Shaw66 Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) I found myself wondering what an average Bills fan is like. I don’t consider myself average. When I was a teenager in the 60s, I was a serious fan. I knew everything about the Bills. Then I left Buffalo and ended up in Connecticut. Got married, got a job, had kids, so by the 80s, I was in Bills blackout. There was no quality coverage of the Bills easily available, they weren’t on TV very often, no internet, and I was busy with other things. There were, I’m sure, plenty of weekends where I didn’t know if the Bills had won or lost until I read the Monday morning paper. I got more serious in the 90s, of course, watching the Bills every time they were on TV. The Kelly years forced me back into more serious fandom. I continued that way until about 2004, when I discovered fan forums on the internet. I realized that I could stay current with the Bills even from Connecticut. Then, in 2005, I went to a game. I hadn’t been to the Stadium in 20 years. One game, and I was seriously hooked. A year or two later, I had season tickets. Sometime around then, the Rockpile Review started. I’d call myself a serious fan. My simple measure of a serious fan is someone who can name all the starters, can name at least some of the balance of the roster, and knows the back story of many of the players. That is, a serious fan knows more about Josh than he grew up on a farm in California. Maybe a better measure of a serious fan is someone who doesn’t go more than a few days without checking in to see what’s happening with the team, and that means in March, in June, 365. There aren’t a lot of Bills fans in Connecticut, there isn’t a good Bills bar for the few to gather and watch the games. When I run into a Bills fan, more often than not, they’re a serious fan like me. So, I hang out on this forum, and I get to talk to a lot of other serious Bills fans, some who know a lot more about the team than I do, but even those who may know less that I know still know a lot. I think of us and others like us as the hard core. I’m guessing there are plenty of average Bills fans in Buffalo, people who care a lot about the team and care whether they win, people who watch most of the games, but they will miss a game here or there because the wife wants to shop for furniture. People who don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the details. People who can’t name the entire offensive line, let alone the backups. People who if pressed can name only a half dozen players on the team. My guess is that there are more than a few season ticket holders who don’t think about the Bills in depth like people on this forum. My guess is that there are plenty of people who go to the games faithfully, people who are thrilled when Allen goes deep to Diggs, but people who are stumped if you ask them who starts at defensive tackle. So, I’m asking you if you know average fans. What are they like? Maybe more importantly, what’s wrong with them? Edited August 19, 2021 by Shaw66 5 2 5 2
Patrick Duffy Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 There are no average Bills fans. They are all die hard lol 6 2 1
Jester Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 Serious fan in CT. And all of my friends are serious fans - one even studies the roster and knows the players height/weight. Now that’s going a little far but whatever. LOL I’m not sure I know any causal fans. They would make me mad anyway. 😂
Stank_Nasty Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 (edited) I think for fan bases like the Bills and Browns the "average" fan is super rare. I dunno that many actually exist. In order to be a fan of one of those teams for the last 20 years you really needed to be a diehard. Living in NW PA/tri-state area Bills and Browns fans have always sort of had a mutual respect for one another because you knew if you happened to run into one over the last 20 years, that they must be a diehard..... how else could you represent either team over the last 2 or 3 decades? I think we may start to see more young "average" or "fair weather" fans over the next decade as we are regular contenders. But up to this point i just dont think many exist. Edited August 19, 2021 by Stank_Nasty 3
Greg S Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: I found myself wondering what an average Bills fan is like. I don’t consider myself average. When I was a teenager in the 60s, I was a serious fan. I knew everything about the Bills. Then I left Buffalo and ended up in Connecticut. Got married, got a job, had kids, so by the 80s, I was in Bills blackout. There was no quality coverage of the Bills easily available, they weren’t on TV very often, no internet, and I was busy with other things. There were, I’m sure, plenty of weekends where I didn’t know if the Bills had won or lost until I read the Monday morning paper. I got more serious in the 90s, of course, watching the Bills every time they were on TV. The Kelly years forced me back into more serious fandom. I continued that way until about 2004, when I discovered fan forums on the internet. I realized that I could stay current with the Bills even from Connecticut. Then, in 2005, I went to a game. I hadn’t been to the Stadium in 20 years. One game, and I was seriously hooked. A year or two later, I had season tickets. Sometime around then, the Rockpile Review started. I’d call myself a serious fan. My simple measure of a serious fan is someone who can name all the starters, can name at least some of the balance of the roster, and knows the back story of many of the players. That is, a serious fan knows more about Josh than he grew up on a farm in California. Maybe a better measure of a serious fan is someone who doesn’t go more than a few days without checking in to see what’s happening with the team, and that means in March, in June, 365. There aren’t a lot of Bills fans in Connecticut, there isn’t a good Bills bar for the few to gather and watch the games. When I run into a Bills fan, more often than not, they’re a serious fan like me. So, I hang out on this forum, and I get to talk to a lot of other serious Bills fans, some who know a lot more about the team than I do, but even those who may know less that I know still know a lot. I think of us and others like us as the hard core. I’m guessing there are plenty of average Bills fans in Buffalo, people who care a lot about the team and care whether they win, people who watch most of the games, but they will miss a game here or there because the wife wants to shop for furniture. People who don’t pay a whole lot of attention to the details. People who can’t name the entire offensive line, let alone the backups. People who if pressed can name only a half dozen players on the team. My guess is that there are more than a few season ticket holders who don’t think about the Bills in depth like people on this forum. My guess is that there are plenty of people who go to the games faithfully, people who are thrilled when Allen goes deep to Diggs, but people who are stumped if you ask them who starts at defensive tackle. So, I’m asking you if you know average fans. What are they like? Maybe more importantly, what’s wrong with them? There is no such thing as an average Bills fan. Pats fans that is a different story. You mention Steve Grogan, Andre Tippett to them and they have no clue. They have no knowledge of anything before Parcells and Bledsoe. Once the Pats start to suck again they will go back to being Giants fans while following only the Sox, B's and Celtics. 1
Guffalo Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I have a similar background, grew up watching them as a kid, couldn't understand why we traded Haven Moses, always watched or listened even when they were horrible in the late 60's/early 70's. Hated the dolphins through the 70's. Left after college in 1982, moved to Long Island, would have my dad put the radio to the phone so I could hear Van do the play by play. Kept the season tickets since then. Long Island is 65% Jets fans, 25% Giants fans and 10% "other". Still travel to as many home games as possible, at least one road trip each year. Converted my wife and all my kids are Bills fans, my daughter is marrying a Jets fan next year and to end the father daughter dance we will be doing the Shout song. 1 2
Rocky Landing Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 My neighbor put up a Patriots* flag in his front yard. I spray-painted "cheaters" across the front of their house, slashed all the tires of their cars, and killed their child's pet hamster, which the kid had named Tom. That makes me "average," right? 1 1 13 5 2
HOUSE Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 The average Bills fan is 5'10", 152 lbs, has 2.5 kids and one cat. Waldo 2
Greg S Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 8 minutes ago, Guffalo said: I have a similar background, grew up watching them as a kid, couldn't understand why we traded Haven Moses, always watched or listened even when they were horrible in the late 60's/early 70's. Hated the dolphins through the 70's. Left after college in 1982, moved to Long Island, would have my dad put the radio to the phone so I could hear Van do the play by play. Kept the season tickets since then. Long Island is 65% Jets fans, 25% Giants fans and 10% "other". Still travel to as many home games as possible, at least one road trip each year. Converted my wife and all my kids are Bills fans, my daughter is marrying a Jets fan next year and to end the father daughter dance we will be doing the Shout song. You should have some interesting family conversations during Bills-Jets games in the future.
Logic Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I guess the closest thing to an "average Bills fan" I can think of is my Mother. She has lived in Rochester pretty much her entire life. She was a casual, "normal" Bills fan all her life. Watched them when they were on, rooted for them, but could hardly name more than 3-5 players on any given team. They were just the regional team. You could hardly live in Rochester and NOT be a Bills fan. In retirement, she's gotten much more fanatical. Never misses a game. Had season tickets for a few years before giving them up because her bad knees couldn't take gamedays any more. Bought a bunch of Bills gear, has started to learn more about the players, etc...But even now, she can't name that many players, doesn't know their backstories or jersey numbers or what college they went to. Couldn't tell you the difference between Cover 4 and Man Free. Probably doesn't know what intentional grounding is. Still, she's in front of the TV every sunday, rooting on the team. Frankly, I think she has "the sickness". That is, she's in some sort of suspended animation ever since the Super Bowl years. Always believing the Bills are "one year away". It's like her life won't be at peace until the Bills win the big one. Ever see the movie Buffalo '66? It's like that. I think A LOT of people have The Sickness. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith all seem to have it. Lord knows I have it. The particular and unique experience of seeing the Bills get SO CLOSE for four straight years, of having a team THAT great with THAT many Hall of Famers and still not sealing the deal. The never-ending sting of the inferiority complex that comes with living in perennially picked-on Buffalo that we feel will somehow find salve in the form of a Lombardi Trophy. The Sickness. It's real. On second thought, maybe my mom's not such a casual fan. I guess that's what I think separates average Bills fans from the diehard lunatics: The degree to which they have The Sickness. The more serious the infection, the greater the chance they can tell you where the 4th string tight end went to school and what his jersey number is. What an affliction! 3 1 1
Lofton80 Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I fall into the fanatical knows too much category, even been know to change jerseys and change rooms if the Bills are struggling. My wife doesn't get it but after 28 years, she at least is humored by it. 1
MJS Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I've never met a Bills fan that didn't know a ton about the team and didn't watch every game they could, and follow up with the team in the off season. For other teams I meet casual fans all the time. For some reason I'm in a pocket of a lot of Rams fans where I live. I know more about their team than they do. I'll ask them about their off-season acquisitions or the players they lost and how it will affect their team, and half the time they didn't even know about those things. I've met Patriots and Seahawks fans like that. Jets fans seem particularly clueless about their own team and how they compare to the rest of the NFL. But I haven't really met Bills fans lie that. Of course, I don't live anywhere near Buffalo, so the Bills fans I meet have to be serious. 1
ndirish1978 Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I would posit that there aren't really any "average" fans on this board, as they have taken the effort to sign up for and spend a decent amount of time on this board. Have you been to the boards of some other teams? There are still threads on the front page that are 6 months-1 year old with 16 replies total. 2
Shaw66 Posted August 19, 2021 Author Posted August 19, 2021 46 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said: Don’t yell at me. Sorry. I always write titles in all caps when I write an essay. I will fix it. 1
US Egg Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 If you scream and swear at the Bills or refs like they hear you, while watching the game on TV, you are an average Bills fan. 1 2 1
machine gun kelly Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 48 minutes ago, 4_kidd_4 said: Don’t yell at me. That’s the Pat line for Donuts! Shaw, I know very few avg. Bills fans not from this board, but overall. Not that some guys (unisex term ladies) just kind of follow, but it is still more than most of not all other teams. Our guys are a little touched, but in a good way.
LongTermBuffalonian Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 I guess you could consider me closer to an "average" fan than most posting here. I grew up south of Rochester, in a family that never really watched football. (My mom considers the sport "barbaric".) I only became a Bills fan when I went to UB, during the glory years of the early 90's. I remained a Bills fan through the dark years - in what my wife jokingly refers to as "beaten fan syndrome". I don't have season tickets - I never have. Initially - as a poor post graduate student - later, because it would have been pointless. Due to my shift, I've been working Sunday mornings for well over a decade - so sadly, I have never actually BEEN to a game in the stadium... As such, I've never been to a *real* Bills Tailgate. Most Sundays, I'm working through the first few quarters of the early games; although fortunately - I CAN keep track of the game online. I can generally make it home to watch most of the fourth quarter. Working from Home last year was the first time I've actually been able to WATCH the entire season. I don't play Madden. I don't play Fantasy Football. I don't bet on games. I don't memorize stats. I hate the Patriots, Bill Belichek, and Tom Brady with the fire of a thousand stars. I love every Bills player, and many of the former Bills. Unless they become Patriots, or are playing for the opposing team this week. I strongly dislike Doug "Moron" and can only laugh what has happened to his career since he decided to leave Buffalo. I own a Fred Jackson Jersey and assorted other minor paraphernalia. I pray Josh Allen takes us to promised land of a hoisting a Lombardi. Thank you for reading my prattle
EmotionallyUnstable Posted August 19, 2021 Posted August 19, 2021 My parents I’d consider average fans. They has season tickets for 10 years during the drought. Never go to any games, but watch or listen to every one. They know all the players (mostly) and read in the newspaper about them. They aren’t actively seeing information in the off season, but follow along as it is reported to them.
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