It's Always Cloudy in Western New York

Earlier this month, on a Monday night after a long day of classes, I retreated to my apartment to try and enjoy what I thought was going to be a complete Monday Night Football slaughter by the Dallas Cowboys of my Buffalo Bills.

When I turned on the TV, however, I was both shocked and confused by what I saw. At first I thought it was a dream. I looked over at my roommate, a fellow Buffalonian, who confirmed to me that what was happening was real.

The Bills were up 24-13 at the end of the third quarter. “America’s Team” had given up five turnovers, two of which the Bills promptly capitalized on. The odds had gone in our favor and we were on the verge of beating an undefeated N.F.L. team.

Long story short, this night was either do or die, not only for the Bills, but for the fans as well.

And in the end, what do you think happened? They died. The Cowboy’s “It” boy, Tony Romo, drove the ball 80 yards down field for a touchdown. But then there was a flash of hope. Dallas failed on the two-point conversion, leaving the game at 24-22. We still had a chance. Unfortunately, the Cowboys held their ground.

On average, about 23 percent of onside kicks are successful. That night, the Cowboys added to that statistic. After recovering their kickoff, Dallas drove just far enough for kicker Nick Folk to nail a 53-yard field goal. Buffalo, in a strategic but dirty move, called time out right before the play so as to “ice” Folk. This effort was useless, however, as Nick Folk nailed the field goal again, almost identically. Dallas wins 25-24.

Now, I imagine that those of you who are not from Buffalo are all asking the same question: What’s the big deal? These things happen. Those of you from Buffalo, however, are more than likely asking yourselves the same question I was screaming that night: Why does this always happen? Why are we cursed?

Here’s a short history and geography lesson for you all: Buffalo is a metropolitan city residing in the western part of New York State and on the eastern end of Lake Erie. It is the second largest city in New York, holding a population of about 300,000. For a long time, the city was involved in railroad commerce, automobile production, and the manufacturing of steel. These industries have since left the area. Thus, many residents began to vacate the city over the past 50 years or so. This caused significant and noticeable economic and social decline in the city, which to this day Buffalo has never really recovered from.

Despite these losses and setbacks, many people remained in Buffalo, clinging to two of its most prominent attractions: the professional football and hockey teams, the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. For many people, myself included, these two teams have brought some of the most memorable moments in sports history. They’ve also brought some of the toughest.

Established in 1960 as a part of the A.F.L. (American Football league), the Buffalo Bills have arguably been the heart and soul of the city for years now. Unfortunately, the Bills have failed to produce a Super Bowl win since the league’s merger with the N.F.L. The team did manage to go to the Super Bowl four times in a row between 1991 and 1994, however.

They lost every time.