Whenever the Buffalo Bills play on national television, there's a common question that circulates around the Internet:
What the heck is a Bill?
It's an important question, sort of.
In one sense, a team's nickname and mascot isn't that crucial.
In another sense, it's everything.
The fans are called Bills Mafia, after all.
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So here's what to know:
What is a Buffalo Bill?
The original Buffalo Bill was a man named William Frederick Cody.
He was a showman who had famous Wild West exhibitions and lived form 1846 through 1917.
He killed many American bison, otherwise known as buffaloes, after the Civil War.
The Bills are named after the famous frontiersman.
There was an earlier football team in Buffalo called the Buffalo Bison.
There was also a team called the Buffalo All-Americans.
Eventually, the Bills became the team, first in the All-American Football Conference, then the AFL, and finally in the NFL after the merger.
And now they've got a name synonymous with the blue-collar nature of Western New York.
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