Buffalo Bills nominated for FanSided’s Fandom 250
By Paul Taylor
The Buffalo Bills have been nominated for FanSided’s Fandom 250, which ranks the world’s best fan bases, but do they deserve to be included?
FanSided is ranking the top 250 global fan bases for a second year, after the success of the inaugural competition. And the Buffalo Bills are getting the opportunity to play their part.
The idea behind Fandom 250, is to find the top fan base in the world, in sports, entertainment, pop culture, fashion, politics, lifestyle and other areas. As per FanSided‘s Josh Hill, the Bills are one of 16 NFL team’s included on this year’s list.
This leads to the question of if the Buffalo Bills deserve to be included? In truth, the Bills’ fan base is one of the easiest ones to justify.
Unfortunately for Buffalo Bills followers, this justification is related to their beloved team’s lack of success. However, we’re not talking about the franchise being the only one in NFL history to lose four consecutive Super Bowls.
(In many ways, those defeats tell you everything you need to know about what it’s like to be a sports fan in Western New York. The fact the Bills went to four straight Super Bowls is extremely impressive and shows incredible perseverance, but even when things go right for the teams in Buffalo, they still ultimately go wrong.)
No, we’re referring to the Bills’ lack of postseason football. Dating back to the 2000 campaign, the Buffalo Bills have gone 17 years without making the playoffs.
This represents the longest active drought in the NFL, as well as all four major North American sports leagues. For the record, the longest postseason drought in NFL history is 25 years, held by the Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills are currently tied for fifth place on the list, along with three other teams. If they fail to make the playoffs this season, they will have fifth spot all to themselves.
The reason for sharing all this, is because no matter how bad it gets, the fans continue to descend on New Era Field. This season, despite the long playoff drought, the team is averaging 68,755 fans per game.
More from Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller the ideal addition both on and off the field
- Buffalo Bills: Majority of new stadium funding will come from public
- Buffalo Bills vs. Patriots: Odds, Spread, Over/Under & Betting Pick
- Buffalo Bills run game providing much-needed boost to offense
While this figure ranks just 17th in the league entering Week 11’s slate of games, it’s pretty damn impressive for one of the smallest markets in the entire NFL. However, let’s go a few seasons back, given that this year’s team is actually in a playoff position as we speak (read).
More specifically, let’s look at the 2010 campaign, when the Buffalo Bills stumbled home to a 4-12 record. That season represented the second-fewest wins for the franchise since their playoff drought began. (They went 3-13 in 2001.)
Regardless, the Bills still averaged 63,195 fans per game, ranking 22nd in the league. Throw in the uncertainty at the time over their future in Buffalo (this was when one game per season was being played in Toronto), this shows how loyal and passionate the fan base really is.
Heck, we haven’t even included the fact the fans have to deal with one of the worst weather climates among all NFL teams, once the weather turns. Overall, the question which would be tougher to answer, is why the Buffalo Bills fan base shouldn’t be included in FanSided‘s Fandom 250 list?
Next: Is Tyrod Taylor finished in Buffalo?
What’s your opinion of the Buffalo Bills being nominated for FanSided’s Fandom 250? Do they deserve their inclusion on the list or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.