The History of Table Smashing in Buffalo

[JohnNord]

The Athletic paid one of its writers to travel to the Bills/Miami game to interview the first fan to go through a table at a Bills game.  LOL. 
 

He ends up discussing the entire Bills tailgating scene and culture in Buffalo.  I think it’s a fun little article that people will enjoy - especially Buffalo transplants.

 

https://theathletic.com/2949782/2021/11/16/its-a-perfect-day-to-smash-a-table-a-journey-into-the-heart-of-bills-fandom/?source=user_shared_article

 

“He pinpoints the date when it happened: Sept. 20, 2015. He shows me a time-stamped video: 11:50 a.m. He knows he’s probably not the first person to ever do it at a Bills game, but he also can’t find any evidence that he’s not.

 

“I shot the musket ball that started the American Revolution,” he grins.

 

The waitress walks over. Jordan orders us 20 medium wings and two Blues, plus a beef on weck to split. He tells the waitress it’s my first time in Buffalo. She smiles.

 

“Welcome,” she says warmly. Then: “You’re not getting any ranch.”

[Sugar High JA17]

almost as cool as the BillsMafia slogan

[Brennan Huff]

I don’t get it but it’s good harmless fun….

[Marv's Neighbor]

Waiting for the Critical Table Smashing theory.

[Rockpile233]

Stupid article. Friends of mine were doing this much earlier and I saw one as early as 1996 when I was a kid at a game. This guy is a DB for claiming otherwise he didn’t even attempt to look. For example: 2007 or 2008

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Rockpile233

[WotAGuy]

2 minutes ago, Rockpile233 said:

Stupid article. Friends of mine were doing this much earlier and I saw one as early as 1996 when I was a kid at a game. This guy is a DB for claiming otherwise. For example: 2007 or 2008

 

 

That’s no ***** plastic table! Arrrgh!!!

[BADOLBILZ]

12 minutes ago, Rockpile233 said:

Stupid article. Friends of mine were doing this much earlier and I saw one as early as 1996 when I was a kid at a game. This guy is a DB for claiming otherwise he didn’t even attempt to look. For example: 2007 or 2008

 

 

 

 

Yeah it was very common for people to intentionally leave tables or charcoal grills etc.. behind in lot 1 after games and then for post-game tailgaters to destroy said items.    They were cheap back then.   By the time this video was shot multiple generations had grown up on wrestlers smashing thru tables.    The obvious gimmick is that the table largely breaks what would otherwise be a very bad fall.   2015........sheesh.........talk about a recency bias.   Hoary archivist @Bob Lamb once did that to one of those 50 gallon drum garbage cans after a game in the 1990's.   

[Rockpile233]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah it was very common for people to intentionally leave tables or charcoal grills etc.. behind in lot 1 after games and then for post-game tailgaters to destroy said items.    They were cheap back then.   By the time this video was shot multiple generations had grown up on wrestlers smashing thru tables.    The obvious gimmick is that the table largely breaks what would otherwise be a very bad fall.   2015........sheesh.........talk about a recency bias.   Hoary archivist @Bob Lamb once did that to one of those 50 gallon drum garbage cans after a game in the 1990's.   

Old Lot 1 before they paved it was peak tailgating.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

26 minutes ago, Brennan Huff said:

I don’t get it but it’s good harmless fun….

Until someone breaks a bone or gets set on fire. 
 

 

I just thought it came from people watching too much WWE 

 

[Patrick Duffy]

22 minutes ago, Rockpile233 said:

Stupid article. Friends of mine were doing this much earlier and I saw one as early as 1996 when I was a kid at a game. This guy is a DB for claiming otherwise he didn’t even attempt to look. For example: 2007 or 2008

 

 

Yeah when I got to the part that read it happened in 2015, immediately knew that couldn't be more wrong. And I agree with you that it seems he didn't even bother to simply look it up. Maybe he was lazy when he did this lol.

 

 

[JohnNord]

6 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Yeah when I got to the part that read it happened in 2015, immediately knew that couldn't be more wrong. And I agree with you that it seems he didn't even bother to simply look it up. Maybe he was lazy when he did this lol.

 

 

I am sure there were complication videos circulating YouTube before 2015

[Patrick Duffy]

Just now, JohnNord said:

I am sure there were complication videos circulating YouTube before 2015

Yeah I mean this is something that getting info about is as easy as it gets. I wouldn't even really consider calling it research lol. 

[BuffaloBill]

I think this tradition is moronic …. 

[JohnNord]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

I think this tradition is moronic …. 

The Bills hate it too.  I can’t say I love it, but it doesn’t bother me either.  I have gotten a kick out of the videos that circulated the internet in the past

[Bob Lamb]

On 11/16/2021 at 1:29 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yeah it was very common for people to intentionally leave tables or charcoal grills etc.. behind in lot 1 after games and then for post-game tailgaters to destroy said items.    They were cheap back then.   By the time this video was shot multiple generations had grown up on wrestlers smashing thru tables.    The obvious gimmick is that the table largely breaks what would otherwise be a very bad fall.   2015........sheesh.........talk about a recency bias.   Hoary archivist @Bob Lamb once did that to one of those 50 gallon drum garbage cans after a game in the 1990's.   

 It was a fire hazard!  Cheap asphalt covering can catch fire

 

[Nextmanup]

On 11/16/2021 at 4:49 PM, BuffaloBill said:

I think this tradition is moronic …. 

That's largely because it's practitioners are morons...and drunk.

 

That's the daily double right there! 

 

For whatever reason, football games, especially in Buffalo, attract the lowest societal common denominator.

 

 

 

 

On 11/16/2021 at 4:53 PM, JohnNord said:

The Bills hate it too.  I can’t say I love it, but it doesn’t bother me either.  I have gotten a kick out of the videos that circulated the internet in the past

You should love this one---guy snaps his leg in half.