Letter to the Editor

Dear Bucs,

     Before I begin, let me openly state that I have been a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization since I was old enough to hold a football.  My entire family is from the bay area, and I have been a fan through thick and thin; through 12-4 Superbowl winning seasons, and through 4-12, not-so-super seasons.  One thing has always seemed constant, among the winning and the losing seasons, though. One thing I have never seen the Buccaneers do is play without heart.

     Maybe it's our lack of vocal, outspoken leaders.  Maybe it's having the youngest team in the league.  Maybe the culture of the NFL has changed so that the focus is less on pleasing the fans, and more on personal goals and gains.  Maybe undisciplined football, poor technique, and little effort is what this team is all about. We started out 4-2 this season, hit a rough stretch, and gave up like a little kid who gets beat in a game, saying "well I didn't want to win anyway".  What you don't realize is that you play for a lot more than yourself or this team.  You are a source of inspiration for people everywhere, and to see you get shellacked by a bad Jaguars team leaves quite a bit to be desired.

     What you, and the other 31 teams in the NFL, have forgotten is that we are the biggest reason you play this game.  America can survive without football.  The NFL can't survive without viewers.  You can read this and pull a LeBron and say "I don't care what you think, because at the end of the day, I'm still an NFL player, and you're still a sad, broke fan".  Or, you can read this and realize that you are a highlight in some of our lives. You play for our favorite teams.  We wouldn't rather cheer for anyone else, and we will stick with you until the last seconds of every game.  Watching you play warms our hearts, and we will root for you any day of the week, but you have to know that we can not tolerate the indifferent acceptance of mediocrity, the "meh" that we've been seeing on the field the last couple of weeks.  As my parents taught me, if it's worth doing, it's worth giving 100%. Go Bucs.

Love,
The Fans

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