Foz

I will give some of them credit for their originality though. I've ran into many over the years that would spout wild things to get your attention. About 20 years ago a buddy and I were in Seattle for a Hawks v Giants game. The night before we hit downtown. After leaving a club, one attempted to stop us for cigarettes, claiming he used to train Muhammad Ali and was down on his luck. Less than a block later we ran into Mike Tyson's trainer.

Well, we're actually from NE Oregon. My dad in general was a Seahawks fan since their inception in 1976, as they're basically the local team. My Bills story, oddly enough, stemmed from their playoff game against Cleveland in 1989. My Uncle was a huge Browns fan and we were at his place to watch the game. I think I was rooting for the Bills just to razz him. It was probably the first time I was interested enough to watch a full football game from start to finish. Watching Jim, Thurman, Andre, and the rest of the crew that day had me completely enamored. From that day forward, I've always been a Bills fan. I even remember as a kid writing a letter to Jim, telling him how he was my favorite player, and what a huge fan I was. Should've seen my reaction when I received a response from Jim (the Bills or his PR team). A letter with an appreciative message, essentially a signed post card, and a 3D sports card of Jim with a little stand. That thing sat on my night stand for YEARS lol. That kind gesture finished setting the hook on my fandom. I've been there through it all ever since.

That was me until this game. I don't think I've missed a Bills game in Seattle since I was a kid. My dad is a huge Seahawks fan and we had seasons for 14 years. We made the three and a half hour drive faithfully. The covid year (and the one after) basically wrecked the experience for us and we haven't been to a game there since. As others have said, the city has gone downhill too. It's quite sad as it used to be one of our favorite times. We still go that direction a few times a year, but now it's solely to spend time with family in Bothell, which is where we'll be this weekend. I have yet to attend a Bills game in Buffalo, but as other fan bases go, the Hawks have to be right up there for the last 20 years or so of rabid support. Not sure if they still do it, but I remember the stadium would show the number of false start penalties the fans helped create (they were usually top two if I recall correctly). We'll have to be ready for that for sure.