I’m a Billiever

By Sarah McVeigh

I have previously written about being a Fangirl—letting your freak fangirl flag fly proud. But this past weekend, I went to the actual birthplace of truly passionate fans: Buffalo, New York. I had no idea what I was walking into.

I know some Buffalo fans, and I’ve seen Bills Mafia on TV and social media, but I don’t think I fully understood the sheer magnitude of the commitment until I was there. This wasn’t just typical bar signage; the Buffalo Bills were literally everywhere. I saw the logo at the pancake house, stitched onto a grandma’s handbag, displayed in front-yard shrines, and plastered on every car. I’ve never witnessed an entire town so totally and passionately committed to a single team. It wasn’t just support; it was a cultural identity. It was, simply put, remarkable.

My own NFL upbringing couldn’t be more different. I was raised in an Arizona Cardinals environment. Larry Fitzgerald once wrote an article in his retirement, where he mentioned that he remembers the first time he saw a fan wearing an Arizona Cardinals t-shirt at the airport! That’s the NFL fanbase that I was raised in.

The support is still pretty low for Cardinals fans. The majority of adults in Arizona are not born in Arizona—they migrated to escape the winter (the dream). This means that Arizona has a population packed with fans loyal to teams from back home. While the Cardinals fanbase is definitely growing, it hasn’t evolved into that all-consuming cultural force.

My Buffalo epiphany was this: I need a team.

I’m not a real Cardinals fan—I wish them well, but Kyler Murray is the only player I could name, and I don’t watch their games. So, the search for true fandom begins.

My husband is a Jets fan, and although you all know my love for the gorgeous Justin Fields, they are 0-6, and that just seems like a miserable life. If I am going to choose an NFL team to support, why would I choose the one that’s cursed?

The next contender is the NY Giants. Now, I feel very passionately about the Giants because of ASU alum Cam Skattebo. That guy makes watching football fun. Watching him aggressively punch through tackles, celebrate like a maniac, and probably incur a fine every week is the kind of chaotic energy I want to root for. Shouldn’t watching sports be fun, after all?

But then there are the Buffalo Bills. Being part of that community sure does look like a blast. The only problem is the weather. I’m a summer girl (cue Leighton Meester from “Country Strong”). I can’t picture myself voluntarily standing on cardboard in a blizzard just to jump onto a folding table. The commitment is something to take note of, but maybe it’s just a little too much for a girl raised in the sunshine.

I guess the search continues for my perfect NFL team. I’m taking suggestions!