Make friends from strangers by wearing a jersey?

[Joe Ferguson forever]

Today I wore 17 and received big replies.  What's your best stranger story?  I'll start:  at a music festival walking wearing 17. and this woman comes screaming down an outside stairwell, jumps on me hugs me and yells go bills.  unfortunately her ties to Buffalo stem from her HUSBAND.

Edited January 12 by Joe Ferguson forever

[Andrew Son]

My Alonso jersey was a big hit

[WeckMonster]

Tokyo airport maybe 2007ish.  Turns out the guy was a poster on the old bb.com and we’d interacted on that board.  (“I’m such a crazy fan I post on message boards!”  “Me too!”) Bonkers to meet an anonymous online poster in person in a foreign country by chance.

[Pete]

My girlfriend says it’s amazing to see me and a fellow Bills fan interact.  She says we are like two dogs running  up to meet, super excitedly!  I most always have Bills gear on, it happens weekly.  I’ve met Bills fans on top of Mount Washington, in France, in Hungary.

 

we were at the Bristol Fourth of July parade, the oldest in the country.  The Navy was marching, and one dude broke ranks, ran up to hug me, and said that Bills hat is the sweetest thing I have seen all month, Go Bills!”  And they jumped back into formation.  My gf and friends were laughing hysterically 

Edited January 12 by Pete

[Saxum]

I was working in Ottawa. I went to a sports bar near work and hotel to watch the game. 

I had my Bills gear with me (hat, Bills college style varsity jacket and signed Steve Tasker jersey (Thanks Cindy Fox).

I went to pay and bartender said it was covered - owner played with Steve Tasker at Northwestern University. 

He then pointed to a Northwestern Wildcats college jersey framed in glass and said that was his. 

Tipped server anyways well.

 

 

I also had people buy me drinks in Canada because I was watching Hockey w/Sabres hat.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

I get GO BILLS a lot walking around with a hat on.

 

[947]

When I first moved to my Illinois suburb, I would occasionally see people in Bills gear on. This was during the drought era, so I thought it was odd to see fans here. I excitedly went up & asked the first guy I saw in a Bills shirt if he's a fellow Bills fan. He said, "no, my son plays on the (local in-house peewee football league) Bills". Every time I saw someone wearing Bills stuff, I couldn't help myself & would ask. It was always the same answer. After about the 6th time, I stopped asking people.

 

In-house youth football with NFL team logos is gone here now, & is only travel programs. So if I see Bills gear, it's an actual fan. I'm still reserved about approaching after all those rejections...

[Joe Ferguson forever]

Just now, Limeaid said:

I was working in Ottawa. I went to a sports bar near work and hotel to watch the game. 

I had my Bills gear with me (hat, Bills college style varsity jacket and signed Steve Tasker jersey (Thanks Cindy Fox).

I went to pay and bartender said it was covered - owner played with Steve Tasker at Northwestern University. 

He then pointed to a Northwestern Wildcats college jersey framed in glass and said that was his. 

Tipped server anyways well.

 

 

I also had people buy me drinks in Canada because I was watching Hockey w/Sabres hat.

At this same music festival (Bristol Rhythm and Roots, awesome, check it out) some guy hugged me and we ran into each other later and he bought me a beer.  Don't think like that.  nothing weird happened....

[Captain Hindsight]

Walked into a bar in Fargo ND. Dude at the bar has a Bills hat on. I said “Go Bills”. Turns out he was from the next town over from where I grew up and graduated the same year as me. We played against each my senior year in football 

[DrW]

When I am wearing my "stealth" Bills T-shirt with the Josh Allen "potato" logo, some people here in West Texas make the connection between the drawing and the Bills. Most do not know the story behind it, but are very amused when I explain it. I should add that within the last year or two, the number of questions/comments has increased tremendously, reflecting an increasing interest in the Bills even here deep in Cowboys country.

[Your Brown Eye]

Patients like the fact I have a Bills logo on my badge before I sedate them for a colonoscopy. Some of them have a sense of humor about it and asked me to be more gentle to them than the Bills.

[Joe Ferguson forever]

54 minutes ago, Your Brown Eye said:

Patients like the fact I have a Bills logo on my badge before I sedate them for a colonoscopy. Some of them have a sense of humor about it and asked me to be more gentle to them than the Bills.

versed and demerol are magic...

[BBFL]

Met a KC fan in South Side Pittsburgh while at dinner a few hours ago…

 

“F—-ing losers yet again..”

”Your QB f—ing sucks…”

”we’ll end your season next year again…”

 

The humbleness and humility was otherworldly. 

 

[Goin Breakdown]

I was at a concert at the SPAC and I could go 10 yards (see what I did there) without people talking to me. My buddy was like "what is it about you that strangers always talk to you?"  I said "it's the Bills hat". 

[Terry Tate]

I was grocery shopping before the KC game, guy walking the opposite direction wearing his KC team jacket/hat pointed to my Bills jacket with an 'uh-oh', which made me laugh and I fist-bumped him and said 'good luck'.

 

He then chased me down to ask why are Buffalo fans always so nice, and fans from other teams are so awful. I gave what we used to call the "PACAF salute" (palms up shrug), and said 'Yeah, but why?'. I'm just a fan here to get the grouper on sale, man.

[Pete]

I went to my dispensary last night with a Bills hat on and a Sabres hoodie.  My budtender said "whats up Buffalo?"  I said "hey.  I mean HEY-hey-HEY-HEY!"

[Gunsgoodtime]

I was in Ohio partying in downtown Columbus almost 20 years ago with a friend.  Im wearing my Bills hat, we walked in a bar (many of them) and this large drunk dude came up and started yelling yo he is a Bills fan!  He immediately embraced us and paid for our drinks for about an hour before he walked up to the bar and pissed on it because someone dared him to 🤣🤣🤣.  

[Stretch]

My last name is Zimmer.  I went to the road game at the Titans a few years ago where they lost on the Josh slip on the QB sneak.  I was wearing a #61 Justin Zimmer jersey.  As I was walking through the parking lot after the game, all of a sudden I hear a big yell from a group of people, “ZIMMEEEEER!”  It turns out it was Justin’s high school friends and they couldn’t believe someone was wearing his jersey.  They took a group photo with me.  Pretty cool moment after an awful ending to the game.

[Gugny]

I generally get a “Go Bills,” from most Bills fans. 
 

I’ve found that I’ve had more actual conversations with Jets and Patriots fans (when I’ve worn Bills garb on their turf). 100% of those conversations ended up with me hearing that they want the Bills to win it all once their team is eliminated. 

[Nextmanup]

Some time during this past season, I was doing my daily walk on the beach down here in SE FL, and saw a pair of gorgeous, bikini clad women walking toward me.  They were like mid 20s maybe.

One of them had a Bills baseball cap on.   

 

I veered over toward them so as to get their attention and said "Hey, are you ladies Bills fans?" 

 

The one with the cap said "Yeah, my dad is from Buffalo."  

 

I mentioned that I grew up in Buffalo and am a big fan too.  I made a comment about the upcoming game that weekend and the girl didn't really seem to know what was up.

 

The whole thing kind of died on the vine.