Buffalo What? BANDITS!
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National Lacrosse League Cancels 2008 Season - What's a Buffalo Bandits Fan to Do?
B O X, B O X, To The Box, To The Box, To The Box Box Box WOO! Anyone who has ever been to a Buffalo Bandits game knows what that cheer is all about but unfortunately, Bandits fan's won't have much to cheer about this season. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) has decided to cancel its 2008 season after the players association rejected the leagues last Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) proposal.
The Professional Lacrosse Players Association (PLPA) rejected the proposal without allowing all of the players to vote on the final offer. The National Lacrosse league feels that their offer was fair seeing that each of the player's contracts included annual raises and while they are very disappointed that this rejection occurred, and resulted in the cancellation of the 2008 season, they feel this will give them a chance to improve their relationships with the NLL teams.
So in the mean time...what's a Bandits fan to do? For the past 15 years, Buffalo fans have been rooting for our lacrosse heroes. From 1992 to 1997 the Buffalo Bandits played for the Major Indoor Lacrosse League until it transformed into the NLL after the '97 season. The Bandits were the first franchise in NLL history to ever win a championship in its first season; the Bandits won it their second season as well.
This phenomenal team made the playoffs for the first 7 seasons of their existence. It wasn't until 1999 that they fell short of that goal. The Bandits fought their way back and had fantastic seasons in both 2004 and 2006. They finished first in the East Division both years, but in 2006 they had the chance to host the Champions Cup game at home in HSBC arena, but lost to the Colorado Mammoth.
In 2007 the Buffalo Bandits rode the wave of the Buffalo Sabres and found some new fans. The 2007 season did not turn out as well as the 2006 season, but the game turn outs were record breaking. The Buffalo Bandits were on their way to staking their claim in the hearts of Buffalo Fans. So now that the 2008 season is cancelled, many Buffalo fans are bummed. I suppose we'll have to resort to watching Sabres games and waiting for the Bills to start up once again.
The Professional Lacrosse Players Association (PLPA) rejected the proposal without allowing all of the players to vote on the final offer. The National Lacrosse league feels that their offer was fair seeing that each of the player's contracts included annual raises and while they are very disappointed that this rejection occurred, and resulted in the cancellation of the 2008 season, they feel this will give them a chance to improve their relationships with the NLL teams.
So in the mean time...what's a Bandits fan to do? For the past 15 years, Buffalo fans have been rooting for our lacrosse heroes. From 1992 to 1997 the Buffalo Bandits played for the Major Indoor Lacrosse League until it transformed into the NLL after the '97 season. The Bandits were the first franchise in NLL history to ever win a championship in its first season; the Bandits won it their second season as well.
This phenomenal team made the playoffs for the first 7 seasons of their existence. It wasn't until 1999 that they fell short of that goal. The Bandits fought their way back and had fantastic seasons in both 2004 and 2006. They finished first in the East Division both years, but in 2006 they had the chance to host the Champions Cup game at home in HSBC arena, but lost to the Colorado Mammoth.
In 2007 the Buffalo Bandits rode the wave of the Buffalo Sabres and found some new fans. The 2007 season did not turn out as well as the 2006 season, but the game turn outs were record breaking. The Buffalo Bandits were on their way to staking their claim in the hearts of Buffalo Fans. So now that the 2008 season is cancelled, many Buffalo fans are bummed. I suppose we'll have to resort to watching Sabres games and waiting for the Bills to start up once again.
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