“Lifers.” That is what football fans from Western New York are all about. Despite having the longest playoff drought of any team in the NFL at thirteen years, Ralph Wilson Stadium continues to rock year after year, and passion is never lacking among the devoted and loyal fans. Starving for a return to the glory days of the 90’s, Bills fans enter each fall with a certain hope that “this will be the year.” That passion and optimism, along with adapting the city’s blue collar mentality, is felt all around the region known as Bills country, and even spread to the social media world in 2011 with the formation of the “Bills Mafia.” #BillsMafia is a virtual badge of honor Bills fans associate themselves with to join as one. Whether it be rocking the Ralph or taking over visiting stadiums, #BillsMafia is becoming a force to reckon with as Bills fans are known nationwide for being passionate and giving off the “college style atmosphere.”
According to the co-founder of #BillsMafia, Mr. Del Reid, the group is best defined as “a growing group of passionate Bills fans and players on social media who support the team (and each other) through thick and thin. While the term “mafia” obviously comes with negative connotations, we stress more the “family” aspect and refer to ourselves as professional sports’ only “FAMbase.” As Mr. Reid states in that description, #BillsMafia is not just a battle cry for fans, as many of the Bills players actively use the common hashtag on twitter as a way to interact with fans.
In fact, this past weekend, all of the Bills draftees were welcomed via twitter by the #BillsMafia both fans and players alike. It’s what the #BillsMafia is all about. Being a family and FAMbase. As Mr. Reid puts it, referencing the “college town” type atmosphere, “the local community has such close interaction with players (ie: spotting Stevie Johnson at the Walden Galleria) that it can’t help but rub off on them. So many players have retired and subsequently decided to remain here, choosing to become permanent residents of “the city of good neighbors.”
