A Uniquely Spiritual Path Lies Ahead for Buffalo

Those of us who’ve had/have the privilege of living and working in the Buffalo, NY area understand Buffalo is a state of mind. It’s been referred to… and has the designation of… “Sanctuary City”… a city of immigrants who found their way to a new life with open arms welcoming them. That’s Buffalo.

So it should be no surprise the people of Western New York and the region tend to over-identify with their sports teams. We live and die by the fate of the Bills and Sabres. They represent us. We’ve endured countless heart breaks, misery and playoff droughts for the ages. We do this because our collective fan base is made up of genuinely good people who like to do good things for others.

Of course… we also have the nitwits who give ALL fan bases a bad name. Plenty of them, sadly.

But by and large, people who become Bills and/or Sabres fans do so because they identify with our ethos. Either by geographical accident or chosen tribe, our fan base is distinctive in many ways. We are leaders and role models for embracing a spirit of generosity toward others. No fan base in professional sports gives more money to charitable causes than Bills fans.

And no fan base has endured a more tortuous path awaiting a Lombardi or Stanley Cup.

It is seemingly our belief that eventually, if we live long enough, we will see one of these teams win a championship. Thank goodness we have the Buffalo Bandits working on a three-peat of their own in Indoor Lacrosse or we all would have lost our marbles long ago.

Now comes the challenge of processing the fact the Bills are 3-0… and looking mighty good these days… with the Sabres looking like a completely different team with Lindy back behind the bench. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess.

No matter how I try to resist getting sucked in to the Bills (mis)fortunes, I find myself (once again) perplexed about the Bills’ early success. Vomit all the stats you want but there is a spiritual element of team chemistry going on that remains difficult to explain in objective terms.

I’ve written on the subject of team chemistry dating back to circa 2000 on the old official Buffalo Bills Message Board (RIP). All aspects of team chemistry fascinate me because of prior life experience as a behavioral therapist.

What might be surprising to some is the notion that defining the ‘undefinable’ or ‘intangibles’ can be just as rigorous a process as mining mountains of data.

Assessing behavior over a period of decades affords an opportunity to to collectively analyze individual and group behavior. Inferences manifest themselves from years of experience actively listening and observing contextual factors that mitigate success and failure in a variety of settings. This is why. as a behaviorist, the murky notion of team chemistry has always fascinated me.

And since we are bringing up team chemistry, how ‘Buffalo’ is this?

Thank you to QB1 for the assist with Ras’ video 👊#LetsGoBuffalo | @JoshAllenQB https://t.co/tDzvjLb8H2 pic.twitter.com/vMyIL6ELzd

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 26, 2024

We’ve recently heard Josh Allen talk about the positive ‘vibe’ going on with this iteration of the Buffalo Bills. Going into his seventh year as a ‘grizzled veteran’ and face of the franchise, Allen arguably does have enough of a sample size to make a statement about this year’s team.

But what does he mean by “the vibe”?

The petty among us (including myself) wondered if it was a DIGG at the vibe of this team compared to last year, but there is little evidence to support that notion… and Josh recently mentioned in a press conference he thought the media/public were making more of the issue than what was really there. Whatever the case may be, the way many members of the team talk about the good ‘vibe’ this season, it corroborates what the team captain is saying.

So if the vibe is good, different than in the past and the early results are showing positive outcomes… what are we to make of this?

It strikes me these days watching interviews by long term veterans like Dion Dawkins there might be more of a ‘zen’ focus to the words he chooses. Dion’s body language now reflects his maturation as a human being and teammate.

Josh also seems to be at more peace with himself. His game has become more cerebral and less frenetic. He’s diagnosing defenses very quickly and is more of a tactician than gunslinger these days. The offensive line is as good as it’s been in the history of the franchise. The Bills are winning with backups in the middle of their defense.

Does this mean the “good vibe” is a real thing?

We shall see.

But in the ways of life that matter most, one could argue decades of despair as fans of the Bills and Sabres caused us to explore the meaning of suffering in our lives. In a sense, it directed some of us toward a more spiritual approach to life.

Spiritual, you say?

Yes, and we recognize and acknowledge the difference in meaning from the term ‘religiosity’. While both are supportive, this is a good article explaining how they also differ from each other.

In spiritual terms, if the Buffalo Bills have an exceptionally ‘good vibe’ in the locker room… will this internal connectedness continue to enhance their performance on the field?

We often talk about “teams of destiny” and how they might be described as forming from a spiritual connection between members of the team. This notion of unselfishness is often described as a trait common to teams of destiny. I believe truly embodying a belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts can empower a group of individuals to become champions.

The Buffalo Bills will be sorely tested on Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens. For their spiritual quest to be accomplished, they will need to continue their development as the season progresses. That are many obstacles to success.

But maybe, just maybe… this is the season these guys will accomplish their goal.

Editor’s babble: Thank you for reading my posts. You can also find me blabbing away on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.