Behind enemy lines: NFL fans find their people in Boston
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Bills diehards gather at the Harp to watch Monday Night Football with their Buffalo brethren. Photo: Mike Deehan/Axios
Any given Sunday afternoon in Boston, the sports bar you stumble into will probably have the Pats game on — but there's a chance it'll be full of Jets jerseys, maniac Eagles fans or worse.
Why it matters: Boston, a city seemingly built on its own teams, hosts a network of bars and meetups where out-of-town fans gather every NFL Sunday.
Zoom out: New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have similar scenes, where a large population of transient students and professionals find each other to root for their hometown teams.
- But in Boston, that makes for a combustible combination: a larger number of organized rival fan clubs strewn around otherwise innocent-looking bars.
By the numbers: Boston's huge academic population drives the demand for non-Patriots viewing locations.
- 162,458 students enrolled at Boston higher education institutions in fall 2024.
- Nearly 99,000 college-educated adults moved to Greater Boston in 2023, ninth among major metros.
State of play: There are other NFL gathering spots across town:
- Packers: The Banshee, Dorchester
- Eagles: Scores, West End
- Ravens: Causeway Restaurant & Bar, West End
- Bears: The Point, downtown
- Steelers: Warehouse, Financial District
- Vikings: 730 Tavern, Cambridge
- Jets: Tap 151, Cambridge
- Bills: The Harp, West End
- Seahawks: Alma Cantina, downtown
The big picture: Perhaps no fandom needs a little support and camaraderie more than that of the long-suffering Buffalo Bills.
- The Bills Backers of Boston began decades ago at The Fours and later moved to The Harp, both classic sports bars near TD Garden.
What they're saying: Erik Wallin, a New York native and administrator of the group, told Axios Boston that when Buffalo and New England play at the same time, there's little doubt which game gets priority at The Harp.
- "Most of the screens here will have the Bills game on," he said Monday night before the Bills beat the Vikings in prime time.
Yes, but: Patriots fans aren't shut out, even when The Harp is full of Bills fans.
- "We have a few folks who come to every game here who are Patriots fans, and they've been coming here for years," Wallin said.
What's next: The Bills Backers raise money for The Children's Room and plan a fundraiser for Sunday's Bills-Jets game.