Spotting a Bills fan during travel

[Fan in Chicago]

Something different from the overload of draft and WR threads...

 

 

Occasionally when I travel, I spot someone wearing Bills hat or T-shirt and of course I say "Go Bills" when I pass that person. The same happens when I have my Bills gear on. Most recently, it happened in San Juan, Puerto Rico in December and Tampa about 10 days back.

I am also tempted to ask that person if he/she is a member of TBD, but for some reason never have. Mostly it is because of my apprehension about that person's demeanour and how willing that person is to a Bills conversation with a random guy.

 

So my question is - have any of you also felt this way? WOuld you ask about TBD or just leave it at "Go Bills"?

 

(Mods - if this thread is not appropriate for the main forum, feel free to move it)

 

[sunshynman]

Always happens to me in airports. Sometimes just out and about walking around. I will talk Bills if the person is receptive. I'm 50/50 if I reply back "Go Bills" or just chuckle. Sometimes it catches me off guard. 

[Lagoon Blues]

Happens to me all the time....I always just stick w/ Go Bills.  Normally get the same in return.  Every once in a while it tends to throw them off and they don't know what to reply with.  But I travel to and from Florida a lot so half of the people in and out of that state are from NY it feels like.

[Gregg]

Living in NJ if someone sees me wearing Bills stuff, I usually get a "Go Jets" thrown my way. Sometimes I will hear "Go Bills". Living in the area of a divisional rival its mostly "Go Jets".

[Your Brown Eye]

I'll get "Go Bills" stuff when I'm up here. My last two vacations to Charleston SC and Ocean City MD, I wore my Bills stuff almost daily and got crickets.

[Captain Hindsight]

Usually when people see me in a Bills hat, they buy me a drink, usually something expensive 

[Don Otreply]

Just yesterday, here in Beaufort SC, the wife and drove up behind a car at an intersection with a Charging Buffalo on the back, pulled up next to it and rolled down my window and said Go Bills, she was from Orchard park, we chatted, lamented the 13 second game, laughed, and parted ways, saw two other vehicles with Bills stickers on them as well, all within an hour. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

Get it all the time. Will always give a “Go Bills” back. 
 

Was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. I wore Bills stuff every day and a lot of people were coming up to me. My girlfriend who was born in Buffalo but moved to Texas at a young age, just got finished telling me how much she loves Texas and how she’s a Texan now did not like the attention I was getting. Started to jump in and tell everyone how we’re from Buffalo before they could talk to me 🤦🏻‍♂️

[teef]

i usually throw out a "go bills" if i'm away and i see someone sporting gear, and i've had people start conversations as well.  this last vacation i just couldn't do it.  we took the kids on a disney cruise, and there were a ton of bills fans on it, (i assume we all have the same school breaks).  i just wasn't in the mood this time to get into the small talk about it.   i don't  know if it's age, or maybe i just needed the peace, but for the first time in a long time, i kept my bills fandom to myself.

[amprov56]

During the Fall of the 1990 Gulf War, I was working along the Saudi Arabia Kuwait border, out in the middle of nowhere was a small store at the Port of Entry between the two countries that had cold drinks. Stopping in one day, I had a small Bills patch and I heard in somewhat accented English "Go Bills." The owner of the store, a Saudi businessman stopped in to check up on things and we both initially started laughing and talking football. He attended UB and loved the Bills, Buffalo, and Mighty Taco on Hertel avenue. One of the more interesting and bizarre Bills Fans encounters since I left Buffalo January 1980.

[BritBill]

I live in a city where tourism is huge and often see folk in Bills gear. Always give a "Go Bills!". I get mixed responses. 

 

I also see gear of plenty of other NFL teams but just mutter disgusting words under my breath at them. 

[BuffAlone]

11 minutes ago, amprov56 said:

During the Fall of the 1990 Gulf War, I was working along the Saudi Arabia Kuwait border, out in the middle of nowhere was a small store at the Port of Entry between the two countries that had cold drinks. Stopping in one day, I had a small Bills patch and I heard in somewhat accented English "Go Bills." The owner of the store, a Saudi businessman stopped in to check up on things and we both initially started laughing and talking football. He attended UB and loved the Bills, Buffalo, and Mighty Taco on Hertel avenue. One of the more interesting and bizarre Bills Fans encounters since I left Buffalo January 1980.

That's amazing. Thanks for your service

[MiltonWaddams]

I get it a lot when traveling, but my two biggest surprise “ Go Bills” came in Queenstown New Zealand and in a grocery store in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. We Are Everywhere.

[Fan in Chicago]

21 minutes ago, amprov56 said:

During the Fall of the 1990 Gulf War, I was working along the Saudi Arabia Kuwait border, out in the middle of nowhere was a small store at the Port of Entry between the two countries that had cold drinks. Stopping in one day, I had a small Bills patch and I heard in somewhat accented English "Go Bills." The owner of the store, a Saudi businessman stopped in to check up on things and we both initially started laughing and talking football. He attended UB and loved the Bills, Buffalo, and Mighty Taco on Hertel avenue. One of the more interesting and bizarre Bills Fans encounters since I left Buffalo January 1980.

By far the coolest story in this thread so far. 

19 minutes ago, BritBill said:

 

I also see gear of plenty of other NFL teams but just mutter disgusting words under my breath at them. 

I am mostly surprised in Wisconsin when people wearing Packers gear say "Go Bills" to me. Maybe its the kinship of fans from small town franchises. 

Edited April 22 by Fan in Chicago

[DCofNC]

Always start with a Go Bills and see where it goes.  If a conversation starts with a woman, you know there’s a solid chance with her, she’s already used to being optimistic and then disappointed 13 seconds later.

[jimmynunn]

I have a Bills golf bag, so I get it a lot on the golf course. If it is a Bills fan, I laugh and come back with , "This is Our Year". Always happy to have a chat if the circumstances allow.

It's especially fun when I am on a golf vacation somewhere way out of town.  Even when it's not a Bills fan, the comment often  is, "I'm rooting for you guys to win one", and I always respond, "Still some room on the bandwagon, jump on while you can!"

[Just Jack]

17 minutes ago, DCofNC said:

Always start with a Go Bills and see where it goes.  If a conversation starts with a woman, you know there’s a solid chance with her, she’s already used to being optimistic and then disappointed 13 seconds later.

 

Even more disappointed when you go wide right instead straight up the middle.  

[Wacka]

Used to live in the SF Bay area for almost 20 years. Moved back to WNY 10 years ago. In 2022 went back to visit  and wore my Bills Mafia shirt to a get-together for my hobby there. Had lot of question about what it meant. I explaned that being a Bills fan is like being in the Mafia. Once you join, you are in it for life and can't quit.😀

Edited April 22 by Wacka

[strive_for_five_guy]

I usually ask, “are you @HOUSE?”, but always letdown when the answer is no.

[CA OC Bills Fan]

I travel for work quite a bit so am in airports several times per month. I rarely will be wearing Bills gear, so of course I don't get comments. But, whenever I see someone wearing any Bills gear, I always say "Go Bills". Sometimes it leads to a conversation. I never bring up TBD or TSW. Most of the time I work into the conversation that I live in CA and am a season ticket holder. Living in CA, I every once in a while see people with Bills gear, same thing, always give them a "Go Bills" and typically that leads to a conversation. I'm more likely to be wearing some Bills gear when I'm home, I always wear a Bills cap when I walk my dogs.

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, Fan in Chicago said:

Something different from the overload of draft and WR threads...

 

 

Occasionally when I travel, I spot someone wearing Bills hat or T-shirt and of course I say "Go Bills" when I pass that person. The same happens when I have my Bills gear on. Most recently, it happened in San Juan, Puerto Rico in December and Tampa about 10 days back.

I am also tempted to ask that person if he/she is a member of TBD, but for some reason never have. Mostly it is because of my apprehension about that person's demeanour and how willing that person is to a Bills conversation with a random guy.

 

So my question is - have any of you also felt this way? WOuld you ask about TBD or just leave it at "Go Bills"?

 

(Mods - if this thread is not appropriate for the main forum, feel free to move it)

 

 

It depends a lot upon the context in which I meet them.

 

If I'm just encountering them in passing, I wouldn't try to have a conversation.  They have their schedule, I have mine.

 

On the other hand, if we're near each other in the course of things for an extended time, I'll chat.  Several years back we had a reserved camping spot next to a man who looked like he'd transplanted his entire Bills tailgating setup to a small state park on the Western shores of Lake Ontario - big Bills-themed canopy floored with Bills rugs, I forget what all else he had except a wife and several young kids who wanted to pet our Very Cheerful and Fluffy Dog.  So of course after petting formalities were completed, we struck up a convo about the Bills and I asked if he ever hung out on Bills fan boards and mentioned TBD (he didn't).  I've had a couple convos at airport gates and in line to buy fish From A Guy in the Virgin Islands, I don't recall if I mentioned TBD though.

 

2 hours ago, Not at the table Karlos said:

Get it all the time. Will always give a “Go Bills” back. 
 

Was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. I wore Bills stuff every day and a lot of people were coming up to me. My girlfriend who was born in Buffalo but moved to Texas at a young age, just got finished telling me how much she loves Texas and how she’s a Texan now did not like the attention I was getting. Started to jump in and tell everyone how we’re from Buffalo before they could talk to me 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

She's not a Keeper.

 

Unless she makes REALLY GOOD wings that is.

Edited April 22 by Beck Water

[SoCal Deek]

3 hours ago, teef said:

i usually throw out a "go bills" if i'm away and i see someone sporting gear, and i've had people start conversations as well.  this last vacation i just couldn't do it.  we took the kids on a disney cruise, and there were a ton of bills fans on it, (i assume we all have the same school breaks).  i just wasn't in the mood this time to get into the small talk about it.   i don't  know if it's age, or maybe i just needed the peace, but for the first time in a long time, i kept my bills fandom to myself.

That Diggs trade really has you that bummed? 😉

[LABILLBACKER]

Just got back from a vacation cruise on the Columbia river.  Ran into a fellow Bills fan on the Mt St. Helen's excursion.  We said to each other "with our luck, hope this mountain doesn't erupt again". We're an endangered species.

[teef]

2 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

That Diggs trade really has you that bummed? 😉

Our family still hasn’t completely recovered from it. 

[PBF81]

4 hours ago, Gregg said:

Living in NJ if someone sees me wearing Bills stuff, I usually get a "Go Jets" thrown my way. Sometimes I will hear "Go Bills". Living in the area of a divisional rival its mostly "Go Jets".

 

That's when the fight started.  

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Usually when people see me in a Bills hat, they buy me a drink, usually something expensive 

 

Should have started that with ... "I don't always wear Bills gear, but when I do ..."  

 

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

3 hours ago, teef said:

i usually throw out a "go bills" if i'm away and i see someone sporting gear, and i've had people start conversations as well.  this last vacation i just couldn't do it.  we took the kids on a disney cruise, and there were a ton of bills fans on it, (i assume we all have the same school breaks).  i just wasn't in the mood this time to get into the small talk about it.   i don't  know if it's age, or maybe i just needed the peace, but for the first time in a long time, i kept my bills fandom to myself.

Wasn’t the Disney “Wish” a few weeks ago was it? 🤔

[PBF81]

3 hours ago, DCofNC said:

Always start with a Go Bills and see where it goes.  If a conversation starts with a woman, you know there’s a solid chance with her, she’s already used to being optimistic and then disappointed 13 seconds later.

 

13 seconds?  Gee, there's candor for ya.  

 

 

 

 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

The kids know to keep score on how many “Go Bills” we will hear anytime we go anywhere with our gear on, and usually hit the over. Maybe I’m just biased, but it sure seems like we represent as a fan base very well—more so than a lot of others. 
 

Usually it’s just that passing greeting, but sometimes a quick convo about our chances this season etc. No one has asked me about TBD, and the few times I have brought it up it’s been unknown to them. I’m still waiting to run into @Augiedown here locally though. 😁

[teef]

9 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Wasn’t the Disney “Wish” a few weeks ago was it? 🤔

i think it was the dream...maybe.  it was in february for the winter break.

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

The kids know to keep score on how many “Go Bills” we will hear anytime we go anywhere with our gear on, and usually hit the over. Maybe I’m just biased, but it sure seems like we represent as a fan base very well—more so than a lot of others. 
 

Usually it’s just that passing greeting, but sometimes a quick convo about our chances this season etc. No one has asked me about TBD, and the few times I have brought it up it’s been unknown to them. I’m still waiting to run into @Augiedown here locally though. 😁

 

I’m the cautious type who avoids riff-raff as much as possible.  😋

 

I was thinking of hosting a game last season, but then the season got ugly, and many fans followed suit. Maybe early next season, before they ruin our collective mood. 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Just now, teef said:

i think it was the dream...maybe.  it was in february for the winter break.

I’m sure it’s one of those been on one you’ve been on them all—our Spring Break was first week of April and we were on the Wish when the Diggs news hit—bc of the crappy Wi-Fi it was difficult to stay up to date though. Had at least 2 other Bills fans mention it to me onboard. 

[teef]

7 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

I’m sure it’s one of those been on one you’ve been on them all—our Spring Break was first week of April and we were on the Wish when the Diggs news hit—bc of the crappy Wi-Fi it was difficult to stay up to date though. Had at least 2 other Bills fans mention it to me onboard. 

my wife was in florida that week with the kids.  she called once she heard, so we're on the same break schedule.  you're right...the wifi was not happening on that ship.  to be honest, it ended up being pretty nice.

[amprov56]

37 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

That's when the fight started.  

 

 

 

 

 

Should have started that with ... "I don't always wear Bills gear, but when I do ..."  

 

 

Hear me out

[ALLinALLEN]

I said "Go Bills" to a guy in a Bills hat while in line for the Fast n Furious ride in Orlando last fall...he just stared and awkwardly barely acknowledged it. Then he laughed with his 2 friends. It was a WEIRD experience and me and my girl couldnt stop laughing about it all day. Especially since it was a long line and we kept passing eachother 🤣

[Kenosha2Buffalo]

I work at a pretty big tourist trap you might have been to before , mars cheese castle right over the Border. I get a go bills almost daily, never used the be like that !

 

I always just leave it go bills because I'm so far away from buffalo 

Edited April 22 by Kenosha2Buffalo

[Just Jack]

47 minutes ago, ALLinALLEN said:

I said "Go Bills" to a guy in a Bills hat while in line for the Fast n Furious ride in Orlando last fall...he just stared and awkwardly barely acknowledged it. Then he laughed with his 2 friends. It was a WEIRD experience and me and my girl couldnt stop laughing about it all day. Especially since it was a long line and we kept passing eachother 🤣

 

Maybe he did not realize what hat he was wearing.  Should have kept asking him questions each time you passed, like "how long have you been a Bills fan?" and "Flutie or Johnson?" 

 

[MikeSpeed]

5 hours ago, Not at the table Karlos said:

Get it all the time. Will always give a “Go Bills” back. 
 

Was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. I wore Bills stuff every day and a lot of people were coming up to me. My girlfriend who was born in Buffalo but moved to Texas at a young age, just got finished telling me how much she loves Texas and how she’s a Texan now did not like the attention I was getting. Started to jump in and tell everyone how we’re from Buffalo before they could talk to me 🤦🏻‍♂️

I live is South Carolina. My girlfriend is from San Diego. People yell "Go Bills" to me all the time. We were at a chilli cook-off in Lexington SC. At least 4 times we got stopped by people wanting to chat after seeing my Bills Jacket. My girlfriend was getting a little put-off as well. I suspect she'll be highly suggesting I wear something else when I go into public with her. She already bought me a hat with no logos on it. 🤣

[Augie]

6 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

The kids know to keep score on how many “Go Bills” we will hear anytime we go anywhere with our gear on, and usually hit the over. Maybe I’m just biased, but it sure seems like we represent as a fan base very well—more so than a lot of others. 
 

Usually it’s just that passing greeting, but sometimes a quick convo about our chances this season etc. No one has asked me about TBD, and the few times I have brought it up it’s been unknown to them. I’m still waiting to run into @Augiedown here locally though. 😁

 

My sister-in-law lives in NE PA and ran into someone in Bills gear. Apparently that person IS on TBD and apparently knew of me. No mention was made of him having me on “Ignore”, so that’s good I guess. 🤷‍♂️

 

 

 

.

Edited April 22 by Augie

[Fan in Chicago]

1 hour ago, ALLinALLEN said:

I said "Go Bills" to a guy in a Bills hat while in line for the Fast n Furious ride in Orlando last fall...he just stared and awkwardly barely acknowledged it.  🤣

Maybe he bought the Bills hat in the bargain bin 10 years back and had no clue what the charging Buffalo was for. 

[uticaclub]

If i dont feel like talking to anyone, ill take sure i wont have a Bills hat or shirt because at least one person will want to talk to you