As a writer for the Sports department, I typically feel I should try to steer away from the subject when I do occasionally get a Viewpoint assignment. However, I am going to make an exception this time around.

It’s that time of year again where I get exceptionally annoyed as a native of Buffalo, New York. I consider myself to be a pretty big sports fan, especially when it comes to my beloved Bills and Sabres. It’s no secret that the two franchises have had rather rough histories, ones which feature zero championships in a combined 100 or so seasons. This alone would be enough to justify a great deal of bitterness, but then to add onto that I had to gather around the television with my friends less than two weeks ago to watch the New England Patriots participate in their ninth Super Bowl since I came into this world, collecting their sixth win in the process. I go on social media a couple of days later, and a photo came across my Twitter feed that left me flat out disgusted. The image was that of a young man at the Patriots’ parade with a sign that read “17 years old, 12 parades.”

There are generations of Buffalonians who have come and gone from this Earth without a championship. That’s not to say we haven’t come close. We did reach four-straight Super Bowls in the early ’90s, but when you lose all of them, it’s not an accomplishment you’re very proud of. Compare that to this sign kid who has known nothing but championships his entire life. How is that fair to the rest of us?

I would hope I am not alone in this sentiment. I’m not saying teams in other cities don’t have their fair share of success. I mean hell, there are some other sports franchises that have gone on some very impressive championship runs. But when do you see a city that has seen such a level of success from its sports teams all at the same time? Since 2001, the Patriots have six championships, followed by four from the Red Sox and one each from the Celtics and Bruins. The city of Boston seems to be celebrating a championship just about every year, and I can’t remember the last time they didn’t have multiple teams in contention for a championship in a given year. I look at my own hometown teams, and I’ve seen one playoff appearance in nearly a decade.

For my classmates who hail from the Boston area, I have no doubt you will at some point go through what I am going through. You’re currently living through the greatest championship run any city has ever experienced, and that level of success just isn’t sustainable. I hope the teams you’ve grown up with haven’t left you too spoiled, and for my own sake, I hope your reign comes to a close soon. Maybe one of my teams could then have a shot.

— Alex Bender, a beaten-down Buffalo sports fan.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Tags: Boston, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres