This week’s Buffalo Social Moment of the Week comes courtesy of Paul Hamilton, who apparently believes there’s a segment of Sabres fans expecting Connor Hellebuyck to go 10-0 and record a bunch of shutouts.
I’m paraphrasing here, but that was essentially the argument he was making in this WGR clip.
And my first reaction was the same one I have whenever I hear Paul Hamilton talk about what fans supposedly believe.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Seriously. Find me these fans. Show me the tweets. Give me the names. Because there’s a pretty big difference between fans being excited about a goaltender and fans expecting him to turn into a combination of Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, and Jesus Christ.
Chad DeDominicis made an excellent point about this, and I definitely agree with him in terms of reactions to UPL, which I addressed last week with Lindy Ruff and the goalie roulette.
I also think some of JW’s frustration comes from being fed up with the Sabres constantly NOT making moves, which I can certainly understand. But this piece isn’t really about whether the Sabres should make a move, or even about Connor Hellebuyck.
It’s about something that drives me absolutely nuts in sports media: the constant use of straw man arguments to make fans sound like idiots.
Instead of responding to what fans are actually saying, you exaggerate their position into something completely ridiculous, then explain why they’re wrong.Congratulations, Paul. You’ve successfully defeated an argument that I’m not convinced anyone was making in the first place.
And the worst part? This isn’t exactly new territory for him.
Full Disclosure: Paul Hamilton Has Me Blocked
Before I go any further, I should disclose something. Paul Hamilton has me blocked on Twitter. In fact, he’s had me blocked for what feels like my entire existence on the platform, going back to when I signed up in 2009.
Why? I have absolutely no idea.
My best guess is that I wrote something on my old Joe from NYC blog about WGR, discussing what I liked and didn’t like about the station, and maybe Paul read it. Maybe something rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe I annoyed him.
Who knows?
From everything I’ve heard, Paul is a very nice guy to his peers. He’s friendly, and people who work with him seem to like him.
But I’ve also heard that Paul doesn’t particularly like being challenged. Now, I can’t speak to every interaction he’s had with people, but based on what I’ve observed over the years, I can certainly understand why someone might get that impression.
And I think that gets to the heart of this entire issue.
Because when you don’t like being challenged, what’s the easiest way to win an argument? You find somebody who doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Or better yet, you build up some ridiculous opinion that nobody is really arguing and then spend five minutes tearing it apart.
It’s a hell of a lot easier than engaging with somebody who might actually have a legitimate point.
And to me, that’s what makes this whole routine so frustrating. You have years of experience covering these teams, access that most fans could only dream of, and a microphone. Why spend your time arguing against the weakest possible opinions instead of challenging the strongest ones?
When it comes to the fans, I don’t know if there’s anyone in Buffalo sports media who seems to have a more adversarial relationship with the fan base. He and Mike Harrington definitely have a Joffery and Ramsey Bolton dynamic with all of House Buffalo Westeros.
The day Paul Hamilton actually says, “You know what? The fans were right about something,” might be the first day I fall out of my chair.
And this isn’t just about Paul. I think a few other personalities in Buffalo sports media have a habit of doing the same thing.
Some Fans Think…
If you want to play a fun game, listen to sports radio or a podcast and count how many times you hear these phrases:
“Some fans think…”
“People on the internet are saying…”
“There are fans out there who believe…”
Every time you hear one of those phrases, take a drink.
And if the opinion that follows is so completely asinine that you wonder whether more than two people on the planet actually believe it, take another drink.
You’ll be hammered before the first commercial break.
Seriously, once you notice how often this happens, you can’t unhear it. I feel like at least 70% of Buffalo sports content creators and mainstream media personalities do this constantly. And the irony is that many of these same people, especially the more recognizable personalities, are more than happy to pose for pictures with fans, shake hands, and act like they’re everybody’s best friend. But then they get behind a microphone or a keyboard and spend half their time making the fan base sound like a bunch of idiots. That sounds kind of phony, if you ask me, especially when your entire schtick seems to be telling everyone how stupid they are.
I remember Paul Hamilton once making a comment along the lines of people on Twitter already thinking Owen Power was a bust after something like five games.
And I remember somebody apparently trying to find all these supposed tweets about Owen Power being a bust and coming up empty.
Now, I’m going off memory here, but that example stuck with me.
It’s Twitter. You can find somebody saying literally anything. There are probably people who think the Bills should trade Josh Allen tomorrow.
Does that make it a legitimate conversation worth having on sports radio?
Of course not.
Look, I understand how this business works. Radio hosts have to fill hours of programming. Reporters interact with far more fans than I ever will. They get phone calls, emails, tweets, messages, and probably some of the dumbest opinions imaginable.
I get that. I really do.
Part of being a sports talk radio host is engaging with the audience. You’re supposed to take questions, challenge opinions, and discuss what people are thinking.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But when you consistently reach for the most ridiculous fan take, it starts to feel less like an actual discussion and more like an easy way to sound smarter than everyone else.
That’s lazy. Really, really lazy.
And I think certain Buffalo media personalities fall into this trap far too often.
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Just Give Us Your Opinion
I also think there’s another reason some media personalities love doing this. Sometimes, it allows them to protect their own takes.
I recently watched a reporter discussing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and instead of simply offering an opinion about the player and his behavior, he brought up what “people on the internet” were saying about him.
And my immediate reaction was simple.
Why?
Why do we have to bring the internet into everything?
You’re a reporter. You cover the team. You have access to players, coaches, and information most fans will never have.
Just give us your opinion.
If you think Gardner-Johnson should be cut, say it.
If you think his behavior is disgusting, say it.
If you think fans are overreacting, say that, too.
I might disagree with you. I might think your opinion is terrible. But at least you’re giving me something to react to. What bothers me is this constant need to introduce the opinions of anonymous people on the internet before making a point.
And I have a theory about why it happens.
I think sometimes reporters don’t want to put their own takes out there because there’s always the possibility of being wrong. When you say, “I think this guy should be cut,” that’s your opinion. You own it. If the player turns things around, people can come back and challenge you. But when you say, “People on the internet think this guy should be cut,” suddenly you’re just discussing what other people are saying.
It’s a convenient layer of protection. You can criticize an opinion without necessarily offering one of your own. I’m not suggesting every reporter does this intentionally. But I do think it makes for some incredibly lazy sports conversations.
Give the Fans Some Damn Credit
Here’s what really bothers me about all of this.
I think it’s disrespectful to the fans.
Buffalo sports fans are passionate. They’re emotional. They’re irrational. They overreact. And yes..some are dumb.
Believe me, I’ve managed to do all five of those things during the first quarter of a Bills game.
But some can also be knowledgeable.They watch the games. They follow the teams. They study the players. They notice trends. And sometimes, believe it or not, they actually know what they’re talking about.
I’m not suggesting fans are always right. Far from it. There are plenty of terrible opinions floating around. I’ve had some myself, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty more.
But why do we constantly have to elevate the dumbest ones?
Why not engage with legitimate criticism about the Bills defense? Why not discuss real concerns about the Sabres’ goaltending? Why not acknowledge that sometimes fans identify problems long before the people covering the team want to admit those problems exist?
Take Hellebuyck.
Nobody has to believe he’s going to win every game to think he’d make Buffalo better.
You can want a player and understand he’s going to have bad games. You can be excited about a potential acquisition without believing he’s going to solve every problem the franchise has.
That’s called being a reasonable sports fan.
And I think there are a hell of a lot more reasonable sports fans out there than some media personalities are willing to acknowledge.
The Final Word
I don’t need Paul Hamilton to agree with me. I don’t need anybody at WGR to agree with me. And I certainly don’t need Paul Hamilton to unblock me on Twitter. We’ve gone this long without interacting. I think we’ll both survive.
But I would love to hear more actual opinions from the people paid to cover these teams instead of constantly hearing about what some anonymous person on the internet supposedly thinks.
You’re the one with the microphone. You’re the one with access. You’re the one getting paid to cover these teams. Give us something we can’t get from scrolling Twitter for five minutes.
Because I don’t care if you’re a reporter, a radio host, a podcaster, or some schmuck from Queens writing a sports blog. If you’re going to criticize somebody’s opinion, at least make sure it’s an opinion somebody actually has.
And the next time I hear somebody on WGR or a podcast say, “Some fans think…”
I’m going to ask the same question I always ask.
WHO ARE THESE FANS?
Because at this point, I’m starting to think half of them are just Paul Hamilton’s imaginary friends.
Hamilton leans into being this blissfully Fudd-like entity. It's even part of his WGR intro -- he claims to not know about the team's chances when fans ask him. He doesn't really have much of an online presence. He's not informative despite being the team's equivalent to a sideline reporter. Maybe he works cheap?
I can't imagine he's going anywhere and I guess WGR is fine with having a reporter that manages to offend the tolerant market that is Buffalo.