Bills fans are the best fans.
Whether you’re Buffalo born and bred, you’ve visited for a long weekend, or you’ve seen headlines on the news, you probably know this city is no stranger to resilience – in everything from weather to sports. In 2020, things like COVID-19 and racial justice protests pushed this resilience to the limit. It didn’t take long for 2020 to brand itself as one of the most memorable years in our lifetimes, but we are thankful for one thing that took the edge off and brought our beloved City of Good Neighbors together when it seemed like everything else was trying to tear us apart: the Buffalo Bills.
In the grand scheme of things, some might consider sports a trivial pastime. But in a place like Buffalo, we see things a little differently. We’ve been through four straight Super Bowl losses, and our fans have never wavered. Our love for this team spans state lines and even international borders. From newborn babies to our great-great-grandmas, at weddings and special occasions, our Bills pride runs deep in our hearts – and all this despite the fact that we’ve never won a championship. Because we know it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about community.
And that community runs deep too. In 2020, Bills fans rallied together to raise more than $1 million for cancer research in honor of quarterback Josh Allen’s grandmother. But it didn’t stop there. Bills fans even opened up their hearts, and wallets, to raise more than $400,000 for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite charity after he suffered an injury in the AFC Championship Game.
So when our client M&T Bank wanted to do something impactful to celebrate the Bills playoff run, we knew we could count on the ever-growing #CommunityOfBillsFans to come through and raise $12,000 for a local cause we can all get behind – Pancho Packs – by sharing their favorite Bills photos and memories. Maybe you were one of them? Check out some of the campaign and see if you can spot anyone you know!
We can’t wait to be back in the stadium cheering for our Bills together. But we have to say, Bills fans sure did make the most of TFH (tailgating from home) during a season to remember. We’ll see you next year!