Booing is not the answer

Although the Buffalo Sabres improved their play a little over the past 7 days, they are still losing games and they still making simple mistakes over and over again. The people at the FNC made their voice heard after the 2^nd period against the Boston Bruins on February 15^th. After a terrible period that saw the Bruins going off leading by 1 goal, the Sabres were booed off the ice. In the third they came back and won 4:2 against the enemy from Massachusetts.

So now that opens a question. Is booing something fans should do, if they aren’t happy with the way the team is playing? Steve Ott responded on Twitter.

“I know it's easy to Boo plays from the stands but ill tell you its really inspiring when the crowd chants "Lets Go Buffalo" #Sabres #7thMan“

Steve Ott developed into a fan favorite very quickly in Buffalo but some fans did not like this comment with joy.

Is booing a thing that forces the team to hit another gear? If you ask me, the answer is easy. It is “No”. The Sabres beat Boston, but they did not do it because of the fans booing them off the ice. They did it because they were mad at themselves and wanted to win this game badly. So as a fan should I keep my mouth shut when things go down the hill? This answer is easy as well. Once again it is “No”.

However, and that is the important part, you need to know when to do it and how. The 2^nd period against Boston was really really terrible and at that point it was understandable. But here is what I didn’t like. When the team came back on the ice, the FNC was dead silent. And that’s not how it should be. The appropriate way would have been, Boo them off the ice, but support them starting with the 1^st second of the third period. Don’t give them that stupid “win me back first and show me that you can play good” attitude. That is something 5y old kids do, but that’s not something a fan should do. I know the people are mad, because they payed for the tickets, however you buy the ticket for a hockey game, and when you do it, you need to be aware that they could win or lose 8:0.

But support is an overall problem at the FNC this year and has been in the past. The FNC (former HSBC Arena) has always been one of the opponent friendly arenas, because there isn’t much noise. The opponent is not scared by any means.

Right now the Sabres trail Winnipeg at home by a score of 2:1. They have played bad. And many many boos could be heared. However not once did I hear “Let’s Go Buffalo”. Granted they play bad and had to take the 0:1 with 60 seconds played, that’s still no reason to not cheer for your team once. If you think supporting the team is only needed if they play good, you probably should visit a sports team in the future.

As a fan you support your team in good times and in bad times. You can be mad, you can let them know it, but you still support them even if the score is 0:4 as hard as it is. That’s how it should be. Being a fan isn’t something you sign for good times only. So I hope that this will change in Buffalo in the future. I am not saying support them every day every second even if they lose 15 games in a row. But at least show them that you still believe in them.

It’s often said “my sports team is like my baby”. So tell me would you stop believing in your kida if they have a few bad weeks at school? You would be mad, but you help them get out of it. And you gotta do the same with a sports team, if you consider yourself a fan.