Buffalo is a Sacred Place to Play a Football Game

[EssexBill]

Life's too short to hate someone who plays sports just because they don't play for your team, so fair play to Travis even if I hope we don't have to see his wife to be on the screen every sunday for much longer.

 

I echo what everyone else says about Buffalo, from my limited experience. I recently went to Buffalo for the first time for my first home game and the whole town is just all about the bills. I'm British and people are very passionate about their soccer teams here, but you can walk around in Manchester/Liverpool/Tottenham/Newcastle etc... and whilst the people love their teams you don't see every other person just going about their business wearing team colours even on a match day. In Buffalo I saw old grandmas getting out of their car to go shopping at a strip mall, all of them decked out in bills gear 😀 That just doesn't happen anywhere else, it felt special to me

Edited 5 hours ago by EssexBill

[dwight in philly]

2 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

The Bills have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  I was just 4 years old when my dad took my brother and me to see the home opener in 1960.  I can still remember men bringing cases of Genny into the Rockpile to drink during the game.  I was at the first game at Rich, with Mul-Key returning the kickoff for a TD on the first ever play.  The memories of tailgates with friends, the great games I’ve see there, are etched in my mind and will be till I die.

 

I will be returning next week for the Bucs game, probably the last I’ll see at Rich Stadium (I’ll always think of it as such).  My son-in-law and younger daughter have never been to a game in Buffalo, and I insisted they had to see one game before the move.  One game to be at Rich, to experience the atmosphere, see the tailgates, be part of what has been such a huge part of my life for 66 years.  My wife, two daughters, a son in law, two of my nieces, all in our Bills gear, all tailgating and sharing food and drink with other fans.  Can’t wait.

Same here ! I was 8 in 1960 when my father took me to my first game .. The Bills have been a part of me since.. Had season tickets when Rich Stadium opened in 73.. (Mul-Key returned that kickoff right toward us in the endzone). Just hope  I  can experience ONE BEFORE i DIE , as the saying goes.. 

[BillsPride12]

6 minutes ago, corta765 said:

Agreed although complete forget they exist since Brees left lol

Yeah that's understandable lol. It just sticks out to me because I've been to about 10 or 11 Bills road games and the Saints fans were awesome. Super friendly and engaging and Saints gear all over the city. It's also another one of those cities that has their own very unique culture. It surprises me, I feel the Saints fans NEVER get any recognition at in these best fanbase conversations lol

Edited 5 hours ago by BillsPride12

[hondo in seattle]

2 hours ago, zow2 said:

Winning makes a huge difference at every stadium in every city.  I agree that Buffalo is the best football scene in America.  But let's face it, if the Jets or Panthers for example had the 7 year success that Buffalo is having,  the fans there would make it a more special environment.

 

You're not wrong.  But I think about it differently.  

 

Steeler and Pack fans are widely respected.  Of course they’re passionate - those franchises are perennial contenders, and their stadiums reflect it.

 

The Bills, by contrast, have more losses than wins since our inception back in 1960.  We’re not historically a winning franchise, and yet when times are bad, we show up.  We fill the stadium.  We crowd into Bills Backers bars.  We wear our colors every Sunday, no matter where we are.  To me, that stubborn persistence is the real measure of fandom.  Few teams sustain that level of loyalty through prolonged hard times.  Bills fans are not fair-weather friends.  

 

I don’t mean to diminish other fanbases.  I was at Arrowhead for the Bills‑Chiefs regular-season matchup in 2021. That place was freaking thunderous - at least until the tide turned against them.  Still, I've visited nearly every NFL city and have lived in a few of them, and I’ve never quite felt the same fierce, communal energy around a home team as I do in Buffalo.

 

 

 

[corta765]

11 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

Yeah that's understandable lol. It just sticks out to me because I've been to about 10 or 11 Bills road games and the Saints fans were awesome. Super friendly and engaging and Saints gear all over the city. It's also another one of those cities that has their own very unique culture. It surprises me, I feel the Saints fans NEVER get any recognition at in these best fanbase conversations lol

 

I have had a theory that the best fan thing gives most notice to teams who either:

A. Win a lot but the fan support really is impressive over time (Pittsburgh GB DEN)

 

or

 

B. They have never won before but either had a truly tragically impressive list of losses that stick out in the national mindset while also being defined nationally by there team (BUF/CLE)

 

The Saints are kind of weird because the majority of their history was being doormats, but they were fun with how the fans partied and weirdly embraced being lovable losers. Then they got good around the early 2000s for a bit, Katrina happened which the city absolutely rallied around the Saints, they got reallllyyy good and won a SB, and until Brees left were considered pretty highly as a team. So they don't have a winning history until Brees, because their two worst losses (2017 Vikes & 2018 Rams) came post SB it lessens the blow, and nationally people think of New Orleans for the parties and culture first. The Saints absolutely deserve a place in top fans, they just luckily have a great reputation city wise where their identity is more split.

 

This is why while Detroit has been bad for generations their pain isn't close to BUF/CLE. BUF/CLE had long stretches of success only to fail in some of the most gut wrenching ways possible while nationally being seen as "wow those poor fans but they really love their teams". DET until Campbell was just they suck and those poor fans. Fair or not you kind of need to have some point your team was good for a long while and either win or lose for that national title to come. CLE also just historically is mammoth in the games books and even though the Lions in the 50s were a powerhouse it is not comparable.

 

Ironically Kansas City until Mahomes was far closer to CLE/BUF in the pain department. They were never fully there as they had SB 4 to hang a hat on, but they for decades were good to great and had some truly incredibly heart breaking awful losses and those fans for a long time spoke on those scars. They now for their benefit are the ones creating scars so their in category one indefinitely lol.

[Pete]

6 hours ago, Gregg said:

 

That happened to the Jets and Giants. At Giants Stadium the real fans could show up. At MetLife there is a lot of the corporate crowd. MetLife doesn't really get loud like Giants Stadium used to as many fans got priced out. It sucks but that is the reality of it. It doesn't help that both teams suck which contributes to the dead atmosphere.

It’s what happened at Yankee Stadium.  The old Yankee Stadium was electric!  Bleacher seats in the 90s were $6 the day of the game.  I’ve seen literally 100s of games there.  Those were the days.  The new stadium is vapid and soulless.  It smells like corporations.  They priced out the real fans, and it’s not the same, not even close.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

20 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

Many, many years ago, I used to tell people that Bills fans were the best in the country.  But people would tell me that "No, Steeler fans are."  Or Pack fans.  Or whoever.  And, of course, I'd also hear a dismissive, "Everyone thinks their hometown fans are the best."   I tried to explain things were truly different in Buffalo, but all I got in return were condescending smiles.  

 

I remember once during the Kelly era hearing a report that said there were at least 20,000 people outside Rich Stadium for a big game with another 80,000 inside.  Roughly 10% of the metro population showed up for the Bills!  What other team draws 10% of the population to a game (other than Green Bay)?  

 

I think it's great that the passion of Bills fans is finally being recognized.  Everyone across the NFL knows the Bills Mafia.  And recently, Travis Kelce had this to say:

 

"Going up to Buffalo's not an easy thing. That stadium was rocking. That place was electric. Shout out to all the Bills Mafia that was talking all the [expletive] in the world. I love it. It's a sacred place to play a football game. I cherish every game that I get an opportunity to go up there."

 

 

It really is a beautiful atmosphere going into Orchard Park in the fall. The electricity in the air during tailgating is like none other i’ve ever experienced. I haven’t been to a game in 10 years because i moved from Rochester elsewhere. I need to see Josh Allen play live just once just to see what it looks like in person. It’s got to be like watching Jordan or Kobe. 

Edited 4 hours ago by ChronicAndKnuckles

[Psautcsk]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

Sven 

Nater

Edited 4 hours ago by Psautcsk

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Sven 

 

I’ve mentioned this before, but we found ourselves drinking at a hotel bar with Sven after a fundraising event in Nashville. What a great guy, and it turned into a late night. Somehow, he ended up giving me a baggie of his special spice rub for grilling. It looked like a drug deal going down in the lobby to more than one person.  🤣 

[US Egg]

2 hours ago, Augie said:

Ahh, the Braves! We split season tix for the Braves with another family. Half the home games is plenty. Bob Kauffman lived right behind us and he’d play with us at the community hoop and my sister would babysit for them. Those were great times. 

Was a member of the JC Penny Buffalo Braves Jr. booster club. One of the “privileges” was buying Orange seats for $3-$4, never sat in them, just went and sat in the Blues. Saw all the greats of the early ‘70’s. 
 

“The Aud” was magical. It resonates as more special for me as I have been to Bills games at War Memorial.

 

2 hours ago, Psautcsk said:

Two for Mcadoo. Randy with a dandy.

I can’t prove it, but I swear Danny Neaverth called Kareem “Alcindor” on an occasion or two when I saw the Bucks.

[Royale with Cheese]

3 hours ago, nuklz2594 said:

wonder if brian cox and leoanrad Fournette agree

 

Tyreek Hill too.  

 

[BillsPride12]

3 hours ago, corta765 said:

 

I have had a theory that the best fan thing gives most notice to teams who either:

A. Win a lot but the fan support really is impressive over time (Pittsburgh GB DEN)

 

or

 

B. They have never won before but either had a truly tragically impressive list of losses that stick out in the national mindset while also being defined nationally by there team (BUF/CLE)

 

The Saints are kind of weird because the majority of their history was being doormats, but they were fun with how the fans partied and weirdly embraced being lovable losers. Then they got good around the early 2000s for a bit, Katrina happened which the city absolutely rallied around the Saints, they got reallllyyy good and won a SB, and until Brees left were considered pretty highly as a team. So they don't have a winning history until Brees, because their two worst losses (2017 Vikes & 2018 Rams) came post SB it lessens the blow, and nationally people think of New Orleans for the parties and culture first. The Saints absolutely deserve a place in top fans, they just luckily have a great reputation city wise where their identity is more split.

 

This is why while Detroit has been bad for generations their pain isn't close to BUF/CLE. BUF/CLE had long stretches of success only to fail in some of the most gut wrenching ways possible while nationally being seen as "wow those poor fans but they really love their teams". DET until Campbell was just they suck and those poor fans. Fair or not you kind of need to have some point your team was good for a long while and either win or lose for that national title to come. CLE also just historically is mammoth in the games books and even though the Lions in the 50s were a powerhouse it is not comparable.

 

Ironically Kansas City until Mahomes was far closer to CLE/BUF in the pain department. They were never fully there as they had SB 4 to hang a hat on, but they for decades were good to great and had some truly incredibly heart breaking awful losses and those fans for a long time spoke on those scars. They now for their benefit are the ones creating scars so their in category one indefinitely lol.

And to add my own two cents to that I feel the best fanbase designation also typically trends towards the cold weather blue collar cities which is fair but could be another example why a fanbase like New Orleans goes under the radar

[US Egg]

3 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I’ve mentioned this before, but we found ourselves drinking at a hotel bar with Sven after a fundraising event in Nashville. What a great guy, and it turned into a late night. Somehow, he ended up giving me a baggie of his special spice rub for grilling. It looked like a drug deal going down in the lobby to more than one person.  🤣 

Did he get it from Bill Walton?

[Psautcsk]

3 hours ago, US Egg said:

Was a member of the JC Penny Buffalo Braves Jr. booster club. One of the “privileges” was buying Orange seats for $3-$4, never sat in them, just went and sat in the Blues. Saw all the greats of the early ‘70’s. 
 

“The Aud” was magical. It resonates as more special for me as I have been to Bills games at War Memorial.

 

I can’t prove it, but I swear Danny Neaverth called Kareem “Alcindor” on an occasion or two when I saw the Bucks.

I still have my ticket stub to the last Braves games ever played at the Aud against the Knicks. $4 for a seat in the oranges but pretty much sat where you wanted. There were like 3 or 4 thousand at that game. I have hated the NBA since then and do not watch. John WHY Brown.

[Augie]

21 minutes ago, US Egg said:

Did he get it from Bill Walton?

 

I don’t think Bill smoked a lot of meats.