I was in a Zoom meeting today, and the other person’s parting words were “Go, Bills!”
Then they couched their remark to be politically correct, by saying, “That is, if you’re into the Bills.”
I responded, “Oh, of course! Go, Bills!” Not even knowing if the Bills were playing this weekend, but sounded like they might be. The Bills are probably in something called “the playoffs.” They might be a “wild card,” whatever that means.
I know many readers may be recoiling in horror that I would not know this information.
But here’s my point of view.
First, I do not live in Buffalo, NY. I do not in any way identify with the city of Buffalo. I live in Rochester, NY. I feel the same way about Buffalo as I do about Boise, Idaho. There has been a lot done to improve Buffalo in terms of architecture and recreation, I hear, but that does not change my emotion about the city, which is neutral at best.
Second, not only do I not have any connection to Buffalo…I don’t know any of the players personally. If I did, I might have some skin in the game. Josh Allen looks like a nice person. He has the face of a 6th grader, atop a huge body. There are some other Bills players that are totally adorable. But I don’t KNOW them.
Third, what is this about their name, “Buffalo Bills.” What does “Bills” even MEAN? If this is a reference to Buffalo Bill Cody, there is (was) only one of him.
Lastly, let’s talk outfits. Some people call them “uniforms.” But they are really “outfits.” The Bills colors of red, white, and blue are not too original. A bunch of teams have versions of red, white, and blue. The Patriots, and maybe the Giants, and someone else, I think. I think the Dolphins orange and aqua outfits are unique and attractive, probably the best in the NFL.
And in terms of the name…well, who doesn’t love a dolphin? I have never heard anyone say, I Hate Dolphins. But I bet a bunch of people hated Buffalo Bill Cody, because I’m guessing he killed some folks. So maybe the Buffalo Bills should change their name.
Perhaps in addition to the SuperBowl Trophy, or whatever it is that you get when you beat everyone else by catching stuff or getting it in that rectangle there, they should have other trophies such as:
-best name (not the Washington Commanders, at least I know that)
-best uniform (separate votes for both home and away uniforms; they must complement one another; for example, the Cowboys’ away uniforms clash with their home)
-hottest quarterback (duh) and
-best people who caught the ball when it was thrown in their general direction. Tight ends? Running backs? Whatever.
Western New Yorkers, including many of my friends—if you want the Bills to win on whatever day they are playing in the near future, I wish you the best only because I care about you. Go, Bills!
Great to see you tackle the wide world of sports, Jane. I get where you are coming from regarding the Bills. As a proud Rochesterian growing up, I always viewed Buffalo as a competitor, particularly because they had a minor league baseball team that was a rival of the Rochester Red Wings. Baseball and the Red Wings were my world as a kid. I remember when a much older brother (15-years older as I was number six out of seven kids) moved to Albany, I wondered how he could possibly survive without access to Red Wing games. Fast forward, I am first and foremost a Green Bay Packer fan – I was swept up by the tradition and the underdog status of the smallest market franchise in all of pro sports. I was even one of the fools who spent good money for a worthless stock certificate that said I was one of the shareholders of the organization – just so that I could call myself an NFL owner. That said, having worked with organizations with operations in Buffalo the last several years, I have to say the people there are warm and welcoming, and that Josh Allen seems to be a genuinely nice guy, For those reasons, I root a little more than I used to for the Bills. After all, the City of Buffalo may be exceeded in bad luck only by Pompeii and Atlantis. Great writing again!