So let’s take it back to Spring of this year, when discussions of Buff-a-Logo really began. At the time, we already had both of the Allen concepts designed and printed, thanks to Robbie. Those shirts were really just a bi-product of his interest in the upcoming Bills season and having something “cool” to maybe sell to friends. In a late night brainstorm session, we had the idea to parody the Roger Goodell clown tee shirt that Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports had previously made recognizable. Immediately, one person came to mind, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. 

It really shouldn’t surprise many that the New England Patriots and especially Tom Brady are not very popular among Western New Yorkers. Brady is something like 30-3 in his career vs. the Bills and actually has more wins in Orchard Park than any Bills quarterback since 2001. MIND NUMBING. All of this equals one thing: HATRED. We knew that the concept had potential and we were hoping that it would be a hit, in particular, for the September matchup against the Pats.

What we didn’t know was the perfect storm of events that would take place in the months to come. Fast forward to the start of the Bills season. We had just printed the tee shirts. We did a few giveaways on Instagram and those were a success. The Bills win their first couple games, as do the Pats. Next up is the home opener against the Bengals. We decide to head up to the tailgate about 5 deep and push the Brady tees and koozies. They were a hit, especially as tailgaters blood alcohol content continued to rise ?

We took some time to visit the guys over at the Pinto Tailgate and threw some shirts into the crowd, with the help of Stevie Johnson. The Bills ended up winning the game, as the Pats did theirs. So now we sit here, two undefeated teams, with a collision course at New Era Field the following week (last week). National media was all over the matchup, which as a Bills fan, is rare and pleasantly welcomed. The social media hype was intense and one particular fellow happened to join in on the fun, DAVE FREAKING PORTNOY!

Once we realized there was a chance that he may be coming into town, we knew we had to get the shirt in front of him. Zach Sheldon of Trainwreck Sports happened to reach out during the week and I made sure to get him one. I’ve learned in recent months that Zach and the guys are ALWAYS on top of things in the area. In fact, I think they are operating like a young Barstool, covering everything from betting and fantasy projections to all things resembling Buffalo sports and recreation.

So, after a LONG week, it’s finally Sunday. We knew that Portnoy was in town because he had already been spotted at a couple pizzerias doing his famous pizza reviews. It was almost a given at this point that he’d be up there partying, most likely at the Pinto Tailgate. I head up to the game with the few shirts and koozies we had left from the opener.

As soon as I park , I get the text from Zach “just got Portnoy with the shirt.” Now I hadn’t yet seen exactly what he had “gotten” but I thought to myself, this is crazy. I couldn’t believe it. This idea had now went completely full circle. So many times we imagined “what if” he seen this shirt? How would he react? Would he be pissed? Would he pursue legal action? Well, based on the video footage, I guess only time will tell ?

Big thanks to everybody who had a hand in making this concept a sure hit, especially Zach. We jokingly made the bet that if he or anybody took a pic with Dave in the shirt, we would give them FREE shirts for LIFE. Well, congrats my friend. Happy to do it! 

Let’s Go Buff-a-Logo ?