Sunday at the Ralph

This blog is going to be about my time in Cameroon.  But I do not leave for another week and a half.

I figured my last Bills game for a while would be a good first thing to write about. My Dad and I went to the Bills opening day game against the Denver Broncos. I have been to probably 20 Bills games in my life but for some reason they always suprise me. I am always on edge for fear of getting into a fight with a drunk, and wonder where all these people come from and why I do not see them in my normal routine. Ralph Wilson stadium on game day has a fascinating collection of white males of many shapes and sizes, many very large with interesting facial hair. A lot of beer, creative use of the Bills’ colors and logo, shady people, dirty jokes, Canadians, public urination, drunks and more beer. When describing the Ralph I always mention the smell which would be a combination of peanuts, beer and shit. I have never gone to a football game in another city but I imagine others are similar just not as intense.

I decided to wear my retro Bills pajama shirt and my red fake fur helmet. That fake fur helmet is always a hit and definitly worth the 20$ for the three games I’ve worn it. My Dad choose to go with a green bucket hat and his Jim Kelly, Hall of Fame t-shirt. We would have made a good showing if there was a random hat contest. Since we had no plans of spending more money we packed out sandwiches, nuts and carrots. I always feel like a huge dork pulling out my PB+J in front of drunk Bills fans, but like my father and grandfather I’m sure I’ll geep the tradition of not shelling out 10$ for a hot dog and a beer.

Since we don’t tailgate we arrived at the stadium around 12:15, and paid our 15$ to walk a quarter mile to the stadium. Walking to the stadium is like walking sober through a wild party. Blaring music, BBQs, beer cans everywhere, footballs tossed around, shady people selling tickets, people chugging one last beer, crazy guys telling you to find god, and men urinating on trees. I look forward to one day getting season tickets with friends and tailgating with these people but for now I was sober and felt like a dork. My lack of mustache didn’t help.

Our seats were on the scoreboard side in the 200 level. We were is the second row of the level so hopefully an unobstructed view. My Dad always picks some one to yell at for standing up and cheering, this time it was the neurotic, dorky guy who sat right in front of him. Usually it ends up being a drunk who barely watches the game because he is trying to get everyone else to stand and cheer. Who than yells obsenities back at my Dad and I worry I’m going to have to fight to defend my Dad. But neurotic, dorky guy just looked really offended and was careful when he stood up for the rest of the game.

The second half kick off seemed a pretty normal play but turned out to be the most important.  Kevin Everett tackled the ball carrier and than collapsed on the field.  Watching the play live it was obvious he was knocked out before he hit the ground.  It was a surreal moment as a fan because I knew it could be a serious injury but half expected him to pop up after a minute and walk off the field.  With each moment that he did not move and with more Bills players coming over to check on him, I knew it was a serious injury.  But you never expect a spinal chord injury.  After about fifteen minutes he was moved onto a straight board and put into an ambulance.  As he was wheeled into the ambulance we began to applaud.  I’m not sure what we were applauding.  He did not wave to us or give us any sign that he would be alright.  Were we applauding that the game would start again?  Or was it just the traditional applause when an injured player gets up to leave the field?  The fact that it was the first play of the half, so many of the fans were off getting beer and did not see the play, added to my uncertainty of why we were clapping.  I guess it was just the polite thing to do.  Till I listened to the radio after the game I expected to hear that he would be alright.  Out a few games but alright.  We now know it is a major spinal chord injury and that he may not regain his normal functioning.  It will be interesting to see how the media and sports fans stay with this story.  I know that myself and sports fans like me will watch the updates about Kevin Everett on the news but will really care more about what the Bills are doing to win games.  Maybe I’m heartless but there is such a disconnect between the players themselves and the fans that everything seems like an abstract.  Kevin Everett will seem little different from a movie.  But the story will get more attention than a similar situation that a gun shot victim or a soldier returning from Iraq would recieve.  Messed up priorities.  I don’t know why following a bunch of grown men play a children’s game is so important to me but it is.

Back to the game. 

We happened to be in a heavily Canadian section. Not necessarily a bad thing. Their accents were not all that strong and they didn’t mention the Maple Leafs once so I had nothing against them. They were more druken bills fan than obnoxious Canadians. The two Canadian guys behind us somehow met up with this other Canadian women and I don’t think they knew her or wanted to talk to her, but somehow she sat with them from half time on. She really took an interest in the one guy and by the forth quarter was practically in his lap. She was the obnoxious Canadian. She dressed like she was trying to pick up a guy at the game, and made it clear to everyone that she wanted more beer. She kelp talking about how she like the 49ers, Frank Gore and how the Jills weren’t as good as the Argos’ cheerleaders. All of this with an “eh?” after every sentence. When the Bills made a big play she would motion to high-five me and than grab my hand and hold it for a little too long. Than she would rub my fake fur helmet. “Get your dirty hands off my helmet. Eh? You Canadian trollop.”

We were in a pretty tame section. The section to our left was much roudier. They mercilessly heckled this one group of Broncos fans with many things that are not fit to write. In the group of five Broncos fans there was a mom and a six year old. Real classy Bills fans. They really went after this one young woman in a Broncos baby-t and hat. About thirty guys chanting “You are ugly” “Get some braces” and others all aimed at hitting a nerve with her self esteem. She stood up and yelled back at them only encouraging them more. She was eventually kicked out by the cops in the forth quarter for unknown reasons. Which of course was a huge celebration in the section. Everyone cheering, singing “Goodbye”, random fans from other sections coming over to taunt her as the cops escorted her away. My theory is that she was smoking but it could have just been some cops who were Bills fans playing to the crowd. Another example of the section was when three young attractive women walked into the section for their seats the whole section stood up and cheered and motioned for them to sit on their laps. Also towards the end of the game a 30 something guy put on an old cheerleading outfit that had “USA” across the chest. He stood at the bottom of the section leading them in cheers of USA, before the cheer became “put some pants on.”

The game ended with a last second field goal by the Broncos to win the game. Bringing me back to the normal state of a Buffalo sports fan: heartbroken, dejected, pissed off. I’m used to it. Lately I have been wondering why I’m even a Buffalo sports fan with all the crap I go through but on this day I accepted the loss and moved on. Eventually. There is no experience like that of a Bills game and the fans. And there is nothing like 70 thousand peolpe living and dying with their team. Even if they get a little carried away. Buffalo sports will probably be the thing I miss the most while in Africa.