The Sense of Community of the Members of Bills Mafia
If you grew up in Western New York, you would know how intense it is to be a Buffalo Bills fan, or as some like to call it, a part of the Bills Mafia. Every time the Bills play whether its Thursday, Sunday or Monday night, fans wait eagerly sitting by their screens and pray for four quarters that Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the rest of the Buffalo Bills can pull through for yet another victory.
Resident of Orchard Park and member of the Bills Mafia, Meredith Donahue feels a sense of community as well as a mutual shared interest with other locals. “It’s amazing, you just go our into your everyday life and the community has so much pride,” says Donahue. Donahue even recalls running into a few of the players at her former job at a donut shop, “it’s great to see them just out and about.”
About an hour away from Buffalo is the city of Rochester New York, where Bella Danza, another member of the celebrated Bill’s Mafia, is from. Even though the residents of Rochester aren’t as close to the stadium, Bills Mafia is still present. “When I see someone wearing a Bills sweatshirt or a Josh Allen jersey I can’t help but scream Bills Mafia,” says Danza.
Since becoming a Bill’s fan in 1987, Christine Thomas has seen the ups and downs of the Buffalo Bills franchise. “It’s different now with social media, you can see a lot more people out there, it feels different from a team point of view, from a fan base it feels a little bigger with social media,” says Thomas.
Social media is credited not only with changing the fan base of the Bills but also expanding charities that the Bills players are so passionate about. The Buffalo community came together to support Allen, the beloved quarterback of the Bills, when his grandmother passed away. A fund was formed, the Patricia Allen Fund, and over 3 million dollars have been raised to help the Oishei Children’s Hospital.
“Everyone can be involved with donations to the players charities,” says Erie County Historian, Doug Kohler. Kohler remembers the Jim Kelly era, the quarterback who led the Bills to the Super Bowl for four years in a row, sadly with no wins. “The Jim Kelly era of the Bills was rooted in the community,” said Kohler. Hope and pride are back for Bill’s Mafia because the growing team that are the Bills are legitimately being looked at as Super Bowl LVII contenders. Along with being a very likely Super Bowl contender, the Bills are also getting a new stadium in five years, creating more jobs and revenue for the city of Buffalo. Local businesses are extremely impacted by the Buffalo Bills, especially small stores that are in Orchard Park, close to the stadium. “Even moving one game out of the area is impactful for small businesses in Orchard Park,” says Kohler. Locally, merchandise is sold that advertises the Bills, whether it’s a cake with the Bills logo, or Stefon Diggs blue cheese, the Bills seem to be making a huge impact on the economy of small businesses in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Bills have created a huge sense of community among the residents of Western New York. Cheering on a team that is close to home means so much to so many fans. “Having a team to root for and gathering with friends and family is always fun. Cheering for our home team, that you love, makes you feel good,” stated Thomas.