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| Bills Mafia Celebrating With Bills Players After A Touchdown |
History:
What is the Buffalo Bills Mafia you may ask? The Bills Mafia is a movement created by fans and embraced by the Buffalo Bills Football players, from buffalo NY and all around the world. The Buffalo Bills mafia has dated back to April 2011. This fan club is best known for the amount of energy they have and their tailgates. Stevie Johnson was a Buffalo Bills football player. Johnsons's tweet of frustration after a tough loss not only to impact Johnson's life but would indirectly lead to the spark the name "Bills Mafia." The nickname for the fan base has become associated with raucous tailgates and fan jumping through tables, but also for giving back(1).
Tailgates:
The Bills Mafia tailgates are like no other. Bills Mafia has their own separate spot in the parking lot for the Tailgates which was called Tailgate Village. They do a ton of different activities. For example one man takes a ketchup and mustard shower each game day at the field (2). His family and friends spray him with both of them until he is covered in it. Another part of the tailgating experience is they take shots out of the finger holes in Bowling Balls (3). Also a big part of their tailgate is the food. The Bills Mafia is also partial to the tradition of Dizzy Bat. Fans will drink a beer out of a Wiffle ball bat, spin around with their heads down, rotating around the bat, and then do their best to hit a Wiffle ball pitched in their direction(3). When the Bills played the Rams the Bills Mafia had 2,700 fans at the tailgate (4). The Bills Mafia starts to tailgate around 4 hours before kickoff.
Social Media:
The sociall media platform for the bills Mafia is a pretty big item. They have a Facebook page. The page is ran by a fan and they fans can chat about the games and make mems for the fan page.The Facebook page is a community where there are updates on scores and announcements. They also have a Instagram page. The instagram page fans will post edits they made and mems. Another thing is when fans post stuff or share stuff they use #Billamofia. These Social Media sites are all around a happy and safe environment.
Chants:
The Bills Mafia has a couple different chants. One chant they have is before the Home Opener. the most popular chant is "where else would you rather be than right here right now". Another chant is Chasing Dreams With The Bills. As seen below is a video of one of the songs called "Shout".
107 Year Old Buffalo Fan That See It All:
There is a 107 year old women name Evelyn Elliott that has been a fan for her whole life. She is a die hard fan, just as she gave up driving she wouldn't miss a game. Evelyn would still watch the games and stream it on her iPad. People call her a "Football Fanatic"."If Grandma was sure of one thin, it was this: Whatever the bills lacked on the field that day, they would make up for it in the stands" (5).Sources:
1. Getzenberg, Alaina. “How One Player’s Mistake Helped Birth Bills Mafia.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/37597897/stevie-johnson-buffalo-bills-mafia.
2. Ward, Philp “Where Does ‘Bills Mafia’ Come From?” Erie News Now | WICU and WSEE in Erie, PA, www.erienewsnow.com/story/48167008/where-does-bills-mafia-come-from.
3. “Where Does ‘Bills Mafia’ Come From?” Erie News Now | WICU and WSEE in Erie, PA, www.erienewsnow.com/story/48167008/where-does-bills-mafia-come-from.
4."2,700 Fans Expected for Bills Mafia Tailgate in Los Angeles Ahead Of ...," www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/2700-fans-expected-for-bills-mafia-tailgate-in-los-angeles-california-ahead-of-matchup-with-the-rams/71-eea57a6d-4b10-4b3c-abc6-b2184f8028d0.
5. Elliott, Andrea. “At 107, a Buffalo Bills Fan Who Sees It All.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/sports/football/at-107-a-buffalo-bills-fan-who-sees-it-all.html.
Video: "Bills Shout Song lyric Video" YouTube, Brody Baker, 20 January 2023. watch
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