Capturing Communities in Words and Images:

The actor sits on the windowsill by the door, eating bright chicken wings and occasionally breaking into a dance by himself. The doggy day care manager stands near the bar, eyes fixed on the large screen that hangs above his head. The young recruiter walks behind the bar, and the sales representative eats in the dining area. They all know each other, but not in those terms. Here, they are simply Adam, Ben, Matt and Kenny, and they are Buffalo Bills fans.

Though they see each other every week for at least 16 weeks a year, the young men don’t know much about one another except that, like the other regulars at McFadden’s Saloon, they come week after week to cheer on and support their football team – no matter how badly they might be doing or how dreadful the weather is.

“You want sports fans?” asked Jill Kerschensteiner, one of the women who make up the Bills Backers community at McFadden’s. “Well you got us. We’re here.”  More »

Post by mstmaurice | December 16th, 2008 | Category: Final Project Essay and Photos | Comments (11)

I went back to McFadden’s today for another game, hoping to find more people since the Buffalo Bills had won last week. As I was walking over, however, shivering and finding refuge under my small umbrella, the thought crossed my mind that perhaps this week, the bar wouldn’t be so crowded once again. And, unfortunately, I was right. There were even less people than last week, due to a combination of the team’s record, the weather and the holiday weekend.

As soon as I walked in, however, I was happy to notice that many of the people present were fans I had met last week, and they were all standing or sitting in the same areas. I started to take pictures, quickly noting that this game was not going very well – there were a lot more angry and frustrated cries and outbursts than last week. I got access to the area behind the bar, which provided me with a great new angle, and I got a few pictures of the very expressive, sole fan of the opposite team. She happened to be sitting next to a particularly emotional and angry Bills fan, which made for some great entertainment and photos.

The latter girl, who kept yelling at the television screen and giving it the finger, is referred to as “the girl who yells at Matt” (Matt being the bartender). Her defense, Pete told me, was “But you don’t understand. I grew up in Buffalo.”

Post by mstmaurice | November 30th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

When I reached the corner of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue, I grew extremely excited at the sight of the dark green awning under which a 6′3″, 300 pound black man was standing, chatting with a small group. Frankie, the bouncer, was the first person I talked to, and from the very beginning was nice and apparently made up his mind that he would be helping me (he later invited me to stand on seats to get a better view, and told me about the crowds the bar usually serves – sometimes there are so many people that he’s forced to send them next door).

Once Frankie let me in, I walked through the door and met Pete, the owner who welcomed me and walked me through the bar. Some fans had already assembled along the bar, wearing their jerseys and seemingly in good spirits at the prospect of a game that might treat them better than the last had. The smell of Buffalo chicken wings drifted up to my nostrils, but it was nothing compared to the intensity of the smell that came later, once the place had filled up and everyone was enjoying what they had paid for. On a game Sunday, customers can pay $15 for unlimited chicken wings and soda, or $20 for all you can eat and all the beer you can drink. “They’re the best in the world,” said one fan. “It’s all about the sauce.” Then he ran off to eat his two plates of wings without giving me the time to ask his name.

The first people I talked to were Steve and Jon, who met at Mcfadden’s through “being fans.” They said they are usually part of a group of about five people, but the Bills lost a game on Monday, their fifth loss in a row, so the morale was very low. The bar was usually packed, they said, and today was nothing.

Sitting a few feet away were Rebecca and Jocelyn. Rebecca was told about the place about two years and has been coming since, and she’s the one who invited Jocelyn, who was wearing a white shirt and pajama pants. They were nice enough to hold my coat and bag so I didn’t have to struggle with them.

Everyone agreed that this was not the best game to witness, due to Monday’s loss. But Tim stayed positive: “If we’re not gonna win, at least I’ll get drunk.” How long would that take? “At this rate, not long at all,” he laughed. He attibuted the relatively low attendance to the fact that most people were probably disheartened or away for the holidays.

Todd Rethemeier, who was standing nearby, saw my camera and said “if you wait, in just a couple of yards we’ll score and go nuts.” I waited amongst them, feeling the tension build up, crash when the team didn’t quite make it, and then explode when they did. Everyone jumped up, yelled, chanted the place’s own call and response song, hugged, danced, high-fived, and threw napkins in the air.

“If you want the sports fans, well you got us. We’re here,” said and excited Jill Kerschensteiner, who had gathered a stack of napkins to throw in the air when they scored.

In the seating area behind the bar, through which waitresses carried pitchers of beer to the tables, Alex Valentine and Rachel Schaeffer were enjoying chicken wings, mozarella sticks and beer. Alex has been coming to Mcfadden’s for three years, and this was the third time Rachel joined her, for a photography project she was doing.

Sitting at the next table, trying to listen to what I was doing, was Kenny. He was there with Kim, and he has been coming to Mcffaden’s ever since it first opened. “My brother lives nearby and when the place opened, one of his friends was here and called him to come over. Been here ever since.” He says the reason he comes to about 14 out of 16 games every year is the atmosphere – “it’s the only place that plays the Bills game.” Kim, on the other hand, seemed to be more of a fan of the chicken wings. When I asked her how they were, all she could muster, her mouth full, was a nod of approval and a thumbs up.

I came back around to the bar area, where people posed for pictures thinking I was the usual photographer’s replacement. I indulged them before meeting Hope and Tommy, who were in charge of the money, and then Dave Godvin, who comes here twice a year from Florida. He’s been a Bills fan since 1961, and is originally from Buffalo.

Over the sound of “Sweet Home Alabama” and dozens of voices joining in, I then spoke to Earnest Wallace, Barry Walbrop and Ben Irvin. Ben and Barry have been coming for years, Ben being the first, and Earnest was only at his second time. “I’m being converted by these two,” he said with a smile. Will he come back? “Oh yeah!” he said enthusiastically before taking a gulp of beer.

Ben,  who is also a Buffalo native, comes here because he calls it “a little piece of home.”

Post by mstmaurice | November 24th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Sports fans exist in every country around the world, and, depending on their sport of choice, are seen in waves throughout the year. With the football season into gear and the Super Bowl approaching, more and more football fans will be spotted in the streets of New York, wearing their favorite player or team jersey, heading to a variety of sports bars that broadcast the game of the day.

From what I’ve heard over the years, many people, mostly men, crowd the bars on Sunday afternoons to have a few drinks, some snacks, and cheer on their team with a group of friends. Out of habit, many will return to the same place week after week, thus forming bonds and relationships with the other fans who flock to the giant screens and alcoholic beverages.

It is those people that I want to capture, that community of loyal and dedicated fans that I want to expose through pictures and words. By going to bars known for their high attendance on sports events, I hope to observe the fans, talk to them, and take their pictures.

I am hoping that the former two will help me to understand the passion and the dedication of those fans, as well as establish the rivalries and rituals that are involved in the games. I also expect to find multiple generations, sometimes father and son groups, who have been coming to the same places for months, if not years.

After getting some good pictures and information from sports bars around the city, I will try to go to an actual game, though perhaps not actually enter the stadium. But arriving before a sporting event and walking around the parking lot is sure to provide me with many images of tailgate parties, people who have camped out, barbecues, and, I assume, fans dressed or painted in the colors of their team. This will fit in nicely with the other part of my project, the bars, and I think my subjects will be more than happy to talk about their traditions and teams.

Post by mstmaurice | October 21st, 2008 | Category: Final Project Proposal, Uncategorized | Comments (2)