04-23-2025, 10:04 PMHabsFanFromOntario Wrote: A team is a collection of individuals, if 2/3/4 people from that team are constantly being like that it gives the impressions it's accepted and encouraged some becomes a reflection of them. I think the league has definitely always been clique-y to a degree, hell we had the crew back in the day for my old heads, and I encourage people to reach out to others not on their team and talk to them. There's lots of cool people in the league I've met in the past year or so by just going out of my way to interact with people I might not have had a chance to. That said, I don't think it's unfair to hold Hamilton accountable for the actions of people in their realm especially when this has gone on for a long time.

You're right that a team is made up of individuals, and when a few members act in ways that aren’t great, it can absolutely give the impression that it’s accepted or even encouraged. I’m not denying that Hamilton (or any team) should be held accountable for the actions of the people within it—especially if it’s a pattern. But what’s frustrating to me is how this becomes the defining feature of Hamilton. It feels like every time something happens, it’s just one more reason for people to pile on and reinforce that ‘Hamilton bad’ narrative, without acknowledging the nuance or the people who are trying to improve.

And honestly, this thread right here is a perfect example of what I was talking about in my original post. We can see how quickly the conversation gets hijacked by the ‘Hamilton hate’ narrative, and that’s exactly what I mean by this cycle of defensiveness and frustration. Instead of allowing for a more honest discussion, we end up with this cycle where anyone even loosely connected to Hamilton feels like they're automatically guilty by association. It’s incredibly frustrating for anyone looking in, especially when it feels like members of Hamilton are constantly being looked down upon and blamed for things they had nothing to do with. And when anyone tries to speak up, it often feels like a minefield—any attempt at offering a different perspective gets shut down or met with immediate backlash.

It’s exhausting to see this constant need to prove that not everyone in Hamilton is part of the toxicity, and to watch the entire team's reputation get dragged through the mud every time a few individuals mess up. The truth is, it feels like the damage is done, and no matter what is said, the narrative is set. There’s little room for fairness or even understanding anymore—it’s more about assigning blame and reinforcing a narrative that’s hard to break out of.