ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Already one of the NFL’s most passionate fan bases, the Bills’ faithful made their presence felt Thursday night, ushering in the $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium in deafening fashion.
The Bills opened the new facility in primetime, leading off a major stadium development boom across the league. While the facility has plenty of next-generation technology, it was pure fan energy from the team’s famed Bills Mafia that defined the evening.
The stadium’s European soccer-inspired design worked as intended and helped escalate the crowd noise well beyond the confines of the NFL’s smallest seating capacity. From the opening player introductions and then across nearly every play, the crowd roared with delight and drowned out the Lions.
“We have not handled what we need to be doing right now,” a clearly rattled Lions coach Dan Campbell told the Amazon Prime Video broadcast at halftime. “The little shit is killing us.”
The passion, and the history of the event, could also be seen in the ticket resale market, as the average get-in price for the stadium opener leading up to the kickoff was $569 according to TicketData. That figure far surpassed any other Week 2 NFL game, and could remain one of the highest entry-level figures across the league for the entire regular season. Each of the Bills’ remaining seven home games this season has a triple-digit get-in resale price as well.
The opening game at Highmark Stadium also brought out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was born in nearby Jamestown and has often spoken of his Western New York roots.
“This is something spectacular and something that I think is going to make the people of Buffalo really proud,” Goodell said on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage of the game. “This community loves the Bills, loves football, and has such great pride in it.”
The Canada Question
The frothy fan support at Highmark Stadium particularly extended to the Canadian national anthem that preceded the game, sung by veteran rock band and native Canadians the Barenaked Ladies. This was the first time the Bills have had the Canadian anthem performed at one of their games, though the neighboring NHL Sabres, also controlled by Bills owner Terry Pegula, have done so for many years.
The Bills’ anthem decision for the stadium opener is a direct reflection of the critical base of support that nearby Ontario provides to the team. A heavily populated portion of the province, including Toronto, lies within the 75-mile radius of Highmark Stadium defined as the Bills’ home market.
About 12% of the team’s personal-seat license holders, and 20% of the waiting list are Canadian.
That connection with Canada runs directly counter to the current policy of the White House, as U.S. President Donald Trump has openly waged an escalating trade war with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in recent months.
The Bills, however, are seeking to stay out of any broader geopolitics and simply want to do more business in Canada. The team has territorial rights to the country as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program, former Toronto star athletes Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Jozy Altidore are minority partners, and the Bills have a multifaceted deal with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of teams such as the NHL’s Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Raptors.
The Barenaked Ladies, meanwhile, enjoyed a very warm reception from the assembled Bills fans, many of whom sang along.
“The passion and support we feel from our Canadian fans is incredible, and we look forward to continuing to deepen those relationships,” said Kate Hussmann, the Bills chief strategy officer.
