Poor Nate Had Nothing To Do in Buffalo

[ExiledInIllinois]

Exactly.

 

But, I admit to sometimes shaking my head when I hear/read an athlete, or writer/announcer speak of how little there is to do, in Buffalo. It doesn't have the glitz of many cities, that's for sure...but if you can't find something to do (just about anything, actually) at night in the WNY area, you aren't trying. You may have to make the drive to Toronto to get some of the high-end glitz, if that's your thing, but Buffalo isn't Green Bay.

 

And, while I agree that many from WNY have far too thin of skins, when it comes to this stuff, you have to wonder why it is rare to hear players or announcers bang on places like Pittsburgh (which I love), Minneapolis or Jacksonville. I dare you to suggest there is more to do in those towns (and many others) than there is in WNY/Southern Ontario (I include NF, Ontario where there is a LOT to do).

 

 

Good post.

 

It doesn't get me what Nate said... The thing that gets me is Nate's words might have the effect of scaring future players away.

[Gordio]

Are you kidding me? Let's look at those things you mentioned in the context of what a young, rich, athlete generally seeks. Skiing? Pass. Musicals? Pass. Niagra Falls? What, are you going to go there every weekend? Pass. Art Galleries and museums? Pass. Fishing and hunting? Pass. Golf? Not likely. The casinos, bars and strip clubs are certainly draws, but as you admit yourself, it's not Vegas or Atlanta or Miami.

 

I happen to love the all-night bar scene in Buffalo. There are plenty of attractive single girls at the bars who are more than willing to drop their panties for guys who have all of their teeth, if not much else going for them. But that's simply amateur hour for a professional football player. For the hottest girl at a bar on any given Friday night in Buffalo, there are 100 hotter ones in multiple bars in NYC and Miami. These athletes are going to be idolized by mostly white young kids in college at UB or Fredonia. Football players like that, but they've had that their entire adult lives - they want more. They want to meet and hang out with CELEBRITIES.

 

Yeah maybe your right. Buffalo does have it's fair share of sweathogs at the bar scene. Just go to a bills game at the Ralph and you will see that. It is a real pigfest out there. Maybe it is all the fried food everybody seems to eat up here. I am a little older(35), married, have a 4yr old boy & have another little one on the way, I really do not go clubbin anymore. If I go out to a bar I would rather just go to a sports bar or a little shack where my friends & I could just sit back & pound them back. To each their own I guess.

[Bill from NYC]

Yeah maybe your right. Buffalo does have it's fair share of sweathogs at the bar scene. Just go to a bills game at the Ralph and you will see that. It is a real pigfest out there. Maybe it is all the fried food everybody seems to eat up here. I am a little older(35), married, have a 4yr old boy & have another little one on the way, I really do not go clubbin anymore. If I go out to a bar I would rather just go to a sports bar or a little shack where my friends & I could just sit back & pound them back. To each their own I guess.

 

OK, I will admit that this post is as funny as hell, but I strongly disagree. I don't know what you are seeing nor where you are sitting, but I think that the women at the Ralph are getting hotter and more plentiful every year.

It doesn't matter much mind you. Even if I wanted hand over the old house, lucrative pension, 24% of my current salary, child care expenses and life insurance, I am fairly certain that not too many of them would be too interested in me anyway.

[ExiledInIllinois]

OK, I will admit that this post is as funny as hell, but I strongly disagree. I don't know what you are seeing nor where you are sitting, but I think that the women at the Ralph are getting hotter and more plentiful every year.

It doesn't matter much mind you. Even if I wanted hand over the old house, lucrative pension, 24% of my current salary, child care expenses and life insurance, I am fairly certain that not too many of them would be too interested in me anyway.

 

Did you say pension Bill? How old are you? Don't let the "pension begrudgers" on PPP get a hold of this information.

 

[wardigital]

I do not get almost the entirety of this thread. Why is it acceptable for 24-27 year old men to be "bored" because of a lack of dance clubs and vibrant night life?

 

What kinds of people want to go to these sorts of dance clubs? Not strictly black men. That is sincere ignorance.

 

The answer is 20-year-old college students and people who never grew out of being 20-year-old college students.

 

I want athletes on my teams who are level headed, well grounded, and interested in creating and raising a family. You know, the reliable sort. If you're reliable in life...

 

Living the life of a fledgling adult (20 year old) when you are, in fact, a full grown adult being paid big boy money to perform the rarest of occupations, you are setting yourself up for failure.

 

There are plenty of men, black, white, purple, yellow, silver and tangerine who have made Buffalo their home permanently, or at the least for their playing career and almost all of them have a few things in common, most noticeably: They all desired to create or build upon lasting, meaningful relationships with other people, they all save and/or invest their money in meaningful ventures, they all valued the importance of family, and they all were perfectly ready to be grown ups.

[Gordio]

OK, I will admit that this post is as funny as hell, but I strongly disagree. I don't know what you are seeing nor where you are sitting, but I think that the women at the Ralph are getting hotter and more plentiful every year.

It doesn't matter much mind you. Even if I wanted hand over the old house, lucrative pension, 24% of my current salary, child care expenses and life insurance, I am fairly certain that not too many of them would be too interested in me anyway.

 

 

Bill I was just kidding around. I see hot girls at the bills games all the time.

[SouthernMan]

Dont act like Atlanta is Miami north. Been to Atlanta a few times, that city could not hold a candle up to Miami as far as nightlife & clubs go. Not many cities can. If you want traffic & lots of it Atlanta is the city for you.

 

 

Absolutly true.

 

There's nothing in Atlanta that compares to the atmospehere at South Beach. In reality, Atlanta doesn't have much of a large walk-friendly central district catering to nightlife. There are clubs here and there spread out around different areas, but you're right, it's not in the same league as Miami. I've been in the house Allen Iverson built here, and like Jim Kelly, his house is geared towards the home party. with an expansive open marble-floored finish basement, custom made for dancing and mingling. Keepin it real.

[WellDressed]

Keep the pipe, you need to smoke it more then the rest of us. Ask Derick Dockery how dis-satisfied he is with the Buffalo night life, while he deposits his 7 million dollars a year into his small town Buffalo bank account, OK? He's black, he's young. I wonder if he isn't spending too much time going to Buffalo's non-rap clubs though. He is not playing that well.

 

Dockery is married. Clements was single while in Buffalo.

[SouthernMan]

There are hundreds of thousands of blacks in buffalo.

Just check out the east side.

 

 

You're kidding, right?

 

That would be like Trump hanging out at the Polish Falcons club in Chickatowaga.

[Dawgg]

Keep the pipe, you need to smoke it more then the rest of us. Ask Derick Dockery how dis-satisfied he is with the Buffalo night life, while he deposits his 7 million dollars a year into his small town Buffalo bank account, OK? He's black, he's young. I wonder if he isn't spending too much time going to Buffalo's non-rap clubs though. He is not playing that well.

 

Derrick Dockery is thrilled to be in Buffalo because no other organization was stupid enough to pay an average guard with a record-setting deal.

[SouthernMan]

So the problem is that Buffalo --- like the rest of the northeast --- is about 90-95% ethno-white. Maybe the feds should institute a forced relocation program like they do for school districts/busing. WNY/Buffalo's done their part by driving a lot of their population to the South. Where's the recipro, yo?

 

Rueben Brown has stayed in WNY. I'm sure there's others. But, I think the point is this is much less about race than you make it out to be. It's an attitude/preference of the South & West's (and NYC/Boston) big cities vs. the collection of smaller cities and rural that you find in WNY. Some people like life in a smaller, slower community and some people don't. That said, even, the football season isn't that long. The rest of the year, guys can go wherever they like. I don't get all the potshots. And seriously, if they don't find places they like to hang out, why not invest in some? Why not build a hip-hop/etc. club in the city?

 

I can't believe how retarded some of you are with your replies. It's not about race - it's about a culture in which they feel in their element. It's like the difference between being at you folks house for Thankgiving or going to your new girlfirends parents and meeting her dysfunctional family for the first time. There's a certain comfort zone.

 

Buffalo probably feels foreign as hell for someone like California kid Trent Edwards. It's not exactly a normal place believe it or not. There is more of a social scene geared towards affluent African-Americans in other cities. It doesn't exist anywhere in Buffalo!

[Jim in Anchorage]

Makes me long for the good old days when players were damm happy to get paid 100 times a working mans wages to play a game, regardless of "the club scene".

[C.Biscuit97]

First of all, it is wrong to think that race isn't at least a little part of this. Buffalo, I love the place, is still a very segerated city in a lot of regards. The places downtown are very open places, but they also tend to be mainly white. The black clubs, for the most part, can be very hostile places and if I was a millionaire, would not feel comfortable going to.

 

Secondly, this issue reflects part of the problem plaguing Buffalo now. Buffalo has the highest per captia % of college students in the nation. However, they retain them at the lowest ratio. So in the age group (22-35) that the majority of pro athletes are, it tends to be the smallest population in the area.

 

I love Buffalo and hate when people take shots at teh city. This, however, is not a shot. Clements is being honest and at no point did he say anything bad about Buffalo. For a lot of 22-35 (not just athletes), Buffalo isn't exactly the ideal place to live socially. That's just the truth. But Buffalo is a great place to raise a family. On the other hand, if you paid me millions, I'd play in the North Pole as long as they had a bank and one bar.

[8-8 Forever?]

Fascinating topic. I grew up there, but there's not a lot to love about the place anymore.. Just not the place I grew up in

[RalphOP83]

I just so happen to work at a few bars downtown, and a bar quite close to the stadium. I was recently commenting to someone about how this years team seems like such a close knit group of guys, kinda like the old (kelly, bruce, thurman, andre, kent) days. I see my fair share of bills players....mostly at the bar close to the stadium.

 

I know from experience that many of the players like to take the short trip up to toronto to enjoy their nightlife. As a 25 year old bar manager/bartender, I can say that unlike some cities...there is almost too much to do in buffalo. If you immerse yourself in this city, you will find there is somewhere to go or something to do every night of the week. I find that I see the same people at most functions, sporting events, bars etc. Some people make the best of this city, and some people think the grass is greener on the other side. I for one love buffalo. I know a handfull of people who have moved away seeking greener pastures, and either miss buffalo with all of their heart, or are planning their move back asap. One thing I will say is that there is no other place quite like buffalo.

[Funky Cold]

I think the fact that it wasn't a city like Miami or Atlanta is something that was kind of a hidden blessing in disguise," Clements said when talking about beginning his career in Buffalo, "I wasn't able to always go out, and I think that really helped me on the field

 

Now I know as Bills fans we are very sensitive but this takes the cake! All the guy is saying is that it was beneficial to him as a person to not be in a city like that I do not see anything derogatory about Buffalo in his statement. Clements was/is mature enough as a person to realize that this was the best place for him.

 

Here's what gets me mad as a former Western New Yorker: I was watching CSI NY a few weeks ago and they are interviewing a suspect and they ask him where he was for the past week, his response was Buffalo, they said anything unusual happen while you where there and he says "IT DIDN'T SNOW" Now that is slamming Buffalo, or the fact it snowed in back to back Steeler games yet not a big deal, but if it would have snowed on that Monday night in Buffalo it would have just added to the legacy.

[The Dean]

I just so happen to work at a few bars downtown, and a bar quite close to the stadium. I was recently commenting to someone about how this years team seems like such a close knit group of guys, kinda like the old (kelly, bruce, thurman, andre, kent) days. I see my fair share of bills players....mostly at the bar close to the stadium.

 

I know from experience that many of the players like to take the short trip up to toronto to enjoy their nightlife. As a 25 year old bar manager/bartender, I can say that unlike some cities...there is almost too much to do in buffalo. If you immerse yourself in this city, you will find there is somewhere to go or something to do every night of the week. I find that I see the same people at most functions, sporting events, bars etc. Some people make the best of this city, and some people think the grass is greener on the other side. I for one love buffalo. I know a handfull of people who have moved away seeking greener pastures, and either miss buffalo with all of their heart, or are planning their move back asap. One thing I will say is that there is no other place quite like buffalo.

 

 

As was pointed out earlier, the thing that Buffalo doesn't have a lot of, is "glitz". I'm sure there was far more to do in Buffalo than in Columbus, where Nate spent his college years. As Nate himself pointed out, it was probably a good thing that he had limited choices.

 

What I think it boils down to, for some of these guys, is to be around a lot of other famous people from various fields. In Buffalo, there are the Bills and the Sabres (not exactly big time to a lot of NFL players). In many other NFL cities you have stars from other sports, music (that includes hip-hop, for the sake of this discussion), TV, movies, in the south NASCAR, etc. Where there are all those famous people there are also agents, professional groupies with money, parties, etc. I'm sure an NFL star player in the Bay Area gets to be around other stars, and soak up the adulation and free parties and gifts from their adoring flock of fans, more so than in Buffalo. The hip-hop scene is big in Oaktown, too, don't forget. I don't think it's about going out to public clubs as much as it is having the access to the trappings that come with celebrity.

[The_Philster]

I think it's more to do with anonymity than anything else

[BuffaloBill]

First of all, it is wrong to think that race isn't at least a little part of this. Buffalo, I love the place, is still a very segerated city in a lot of regards. The places downtown are very open places, but they also tend to be mainly white. The black clubs, for the most part, can be very hostile places and if I was a millionaire, would not feel comfortable going to.

 

Secondly, this issue reflects part of the problem plaguing Buffalo now. Buffalo has the highest per captia % of college students in the nation. However, they retain them at the lowest ratio. So in the age group (22-35) that the majority of pro athletes are, it tends to be the smallest population in the area.

 

I love Buffalo and hate when people take shots at teh city. This, however, is not a shot. Clements is being honest and at no point did he say anything bad about Buffalo. For a lot of 22-35 (not just athletes), Buffalo isn't exactly the ideal place to live socially. That's just the truth. But Buffalo is a great place to raise a family. On the other hand, if you paid me millions, I'd play in the North Pole as long as they had a bank and one bar.

 

 

Where did the college statistic come from? Imagine wht WNY could be if it was able to retain the students.

[C.Biscuit97]

Where did the college statistic come from? Imagine wht WNY could be if it was able to retain the students.

 

 

I read it in a paper a while ago. I wish I could find the source. But when you consider how many colleges in WNY (UB, Canisius, Buff St. ECC, Daemen, D'Youville, Hilbert, Hobart, Trocaire, etc.) and how big the area is, it's makes a lot of sense.

[wardigital]

First of all, it is wrong to think that race isn't at least a little part of this. Buffalo, I love the place, is still a very segerated city in a lot of regards. The places downtown are very open places, but they also tend to be mainly white. The black clubs, for the most part, can be very hostile places and if I was a millionaire, would not feel comfortable going to.

 

Secondly, this issue reflects part of the problem plaguing Buffalo now. Buffalo has the highest per captia % of college students in the nation. However, they retain them at the lowest ratio. So in the age group (22-35) that the majority of pro athletes are, it tends to be the smallest population in the area.

 

I love Buffalo and hate when people take shots at teh city. This, however, is not a shot. Clements is being honest and at no point did he say anything bad about Buffalo. For a lot of 22-35 (not just athletes), Buffalo isn't exactly the ideal place to live socially. That's just the truth. But Buffalo is a great place to raise a family. On the other hand, if you paid me millions, I'd play in the North Pole as long as they had a bank and one bar.

 

It is silly to say race is a part of it. What are you saying? Are you saying there is something innate about black folks that makes them want to go to dance clubs that white people do not have? Are you saying there are no white athletes who want to go to those places? Are you saying there is something about the owners of the bars or the patrons of the bars in Buffalo that would not be inviting to black people? Or are you saying that black people would not want to go to those kinds of bars.

 

Because regardless of the situation, you are focusing on race, race is not making itself a reason.

 

Perhaps race is a part of you, but not necessarily it.

[PromoTheRobot]

Buffalo doesn't lack nightlife...it lacks the kind of nightlife that Nate, Willis McGahee, and other athletes want. The kind of places you see in South Beach or Las Vegas. Jim Kelly had no problem because he's from Western PA. A shot and a beer, a plate of wings, and ACDC on the sound system suited him fine. What Nate was saying was Buffalo ain't Hollywood. No kidding.

 

PTR

[SF Bills Fan]

I don't really think that Nate is slighting buffalo. He didn't come out and say he didn't like it there. Rob Johnson trashed Buffalo big time when he left. I don't think that is Nate's intent here. I would say that playing for Buffalo is a great thing for NFL'ers that are family men. The young guys with millions feel limited for sure.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I think the fact that it wasn't a city like Miami or Atlanta is something that was kind of a hidden blessing in disguise," Clements said when talking about beginning his career in Buffalo, "I wasn't able to always go out, and I think that really helped me on the field

 

Now I know as Bills fans we are very sensitive but this takes the cake! All the guy is saying is that it was beneficial to him as a person to not be in a city like that I do not see anything derogatory about Buffalo in his statement. Clements was/is mature enough as a person to realize that this was the best place for him.

 

Here's what gets me mad as a former Western New Yorker: I was watching CSI NY a few weeks ago and they are interviewing a suspect and they ask him where he was for the past week, his response was Buffalo, they said anything unusual happen while you where there and he says "IT DIDN'T SNOW" Now that is slamming Buffalo, or the fact it snowed in back to back Steeler games yet not a big deal, but if it would have snowed on that Monday night in Buffalo it would have just added to the legacy.

 

 

Anybody ever notice the commercial about the office dude that is the only one willing to take the out of town business trips? He is the first one to raise his hand and say: "I'll go." All the while he is doing this he is earning frequent flyer miles. Now, at the end of the commercial, the boss asks if anyone is willing to go on business to "Buffalo"... The usual guy is nowhere in sight...In fact he is off and boarding a flight with his significant other, wearing floral shirts, etc... Presumably going on vaction somewhere warm.

 

My point? Is this a slam on Buffalo?... I kinda think it is... Subtle and sneaky kinda way though.

 

I am I being over-sensitive?

[PromoTheRobot]

Anybody ever notice the commercial about the office dude that is the only one willing to take the out of town business trips? He is the first one to raise his hand and say: "I'll go." All the while he is doing this he is earning frequent flyer miles. Now, at the end of the commercial, the boss asks if anyone is willing to go on business to "Buffalo"... The usual guy is nowhere in sight...In fact he is off and boarding a flight with his significant other, wearing floral shirts, etc... Presumably going on vaction somewhere warm.

 

My point? Is this a slam on Buffalo?... I kinda think it is... Subtle and sneaky kinda way though.

 

I am I being over-sensitive?

Buffalo is code for 'cold crappy place with lots of snow." Thank Johnny Carson for that. It won't change until global warming turns the Erie Basin Marina into South Beach, and puts South beach under 20 feet of water.

 

PTR

[BillsWatch]

What other black athletes have made it their home in recent times?

 

Pat Williams looks pretty black to me and not only does he make Buffalo his home in off season he has a business there. There are plenty of others too but do not let facts interfere with your exaggerated tirade.

[The_Philster]

Ruben Brown...Thurman Thomas

[VJ91]

I don't really think that Nate is slighting buffalo. He didn't come out and say he didn't like it there. Rob Johnson trashed Buffalo big time when he left. I don't think that is Nate's intent here. I would say that playing for Buffalo is a great thing for NFL'ers that are family men. The young guys with millions feel limited for sure.

 

Buffalo is Buffalo. Nate Clements decided to use the lack of his type of nightlife as a reason he became a good enough CB to demand a huge free agent contract. I think when I called that reasoning ignorant, some posters felt I was being racist, and decided to defend Buffalo's lack of cool rap-type African American night clubs.

 

SORRY.

 

I just thought that using that reason for improving his craft was really just an easy way to take a cheap shot at Buffalo. And I say again, I don't feel sorry for African Americans who are single and love rap clubs playing in Buffalo for the Bills. Buffalo does have plenty of ways for them to use their money and find ways to have fun, with or without rap clubs. The bottom line is that Ralph Wilson and Russ Brandon are paying them as much as other NFL teams that happen to be in bigger cities are paying their players, and they should just shut up and worry about their jobs, and not the night life.