Another Town, Another Team Let Down: How NY Football Disappointed Me This Season

Admittedly, I have not always been a football fan. For most of my life, I just did not get it and never saw the appeal. I didn't see much to latch onto as helmets covered up the faces of the players, so they were interchangeable to me and, quite frankly, seemed to be to the teams as well. Due to being a fan of legendary wrestler Brian Pillman, I would always say that the Cincinnati Bengals were my favorite team as he had not only played for them in 1984 but was named the recipient of that year's Ed Block Courage Award for the team. But to sit and watch a game just wasn't for me.

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This changed during my time in Nashville. Part of the fun of living in a transient town with an NFL team is that no one really roots for the home team and the Titans were not much of a force to be reckoned with at that time. It wasn't hard to find bars dedicated to almost any other NFL team on Sundays and that is how I began to take an interest in the game. That and it just looks so nice in HD.

My misconceptions about the game became apparent the more I watched. The abundance of rules was an interesting thing to take in as was the variety of plays for both defense and offense. So now, as a fully invested football fan, I have to tell you, New York, you let me down.

Nashville did not provide me with a team worth rooting for. When I moved to Cleveland, I tried to get invested with the Browns, and even with star players like Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, and Denzel Ward, I knew I was not watching a Super Bown worthy team. While I will still claim the Bengals are my team of choice, I liked the idea of being in a place with a champion local team.

My move to New York seemed promising. Josh Allen is a special kind of player and the Buffalo Bills seemed destined for greatness and glory. Fueled by the scary incident with Damar Hamlin late in the season, this team seemed to be unstoppable, and I was excited to have a chance to watch some championship festivities play out as the team ascended the throne. Even if it meant overtaking my team, I really thought they would outmatch Joe Cool.

That didn't happen though. The Bengals took over quickly and didn't let up. I was shocked by Bill's performance, or perhaps, more so shocked in a good way by Cincinnati. As the clock ticked down, I saw my hopes of participating in a local ticker tape parade dash. There would be no Lombardi trophy coming to NY in 2023. It was truly a bummer to see.

On the other hand...Who Dey!