04-23-2025, 10:29 PMHabsFanFromOntario Wrote: It's not just Hamilton, it becomes a pattern for all teams that have to base it on the outside what they see since they're not inside, right?

I don't disagree but I think this ties into why everybody getting out of their bubbles is so important and talking to people. Personally until I watched @aleks and @Waters podcast about a month ago I had no idea how invested they were in the league's image and branding and loved their points of view and thoughts. But this only happens by people putting themselves out there to prove public perception wrong or others reaching out to them. Perceptions won't change unless a reason is given to do so, that's just life really.

I completely agree with what you’re saying here. It’s a pattern that affects a lot of teams, not just Hamilton, but in different ways. Whether it’s a team, a locker room, or even just certain group dynamics, people tend to group together and assign collective blame based on the actions of a few individuals. You see this in every corner of the league: one bad incident in a locker room or a heated moment from a few people can quickly get generalized to the entire team, and that perception can stick. It doesn’t matter if everyone else is trying to do the right thing—it gets lumped together and treated as if it’s representative of everyone involved.

This is why it’s so crucial for members of these communities to step outside their own bubbles and take control of their image. As you mentioned with @aleks and @Waters, sometimes you don’t realize how invested someone is or what they care about until you make the effort to engage with them. But, here’s the thing: it shouldn’t always fall on the individuals trying to make a change. The broader community needs to stop viewing these groups or teams as monoliths. If we only ever look at Hamilton—or any team—through the lens of past actions or a few people’s behavior, we’re missing out on seeing the individuals for who they truly are.

The responsibility for changing perceptions should also lie within the community, not just with a few standout members. When we continue to lump people together based on past mistakes or the actions of a few, it prevents us from seeing each person’s growth and potential. We need to break away from the idea that everyone in Hamilton (or any other team) is part of some unified “problem.” It’s about recognizing that everyone deserves to be seen for who they are individually and not as a reflection of a collective past.

In the end, this constant “Hamilton bad” narrative doesn’t do justice to the people trying to improve, and it doesn’t give them the chance to prove they’re more than just the reputation that’s been handed to them. We need to move past this cycle of judgment and start seeing individuals for their own actions. Only then can we really create space for meaningful change and understanding.