Getting To Know The Bills Mafia

The Bills Mafia is a house hold name in and around Buffalo Bills fans. But, I’m guessing there is some stuff you don’t know or never thought about. Del Reid; one of the founders of the Bills Mafia was kind enough to give me an interview and shed some light on how the Mafia got started and what it is really about.

"Q: Most people in Buffalo have heard of The Bills Mafia, but they don’t know what it stands for. Could you tell me how the name came about and what it took to make the name know throughout Bills country?A: #BillsMafia actually started as a tongue-in-cheek reference I made to a few of us who were blocked by Adam Schefter for making jokes about his retweet of Stevie Johnson’s infamous “God” tweet back in November 2010. It remained an inside joke for around 9 months or so until Bills players like Nick Barnett, Stevie Johnson, and Aaron Williams discovered and embraced the term. Since then, we’ve managed to take this “family” (or, FAMbase) and turn it into an actual 501(c)(3) charity that holds events, sells unique merchandise, and tries to take the passion and pride we have as fans and channel it into good works in the community.Q: We see posts, and message boards with Bills Mafia on them, how can fans get involved, and be sure that they are commenting on a true TBM site or page?A: How to get involved? Check out our blog and follow our social media accounts! The original, and “official,” website is BillsMafia.com, which I registered in early August 2011. We have presences on all the popular social networks. Twitter: @thebillsmafia, Instagram: @thebillsmafia, Facebook: /BillsMafia, Pinterest: /BillsMafia, and YouTube: /BillsMafia. Anything else you may see out there is NOT us.Q: With new ownership lined up how will you and the Bills Mafia continue to grow, and support the Bills and WNY?A: Good question. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I know there’s still a LOT of room for growth when it comes to our efforts. Whether it’s more events, different opportunities to work with players, or new merchandising concepts, there are so many directions we can go in and paths we’ve yet to walk down. I’m excited about new ownership and hey, who knows where that could lead?Q: Some people don’t know about the Fan Alliance, or 26 Shirts.com, and while they are separate they are connected at the same time. Could you shed some light on those two things?A: I’m honored that Matt Sabuda recruited me to be a part of the Buffalo Fan Alliance back in 2012. For those that aren’t aware of BFA, it’s goal is to help keep the Bills in Buffalo (which is, thankfully, no longer a serious concern now that the Pegulas own the team) and also to assist in the eventual costs associated with building a new stadium by way of raising money from fans who are interested in being a part of the solution. Check out buffalofanalliance.org for more information.26shirts.com originally was going to be an initiative of Buffalo FAMbase, Inc. (the official name of the #BillsMafia 501(c)(3) charity), but due to legal reasons had to be a separate entity. I launched the project with Buffalo-based t-shirt company You & Who last November. What makes this t-shirt website different from the rest? Well, for every limited edition shirt we sell, $8 goes to a family (or sometimes, a foundation) in need. Fans have the opportunity to rep their favorite team while at the same time doing some good in the process. Since the first shirt went on sale almost one year ago, we’ve raised almost $50,000. Up to this point, every shirt as been based on the Bills… but we’re expanding it once “volume 2” kicks off. You’ll see.Q: What other things does the Bills Mafia get involved in around the Buffalo area?A: We help promote different events that happen around WNY, especially those that have a charitable angle to them.But our efforts aren’t always local… We’ve had the ability to, if there’s a tragedy somewhere else (like the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013), sell unique items (ie: hats, stickers, etc) over a short period of time and then take the profits and repurpose them as a donation to that need.We’re always open to new ideas. If you’re reading this and have an idea you think would work, let me know!Q: Finally, What makes Bills fans so great and why do you feel the Bills are such a big part of Buffalo?A: Bills fans are loyal until the end. Point blank period. As frustrating as it can be sometimes to follow this team, we never give up on it. It’s in our DNA… and when that championship finally comes (and it will), it’s going to be worth the wait. Why is the team such a big part of this city? It’s a football town, man! The team and the city are fused together. Heck, look at the logo on the helmet. Buffalo = football!"

As you can see there is more to The Bills Mafia than cheering for the Bills. It has become a community group, and a fundraising venture. Basically The Bills Mafia and all of its “members” are Buffalo. They are people who love the Bills, but more importantly they love the community they come from and that’s the blood line of Western New York.