I guess I disagree on this. Buffalo was a hockey town after the Bills, popularity carried over from the AHL team. So they crazy sold out all the time. Basketball too was popular with the runs of Bona, Niagara, and later Buff State with Randy Smith. But to compare the Sabres and expect the Braves to sell the same was unrealistic. The Braves had potential to win a title, in hindsight, with the talent they were getting. but after ownership changes, that talent was sold off for CASH, and the team collapsed. That's why the fans walked in the end. Some similarity there when you think of the Bills being terrible and multi-millions under the cap, although the Bills spent this year
Think back to the early-mid 70's. Buffalo arguably had the most exciting player in 3 major sports with OJ, Gil Perrault, and Bob McAdoo