Angry T

Before I begin, I would like to give a shout out to my muse for this article, Douglas Mathias, who is a huge Buffalo Bills fan, strikingly handsome and one hell of a model American.

I feel for the Buffalo Bills, I really do. My Detroit Lions are a god awful franchise, but I contend that the Bills fans have had it worse. I don't subscribe to the theory that is is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. I believe the pain that Bills fans have experienced by reaching the Super Bowl four times and never winning is much worse for fans that the Lions never even coming close.

As most of us know that the Bills have fallen on hard times in recent years. They have maintained links to their somewhat glorious past by bringing back and 80 year old Marv Levy as GM, and of course the ever present Ralph Wilson still owns the team.

The more I looked at the the situation, the more I realized that the Bills and the city of Buffalo are eerily similar to another sovereign entity, namely the country of England. Bear with me, as we look at the many similarities and few differences.

Similarities:

Leadership
England - A spry 82 year Queen Elizabeth II wears the crown
Buffalo - 89 year old Ralph Wilson at the wheel

Both have a long history of getting "served" and or "treated"
-England - Revolutionary War, Braveheart, Hong Kong, America Jr., the terrible food they are forced to eat, terrible dental hygiene
-Buffalo- 4 Super Bowls, Music City Miracle, Bitterly cold climate, un-godly amount of snow

Constantly Being Bailed Out
England - Not speaking German right now because of out bailout in WWI, WWII
Buffalo - Jim Kelly buying un-sold tickets so the games wouldn't be blacked-out in Buffalo

Good Memories of Times Past - Both Groups long for....
England - Colonial Period, "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire,"thriving slave trade and appalling conditions for the poor
Buffalo - Early 90's, Kelly to Reed, Thurman Thomas, Steve Tasker, Don Beebe

Similar Strengths
England - Strong currency
Buffalo - Strong local fan base that don't mind spending currency to watch Trent Edwards.

The Only Difference

If the Queen were to pass away, the show would still go on in England. If Ralph Wilson were to pass away, the entire city of Buffalo would crumble and the team would relocate to Mexico City and be re-named "The FC Mexico City Bills."