Bills Basement Bar: Local fan turns basement into Bills tribute
GREECE, NY – Most Bills fans in Rochester watch the game on their couch, but not every at-home setup is created equally. Jeremy D’Amico, a Greece native, pulls out all the stops for gameday in his very own, Bills Basement Bar.
If you’re from Western New York, young or old, you’ve probably watched a Bills game with your family.
“The Bills just scored a touchdown, I was little distracted,” said Anthony Masters, D’Amico’s brother-in-law. “But yeah, we get after it.”
And at one basement in Greece, the D’Amico family does it a little bit different.
“There’s nothing more exciting than my grandson’s basement bar,” said Beverly Rouse.
Free food, free drinks, singing after touchdowns–you name it, the Bills Basement Bar probably has it.
“Time to get all of your aggression out,” D’Amico said. “Cheer for the team. Get all your energy out. It’s like therapy.”
D’Amico actually convinced much of his family to join “Bills Mafia” and started this tradition about four years ago.
“The tickets are kind of pricey since they got good and I have kids, so I wanted to build my own place to have everybody over for a game,” D’Amico said. “And it’s just our thing, we do it every week.”
Friends, family, pretty much everyone is invited as long as they root for the Bills.
After Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens, the tradition, for this season, has at least one more week.
“I’ve been a Bills fan through all the tough years, and it’s amazing to finally have a good team,” D’Amico said. “And this basement is my tribute to them.”
The D’Amico’s hoping this train doesn’t stop until the Bills hoist their first Lombardi trophy.
“It would mean the world,” D’Amico said. “I don’t cry often, but I think I would cry.”
“It would mean everything to me,” Rouse said. “It’s gonna mean a lot for my grandson because he’s been waiting for this forever.”