Bills Mafia — #BillsMafia

Click to see full event flyer

PACK YOUR BAGS BILLS FANS!

The #BillsMafia is heading to the Bahamas!

We’ve partnered with Let’s Go Travel to offer a unique opportunity to hang out with fellow Bills fans while at the same time raising money for a good cause.

Read on…

Join your fellow Bills fans on this amazing 4-day Bahamas cruise. From the moment you step aboard, you’ll see that the Norwegian Sky offers something for everyone. This popular 4 day Bahamas cruise offers you options like 10 dining venues, 11 bars & lounges, an onboard spa and a casino that has all of your favorite games & slots.

If you decide to bring the kids, we’ll keep them entertained all day, while you lounge by the pool, play in the casino, or enjoy dinner at one of many restaurants.

March 17-21, 2014

4-NIGHT BAHAMAS CRUISE ONBOARD NORWEGIAN SKY
ROUNDTRIP MIAMI

Monday: Depart Miami 5:00PM
Tuesday: Great Stirrup Cay 8:00AM-5:00PM
Wednesday: Nassau 8:00AM-6:00PM
Thursday: Grand Bahama Island (Freeport) 8:00AM-5:00PM
Friday: Return to Miami 7:00AM
{Itinerary subject to change}

Interior staterooms
From $440.07

Ocean View staterooms
From $490.07

Balcony staterooms
From $690.07

All rates are per person and are based on double occupancy. All rates are subject to change and are based on availability. Some staterooms offer a 3rd and/or 4th guest capacity – those rates are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed until booked. Other cabin types are available and prices are subject to change & are based on availability at the time of booking.

A $100 deposit/per person is due no later than July 1st, 2013 to hold a cabin. Final balance is due no later than January 10th, 2014.

Payment plans can be arranged.

What’s included:

• 5 complimentary dining options, from three-course dining to endless buffets with action stations.
• Entertainment day & night. Comedian, dance clubs, bars & lounges, piano bars and live music.
• Fitness center, sports court, pools, and hot tubs.
• Youth programs for children ages 3-17.
• Attentive room steward and complementary room service.
• PRIVATE #BILLSMAFIA EVENTS* – onboard and at ports of call
• #BillsMafia gift package including a cruise themed t-shirt & bracelet (bracelet will be your access pass to the private events)

What’s not included: Airfare, pre-cruise hotel night(s) in Miami, (group block to be provided – optional, but highly recommended so you don’t miss the ship), ground transportation, (group transportation will be arranged) shipboard gratuities ($12/per person/per day), travel insurance, island tours, items of a personal nature.

A portion of the proceeds to benefit Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

*Private Events will be announced at a later date – some may include your favorite Buffalo Bills players!

TO BOOK YOUR #BILLSMAFIA CRUISE:
Call Karen VanRhyn at Lets Go Travel – 585-924-3903
Mon-Fri 10am-4pm or after hours by appointment

Facebook event link: #BillsMafia Cruise

********VERY IMPORTANT********

***To be included with the #BillsMafia Group and have access to all of our private functions onboard and at ports of call, ALL cruises MUST BE booked through Lets Go Travel – no exceptions.***

If you need assistance with your flights, let Karen know. You must make sure that your flights meet the cruise lines time standards for arrival and departure deadlines.

2012 Sunday Tailgate Group Shot

The 3rd Annual Official #BillsMafia TweetUp is going to be the weekend of the PANTHERS game, SEPTEMBER 14th and 15TH.

Saturday night hangout:
Details TBD

Sunday morning tailgate:
“Hammer’s Lot” on Jim Kelly Blvd., aka Abbott Road. (This is the same lot that we were in last year.)

Click here for more information about Hammer’s Lot: https://sites.google.com/site/hammerslot/

We’ll have more details as the summer progresses, but expect a similar format as last year (Chinese auction of donated items, etc).

While anyone is welcome to stroll through and hang out as long as they like, we’ll be selling parking vouchers again this year — which we strongly recommend people take advantage of.

We sell parking vouchers for two reasons:

1) So we can provide the lot owner with an approximate car count, per his request.
2) The lot typically is full by 10am, so by pre-paying for your spot you will be guaranteed a place to park.

They’ll run $21.50 ($20 for the lot and $1.50 for PayPal fees) and will be available for purchase as the season gets closer.

We’ll keep you posted at the details formalize, but in the meantime make sure you’ve got that weekend marked on your calendar!

With the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this week, we felt compelled to do something to help out in some way.

We kind of scrambled to put this together, so hopefully it’ll be well received and we can sell a ton.

We’re doing a 24 hour promotion, in which all profits will go directly (and immediately) to the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts.

From noon today (April 17) until noon tomorrow (April 18) we are going to be offering two different items (neither of which are regularly available at our store page). There’s no limit to the amount that is available, but after 12pm Thursday they’ll be gone. So please don’t put this off!

Item 1: The “MAFIA” oval sticker we had a very limited quantity of last month. $7.95

Item 2: A reusable “MAFIA” oval MAGNET (same size as sticker shown above). $9.95

Please, be generous with your purchases. Let’s show the people of Boston that #716supports617!

Update! Two random purchases will also win a pair of tickets to next week’s draft party at One Bills Drive! Thanks to @We4Bills for donating them.

Sale has ended. Thank you for helping us raise over $400 in just 24 hours’ time!

As you may know, we’re in the midst of turning our #BillsMafia efforts into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our mission? “To unite Buffalo football fans worldwide and channel their passion into charitable endeavors in the WNY community.”

The response we received to our initial call for “founding sponsors” back in January was overwhelming. We figured that if we even did hit our initial fundraising goal, it would take us a month or so to get there… Nope! It took only four days and we quickly sold out of all the merchandise we had set aside for this campaign.

Wow.

People have continued to ask us about opportunities to give, and since it’s not like there won’t be future costs incurred as we move forward with this effort, we’ve secured new merchandise to provide to those willing to contribute to the cause.

Sponsorship has 4 different levels:

BRONZE: With a sponsorship purchase of $10, you receive

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website

SILVER: With a sponsorship purchase of $25, you receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• an exclusive wristband available ONLY to sponsors:

GOLD: SOLD OUT With a sponsorship purchase of $50, you receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• 2 exclusive wristbands available ONLY to sponsors
• choice between a DVD copy of the “Almost A Dynasty” fan documentary (graciously donated to us by the producers of the film), OR
• a Buffalo Bills “PowerDecal” for your car (provided by Kimberly Arnold, distributor for PowerDecal and Bills fan)

PLATINUM: SOLD OUT With a sponsorship purchase of $100, you receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• 2 exclusive wristbands available ONLY to sponsors
• a DVD copy of the “Almost A Dynasty” fan documentary, AND
• a Buffalo Bills “PowerDecal” for your car

Regardless of your donation amount, we’ll also provide you with an exclusive “Founding Sponsor” twibbon for your Twitter or Facebook avatar that Del will manually create for you (up to 5 different times).

There are upgrade options available for those who purchased sponsorships in the previous round, see the dropdown below for details. (For previous GOLD sponsors: though there is not a specific upgrade option available, we will still ensure you that you get the appropriate PLATINUM recognition you deserve if you choose to participate.)

If this is something you’re interested in being a part of, please use the form below:

Legalese / Disclaimers

Twibbons will be provided as immediately as possible after your sponsorship purchase, however all sponsorship merchandise will ship at the conclusion of this overall effort.

By providing this sponsorship, you are assisting the founding members of this new incorporation with the funds to pursue legal and consulting assistance in its eventual establishment. No ownership or stakeholder rights are implied.

The money you spend on these “sponsorship purchases” may not be tax deductible, as we have not yet become a 501(c)(3). If we are able to retroactively designate it as such once the non-profit is created, we will absolutely do so however.

The money you spend will not be given to Roswell Park or any other charity as it will be used specifically for lawyer and consulting fees. If for some great reason we raise MORE than we eventually need, then the money will absolutely be given over to charity.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to chime in below or contact Del directly at mrdeadlier@billsmafia.com.

When this whole #BillsMafia thing took off back in August 2011, Bre, Leslie, and I had no idea what it was going to bring… or how long it would last.

It’s definitely brought some cool memories thus far. We’ve managed to unite Bills fans worldwide through the realm of social media under a common banner. And we’ve been able to coordinate some fun events where those fans get to actually meet each other and hang out.

Most importantly, we’ve raised money for local charities like Roswell Park’s efforts towards breast cancer research and pediatric cancer treatment and also the West Webster Fire Department.

And now we’re ready to take the next step. To become truly “official.”

Up until this point, we’ve either a) funneled profits through a separate non-profit organization who was able to help us early on, or b) I (Del) have personally taken profits and donated them to the various designated charities myself. That’s not the ideal way to handle something like this, personally writing off this stuff on my own taxes.

To be honest, we weren’t sure if this was going to stick around. If #BillsMafia were a flash in the pan, then we figured let’s just ride it out until it had run its course. But it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.

Which is awesome.

Which also means it’s time to make this real. Really real.

We’re pursuing incorporation and establishing a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our mission? “To unite Buffalo football fans worldwide and channel their passion into charitable endeavors in the WNY community.”

But here’s the deal: it costs more than just a standard filing fee to get this going. It takes lawyer and consulting fees. About $2000 or so, actually. Now, we’re not really crazy about the idea of taking any funds already raised and applying them to this endeavor. In fact, it’s not an option. That money came in with the purchasers’ understanding that it would benefit Roswell Park, and that’s where it’s going.

So we came up with an idea to raise the money separately. We’re inviting you to become a “founding sponsor.”

Sponsorship will have 4 different levels:

BRONZE: With a sponsorship purchase of $10, you’ll receive

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website

SILVER: With a sponsorship purchase of $25, you’ll receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• an exclusive wristband available ONLY to sponsors:

GOLD: SOLD OUT With a sponsorship purchase of $50, you’ll receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• 2 exclusive wristbands available ONLY to sponsors
• a Limited Edition MAFIA hat:

PLATINUM: SOLD OUT With a sponsorship purchase of $100, you’ll receive:

• permanent “founding sponsor” recognition on our website
• 2 exclusive wristbands available ONLY to sponsors
• a Limited Edition MAFIA hat
• a Limited Edition 11″ x 17″ #BillsMafia poster designed by @BuffaloBrand:

Regardless of your donation amount, we’ll also provide you with an exclusive “Founding Sponsor” twibbon for your Twitter or Facebook avatar that Del will manually create for you (up to 5 different times).

We realize this is somewhat of an unusual idea, but if we’ve learned anything over the past year and a half, it’s the power of the #FAMbase. We’re all in this together and we want to make sure we’re able to continue making a difference in our local community for years to come.

If this is something you’re interested in being a part of, please use the form below:

FORM HAS BEEN REMOVED. ROUND TWO SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE HERE: [CLICK]

Legalese / Disclaimers

Twibbons will be provided as immediately as possible after your sponsorship purchase, however all sponsorship merchandise will ship at the conclusion of this overall effort.

By providing this sponsorship, you are assisting the founding members of this new incorporation with the funds to pursue legal and consulting assistance in its eventual establishment. No ownership or stakeholder rights are implied.

The money you spend on these “sponsorship purchases” may not be tax deductible, as we have not yet become a 501(c)(3). If we are able to retroactively designate it as such once the non-profit is created, we will absolutely do so however.

The money you spend will not be given to Roswell Park or any other charity as it will be used specifically for lawyer and consulting fees. If for some great reason we raise MORE than we need, then the money will absolutely be given over to charity.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to chime in below or contact Del directly at mrdeadlier@billsmafia.com.

We are pleased to announce a new affiliation in the Western New York market with WGRZ-TV, Channel 2 as the preferred television station of Billsmafia.com, @TheBillsMafia and other related social media.

This affiliation will provide greater exposure on local television for the #BillsMafia “FAMbase” that exists on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Our logos and marks will be featured on-screen in special segments with WGRZ-TV sports anchor Jonah Javad (@JonahJavad). Javad will seek opinion and ideas from the BillsMafia on Twitter, and the responses will often be featured on Javad’s on-air segments. We will also be promoting each other’s web content.

By forming this alliance with WGRZ-TV, our mission is to further channel the passion of WNY football fans and our charitable endeavors in the community. All profits from Billsmafia.com are donated to the “Carly’s Club” pediatric cancer treatment initiative at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and other local charities.

Please note, this new relationship of exclusivity with WGRZ-TV does not apply to stations outside the Buffalo market, or other types of media such as radio, websites or podcasts.

Billsmafia.com is not directly affiliated with the Buffalo Bills organization, the NFL, or Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Below are the 20 finalists for our contest thanking everyone who has followed @TheBillsMafia over the past 15 months. 10,000 is no small feat!

Some of these were hand-selected by Bre, Leslie, and Del — and some were just randomly picked. There were a ton to pull from so thank you to everyone who participated.

The top 5 tweets that have the most combined retweets and favorites by Monday, Dec 3rd at noon will be retweeted by @TheBillsMafia. Then, whichever of those 5 have the most at Tuesday at noon will be the winner of the free Bills jersey. Good luck!

(Note: This new Monday deadline has been pushed back from the original announcement to ensure a large enough window of time is provided for all to see these tweets, and vote.)

(Note #2: The plug-in we’re using to embed tweets within this post appears to be kind of buggy. You may need to click the link to see the actual tweet over at Twitter.com. Thanks for your understanding.)

#BillsMafia means that my therapist was wrong! There’s thousands of us who bleed Bills all year long! I knew I wasn’t crazy #SMH #mafia10k

— Jason Adams (@Jason92Adams) November 29, 2012

#BillsMafia is about family. Family that bleeds Buffalo. Family that cries out for progress. Family that fights for a Superbowl. #mafia10k

— Too Cool (@2C00L4SCH00L) November 29, 2012

Its not only a group 4 which people connect but a movement which integrates all walks of life every Sunday. It helps us #Billieve #mafia10k

— Doug Roxburgh (@dougrox14) November 27, 2012

B yrd Sp i llerL indellL evitreS tevieM ario Ch A ndlerF redF I tzB A rnett #mafia10k

— Ellen Reed (@EllieCole22) November 30, 2012

Somewhere, somehow, no matter how bleak it seems.. The strive for five is STILL alive, and we’ll get there together. #Billieve #mafia10k

— Adam (@amgoulding) November 29, 2012

Bills Mafia is a symbol of true unity. It’s proof of the immense love and loyalty we buffalo fans have & how we’ll always Billeve #mafia10k

— Lindsey Mullen (@LindseyNM7) November 30, 2012

Proud and passionate Bills fans united by our loyalty to the team we love. We bleed Bills Red, White and Blue!! #mafia10k

— Steve Brown (@steve1974b) November 30, 2012

#BillsMafia = An extended family of #Billievers united by love 4 #BuffaloBills sharing hopes, dreams, joy and often disappointment #Mafia10k

— Jeff Schlagenhauf (@We4Bills) November 30, 2012

#billsmafia is a gathering of people, once strangers, turned family in the shared passion of the #bills. One team One dream. #mafia10k

— Justin Lamoreaux (@JLam990) November 29, 2012

It kept me and my brothers connected when we were thousands of miles apart and now brings us together every Sunday. #billsfamily #mafia10k

— Stephanie Kocher (@stephanie_a_k) November 30, 2012

Sense of community and belonging. I have ppl to talk Bills with. Never had that before. Win or lose, football Sundays are more fun #mafia10k

— Stanley J. Cohen (@stanj62) November 30, 2012

Fambase:those who share goals and values, have longterm commitments to one another and our team, regardless of outcome#thatsus #mafia10k

— Donata Lorenzo (@Deelo12) November 30, 2012

#BillsMafia means to me that even though I’m not living in Buffalo I still spend Sundays like im in a bar full of Buffalonians #mafia10k

— Will Chambers (@buffapitt) November 28, 2012

#mafia10k I wouldn’t even be on twitter if not for #BillsMafia. This is my 2nd family. Even named an event after it.

— Eddie Serafin (@Serafin54) November 30, 2012

Best #Fambase worldwide.Raising $ for Roswell,ALWAYS some1 2 talk with,vent 2,agree 2 disagree with, NONE better than #BillsMafia #mafia10k

— Jenn Ferguson (@JennF6027) November 28, 2012

Its a purpose, its a tradition, its being 1 of many but still being heard. Its Sunday, but M-Sa u breathe it. It’s hope, its a FAM #mafia10k

— Joshua Perry (@JjPeezy84) November 28, 2012

@thebillsmafia I see it as a way for all the fans to put in their thoughts during a game. #Billsmafia is our team. The fans team! #mafia10k

— Tom Ragan (@t_ragan) November 28, 2012

#BillsMafia is a family.Thru thick and thin no matter what we have this #Fambase to vent to and pick us up Monday morning. #Mafia10K

— BoltedToTheBandwagon (@RonnieB1219) November 30, 2012

#BillsMafia is family, we don’t always get along but our love of the Buffalo Bills keeps us together #Mafia10k

— J LeRoy (@blue_J_way) November 30, 2012

#BillsMafia After a big win, OR during a beat down, I KNOW i have 10k people who I can celebrate with, Or bitch and complain with! #Mafia10k

— Mark(@TheReal_No1_VIP) November 30, 2012

Thanks again to all who participated!

10K!

Dear Bills Mafia,

@TheBillsMafia has reached 10,000 followers!!

I just want to say thank you and congratulations!!

To say we appreciate all the support would be an understatement. Not only is this a monumental moment for Les, Del, and me — it’s also a monumental moment to every single person that’s part of this FAMbase. Whether you were here from the beginning or are a brand new follower, you all make up the FAMbase. Without the support we wouldn’t flourish.

To be completely honest with you, I truly believe Bills Mafia is just another example of why this is the greatest fanbase in the league. The resilience, the support, the love, and effort everybody puts forth for Bills Mafia is what we are about. Plenty of times we could’ve folded, but we didn’t we kept pushing along and we will continue to push along.

Understand we are a part of the history of your favorite football team. If that doesn’t make you giddy I don’t know what will.

We have our good day and bad days, great people and not so great people, but through the adversity we will rise above the rest. We will get better and be better. See you at 20K, Bills Mafia.

#BillsMafiaOG Bre

Ok, here’s the deal.

We’ve got some costs that we’re going to incur with the event on Sunday. Specifically, a tent rental and the purchase of a banner so people can find us easily. The overall cost comes to approximately $350.

So, we’re looking for help. ANYTHING you can contribute through the Paypal interface below is greatly appreciated and will go directly to the costs we’re going to incur. Trust me, this is not a request that we are throwing out there flippantly and without having given a good deal of thought.

I apologize for the late notice, but the need hadn’t crossed my mind until I fronted all the money this week, so blame me (Del).

If you can help, great. If not, no worries. The party will still go on as planned and you won’t notice a difference, I assure you. Just figured it can’t hurt to ask.

As a way of saying thank you, we’ll provide you with a pink #BillsMafia Breast Cancer Awareness wristband (for any donation amount given).

IN THE BEGINNING

This whole thing was an accident.

When I coined the term #BillsMafia back on a Follow Friday back in spring 2011, it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to how several of us got blocked by Adam Schefter in November 2010, while sticking up for Stevie Johnson, for going a little overboard with Bre’s #SchefterBreakingNews joke (see the front page of this website for more information if you’re not up to speed on that).

So at the outset, I guess #BillsMafia stood for teasing or standing up to the national media about how it has always covered the Bills as an afterthought, and having the players’ backs.

A few months later, Bre coined the term #TeamBillsMafia, which stood for getting Bills fans to band together. Like most stuff on Twitter, it died down after a few weeks.

Then along came Nick Barnett (or rather, @MufasasHair) last August and suddenly, BOOM — the #BillsMafia hashtag was all over Twitter.

Many knew that this was an inside joke that we’d started. So people looked to us, and we saw an opportunity.

Honestly, I thought it would be gone by mid-season. That’s how Twitter works typically, right? Stuff blows up and then it blows over.

Like I said, we saw an opportunity to maybe do a little good and make some cash for charity while supporting the team in the process. So we started selling t-shirts and various types of merchandise, with all profits going to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.

So by the time the 2011 season kicked off, #BillsMafia stood for:

- Standing up to the national media and supporting the team
- Banding together as passionate fans who “ride and die” with the team, hence the term “#FAMbase” which has gained popularity over the past year
- Being a positive force in the community

MISCONCEPTIONS

Somewhere along the way as we grew to over 8200 followers, people have begun to think that #BillsMafia means nothing but sunshine and rainbows. That if you criticize the team then that means you’re not “one of us.” In our opinion, that’s not the case.

Let me say that the idea of #BillsMafia (to Bre, Leslie, and I) is this:

We are a community of passionate fans, united through social media, who support the team while at the same time trying to do some good for the community in the process.

The question is, what does “support” mean? Well, to some it means blind faith. To others, it means buying merchandise. And to others it means being open and honest about your feelings about where the teams stands at any given juncture.

They’re all correct.

Yes, I (Del) personally have a pretty optimistic outlook on most things in life, which spills over into my sports fanhood — but that doesn’t mean I can project or enforce my typical mindset onto thousands of people. It’s not a cult we’ve got here.

BEING “IN” THE MAFIA

People often ask “How do I join #BillsMafia?” Our response has always been the same: “Do you bleed red, white, and blue? Eat, sleep, and breathe Bills? Then you’re already in.”

Now, all of a sudden, there’s a few people acting like they have gold membership cards, telling others they aren’t “in” because that person thought Fitz looked bad today, or showed concern after the game, or some other ridiculous “offense.”

Emphasis on ridiculous. This is Twitter we’re talking about here. This is professional sports we’re talking about here. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Part of sports talk is being critical, seeing things and saying “they can do better.”

Emotions run high during a game and immediately afterwards, and frankly a lot of people need to lighten up and stop being so sensitive. If someone says “Fitz is not a franchise QB” there’s no need to take it as though that person just insulted your mom.

Bre, Leslie, and I don’t act like we speak for everyone who calls themselves #BillsMafia, and frankly you shouldn’t either.

WHAT NOT TO DO

The only thing I would say is “outlawed” is getting after players personally by mentioning them in your tweets, especially if you’re dropping the #BillsMafia hashtag at the end.

It seems like it should be a general rule in life that if you wouldn’t have the guts to say something to someone’s face then you shouldn’t type it into your keyboard and direct it at them online. My guess is that 99.97% of all tweets that disparage players personally fall into the “gutless” category.

That of course includes calling someone the “n word” like was done yesterday, though I don’t know if that guy actually claimed to be #BillsMafia or not. Regardless, he’s an idiot.

Ok, we have something that is “outlawed,” but I’m going to add one more thing that is “strongly discouraged.” Constant ranting. No one wants to read “This team sucks. #BillsMafia” or “Same old #Bills. #BillsMafia” every time you tweet, I promise. The difference between constructive criticism and ranting? One promotes discussion; the latter does not. But go ahead and do it, just don’t be surprised if you have a hard time getting or keeping followers (if that even matters to you).

IN THE END

The three of us have invested A LOT of time into this community, this #FAMbase, on Twitter. We have ideals set up about what we’d like it to be about (supporting the team, banding together with fellow fans, and helping out in the community) but at the end of the day people are going to tweet what they want to tweet. They’re going to place a hashtag into whatever they want. That can’t be helped. It’s our hope that those who claim to be “#BillsMafia” choose to take the high road whenever possible and rep the other 8200+ members appropriately.