Growing up in the Buffalo, New York area, there is not much for a young kid to do other than root for the Bills and the Sabres. Those two small clubs are the life and blood of the city, and it seems that they are the utmost priority during the fall and the winter.
This is no different for me. My earliest memories include going to Ralph Wilson Stadium to see the Bills play back in the Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie days (the beginning of this recent era of heartbreak), and I still have a Sabres banner on my wall that is in black and red. The kids of Buffalo really start early.
My early days in a Doug Flutie jersey. Photo Credit: Mary Coniglio
As awesome as all that sounds, there is kind of a depressing side too—all my childhood heroes are all either retired, washed up, or in some extreme cases, in prison. Wow.
Old guys move on and new guys take over. Such is life—and there is nothing wrong with that at all. Everyone always loves having young and electric new players, but I found one exception to that rule very recently.
Over fall break I was watching the Sabres play the Columbus Blue Jackets with my dad. In the third period, Sabres rookie Jack Eichel slotted a very impressive goal in the top corner of the net.
After the goal, the play-by-play man remarked that he still had yet to turn 19. That means that he is younger than me.
A whole slew of thoughts immediately starting flowing through my head--can I buy his jersey? Is it weird to ask for an autograph? Is this what adulthood feels like? Am I old?
From this little freak out, I realized one major thing: college is a weird time.
Generally speaking, it is the first time we are on our own. We are spending mostly our own money, and we are almost totally accountable for ourselves.
But most of all, we are growing up. Gone are the days of idolizing our favorite athletes and celebrities, hoping to one day become like them. In my case, it's a little late for me to be the next Doug Flutie, and the new guys coming in are now my age, already making millions more than I am. Ouch.
Regardless of how sad that may sound, I still love being a sports fan. It is fun to see the cycle of players, coaches, and other personnel. Games, teams, uniforms --everything is always changing, and it's interesting to see history unfold right from our own couch, or even go be a part of it in person.
Despite that fact, I still miss the days of throwing on my little plastic football helmet and running around in the yard pretending to be Doug Flutie--but we all have to grow up some time.
