Buffalo Bills fans work hard and play hard while shovelling snow at stadium
Eric Shields briefly laid down his shovel to film a football fan sliding topless down a snow chute
Buffalo football fans found innovative ways to have fun and blow off steam while shovelling out their team's home stadium during a snowstorm this weekend.
The Buffalo Bills asked folks to come to the Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., over the weekend and Monday morning to clear the snow ahead of a wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hundreds answered the call, including Buffalo resident Eric Shields, who shot a viral video Saturday of one rambunctious Bills fan sliding down a snow chute topless.
"The guy was like, 'Oh, I'm going to go.' And then another guy's like, 'Oh, take your shirt off!' And he's like, 'Alright,' and took his shirt off,'" Shields told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
"I had to get it on film."
As extreme winter weather ripped through parts of the U.S. over the weekend, the Bills and the stadium's janitorial company, Jani-King, issued several statements asking fans to come help clear the stadium.
"I woke up in the morning, I chugged down a Monster energy drink, and I was ready for the day," Shields said.
Those bold enough to brave the cold were paid $20 US an hour, plus free hot food, for their labour.
"We had chicken fingers," Shields said. "They're relatively expensive at the game. So I mean, that's a perk if you get them for free."
While most of the shovellers were part of the team fan base, known as the Bills Mafia, Shields stood out in his New England Patriots mask.
"I was going to wear a jersey, but I didn't want to ruin it," he said.
The Bills fans gave him a gentle ribbing, he says, but as a lifelong Patriots fan and Buffalo resident, he's used to it.
"It's all for fun," he said. "I love my city regardless of what team I like."
The workers, along with stadium crews, worked all throughout Saturday and Sunday to clear the more than 60 centimetres of snow that fell over the weekend. Nevertheless, the game, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed until Monday because of the weather.
"We would shovel by sections, and by the time we got to the next section, we would look over at the section that we had just shovelled, and it was already covered," Shields said. "So, I mean, all of our work was for nought, but it's better than letting it sit here and pile up."
On Monday morning, the team once again called on fans to clear the way. Brandon Brummert woke up at 4 a.m. and made the 144-kilometre drive from Rochester, N.Y., to help shovel.
"It's beautiful out now. Thank God the wind's not kicking. If the wind was kicking in, it would be brutal right now with blowing snow," Brummert said Monday morning.
The field was cleared by game time, but the majority of the seats were still blanketed in snow when the gates opened.
Undeterred, fans borrowed shovels from guest services and used their hands or pieces of cardboard to clear their seats.
Those who couldn't dig out a spot either sat in the snow, or simply stood.
The fans also tossed snow into the air like confetti to celebrate Buffalo's game-opening touchdown.
It's long been a tradition for Buffalo residents and Bills fans to help clear snow for the team during the winter.
Shields remembers doing it before when he was a teenager. Bob Isaacs, 62, says this year was his fourth time taking part in the stadium shovel.
"You're a Bills fan," Isaacs said. "It's all part of the deal."
With files from The Associated Press. Interview with Eric Shields produced by Katie Geleff
