What is 'Bills Mafia?' Here's everything you need to know about Buffalo Nation's beloved fan base

What is the Bills Mafia and why do Buffalo's supporters start using that term?

The No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills are gearing up for a Sunday wild-card playoff matchup against the No. 7 seed Pittsburgh Steelers, and despite game-time temperatures predicted to drop as low as 23-degrees, the Bills can count on the "Bills Mafia" to turn out in droves.

"Bills Mafia" was coined in 2011 by diehard Bills fans Del Reid, Breyon Harris and Leslie Wille. It started as an inside joke on X, formerly Twitter, and has transformed into a beloved community that's embraced by the franchise and players.

Although the term "Bills Mafia" may conjure up images of Buffalo fans jumping through folding tables at pregame tailgates, the beloved fan base is much more than just a rowdy crowd.

Here's everything you need to know about "Bills Mafia":

What is 'Bills Mafia'?

In short, "Bills Mafia" refers to the Buffalo Bills fan base. But for that fan base, "Mafia" means family. And that family is among the most gracious in the NFL, constantly giving back to the community and to charitable causes championed by Bills players and even players from opposing teams.

In 2020, the Bills filed to trademark "Bills Mafia."

How did 'Bills Mafia' start?

Following a 19-16 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 28, 2010, Bills receiver Stevie Johnson posted a tweet questioning his faith after he dropped what would have been the game-winning touchdown pass. NFL insider Adam Schefter retweeted Johnson's viral postgame tweet nearly a day later, leading Reid and his friends to troll Schefter with old news updates labeled with the hashtag, #SchefterBreakingNews. Schefter subsequently blocked them.

After the season concluded, Reid encouraged the #BillsMafia to follow all the fans blocked by Schefter in the summer of 2011. The name was born and it continued to build momentum the following season:

Is 'Bills Mafia' a charity?

No, the fan base is not a charity, but "Bills Mafia" loves going out of the way to help others. They take pride in lending a helping hand, whether in the form of a supportive message or a simple donation, large or small.

"Buffalo Bills fans and charity kind of go together at this point, like peanut butter and jelly," Kristen Kimmick, the founder of Bills Mafia Babes, told USA TODAY Sports in 2021. "It's literally like the cool thing to do in Buffalo is to be kind and charitable."

The Bills had a painful past, losing four consecutive Super Bowls. They lived under the shadows for more than a decade, but Josh Allen and company placed the Bills as the favorite team to win the Super Bowl.

Before becoming a contender, Buffalo spend 12 years without playoffs. The present and future of the Bills are bright, and besides the adversity, the Bills Mafia always kept a clean spirit.