Bills fan Jeff Toy is taking some of the game day spirit to the Paris Olympics.
Toy's patriotic outfits and giant cardboard cutouts of Team USA athletes make him hard to miss on the streets of the French capital, where he has been supporting Team USA since the opening ceremony. Attendees might spot him cheering on gymnasts, or watching beach volleyball wearing a straw hat with a stuffed bald eagle perched on top.
As a Bills season-ticket holder, Toy says he approaches his role as a Team USA fan like he would a Bills game - by donning team colors and making some noise.
His star-spangled looks have garnered a fair amount of media attention, but for Toy his head-turning outfits are a way to form connections with other games-goers, with many stopping him to take a selfie or just to say hello.
“I dress like that and it’s an ice-breaker. I like meeting people that are passionate about the same things that I am, especially people that you meet from all around the world,” Toy said. “I want people to come up, I want them to tell their story to me.”
Before Paris, Toy showed up in support of Team USA in Rio 2016 and London 2012. He’s secured tickets to see 14 events in Paris this year, including gymnastics, beach volleyball, BMX, and archery. So what makes him such an Olympics nut?
“You see all these obscure sports that you don’t hear about that often… and now I get to learn about it as well and get to see people who are truly amazing at it shine.”
Toy’s passion comes with a price-tag - he estimates that he paid between $200 to $700 a ticket depending on the event. But he says meeting new people while witnessing athletes at their best is worth it.
And when his new acquaintances find out he’s a Bills fan?
“The amount of times we get asked if we’re jumping through tables today is too many.”
