Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Over the years, Buffalo Bills fans have been known as being one of the most loyal and passionate fanbases in the National Football League. Just in the last 10 years, the fanbase has embraced the "Bills Mafia" moniker as an identity for the fanbase.
Even the Bills, themselves, have taken advantage of the "Bills Mafia" identity, filing a pair of federal trademark applications for the phrase four years ago.
Del Reid from 26 Shirts is one of the co-founders of "Bills Mafia" more than 10 years ago, even if, at the time, he coined the phrase as a joke on social media. However, he feels the "Mafia" moniker associated with Bills fans has become something that grabs the attentions of others around the football landscape.
"When you first hear it, you know, as E.J. Manuel 10 years ago once said, 'It just rolls off the tongue nicely.' But everybody loves a winner, and as the team has just continued to succeed season-after-season now, especially in the latter part of that decade that you're referencing, I think it brings attention to everything," said Reid in an interview with WBEN. "People see what Bills fans are known for, good and bad or whatever. I think that just becomes more notable, because the team is seeing such great on field success."
Related
Eric "The Hammer" Matwijow, owner of Hammer's Lot along Abbott Road, has been a longtime Bills fan, and has seen how the fanbase has evolved over the years in Orchard Park and across Western New York.
"I've been doing this for about 40 years, and of course, now that the team is good, everybody's on the bandwagon," Matwijow said with WBEN. "I see a lot of people, they get all dressed up, which is nice and adds a little carnival effect to it. But it's also a lot of these people that get dressed up, they're doing branding, selling their own t-shirts with their face on it or whatever. And then some people are actually using it for good, for charity and stuff. That really didn't happen in the past.
"I remember back in the day, there used to be always the big banners, different groups and stuff in support of different players and stuff. Since that's gone away, now you see more individuals trying to market themselves out."
While many may feel the "Bills Mafia" moniker is one that signifies family and provides an identity for the fanbase, Matwijow is among those who feel it may actually give off a bad look.
"I think the term 'Mafia' implies that you're maybe kind of a bad person, a bad boy image, you could do whatever you want. The Bills have taken control of that term and are promoting it, even to the younger kids, given us older people really don't like that term," Matwijow said. "I'd rather be known as a Bills fan, not part of this supposed family called 'Mafia'. I know a lot of older people just hate that terminology, what it stands for."
However, many around football circles certainly find the way of life for Bills fans intriguing, especially when it comes to certain antics like table jumping. It's become so popular recently, that even the NFL Today crew, that was in Orchard Park this Sunday, ended up jumping through tables during their pregame broadcast.
While Reid doesn't know exactly where or how some of the antics of "Bills Mafia" started, he understands that the rowdy nature of Bills fans definitely has a reputation that has been exacerbated and exaggerated - however you may want to word it - through social media.
"We've always been known for our tailgate culture, even back in the early '90s before all these social media viral videos and everything. We've always been known as one of the great tailgate cities when it comes to pregaming, so I think just overall, the culture in general, the celebrations we have before the game has even begun, I'm glad people are seeing it and seeing the passion that we have as a fan base," Reid said.
In recent years, many around football have come to get an understanding of what "Bills Mafia" is all about. Whether it'd be tailgating, table jumping, or even the massive waves pf donations to several initiatives in support of players in Buffalo, as well as those with other teams across the league.
Part of the exposure of "Bills Mafia" has been the way the team has succeeded on the field, especially with wins like the one Sunday over the previously unbeaten Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.
"For so long, although the team has always been beloved, all the players have been beloved here in Western New York, all through the drought and everything, the on-field success, you can't put a number on that, in terms of the amount of attention it brings," Reid said. "While we're always paying attention to the Bills week-after-week, game-after-game, not until they start making noise in the league, in the standings, does the national media really start to pay attention. I mean, for years, it just felt like the only time you saw them on NFL Network or ESPN network highlights is when they were on the other side of some team doing something great. So now with Josh Allen, just everybody on this team, it demands attention."
As for the Bills to have embraced the term "Bills Mafia", Reid feels it only endorses the moniker and how truly unique it is to any other team in the NFL.
"You have 'Raider Nation', you have all these other nations, but there's only one 'Mafia'. And for the team to see that and acknowledge it and embrace it, it's just really cool," Reid said. "Being at the stadium and hearing that over the loudspeakers, like, ''Bills Mafia', get on your feet!' or whatever, it's crazy, but it's fun, and I'm glad we have it"
So what's more to come for "Bills Mafia" that can enhance or bring a brighter spotlight to Western New York and the Buffalo fanbase? The answer's quite simple for Reid:
"A [Super Bowl] parade in February. I think that's what we need next," he said.