Episode 181 · September 2, 2023
Person-Sized Bison
On a trip, the hosts ask who "Buffalo Bill" was and why the NFL team is the Buffalo Bills.
“He's a person-sized bison. That clears it all up.” (13:46)
Questions
Why are the Buffalo Bills named the Buffalo Bills? (02:25)
Our guess
A play on Buffalo Bill the showman, named in the 1960s, since "Buffalo Bisons" would be redundant.
A play on Buffalo Bill the showman, named in the 1960s, since "Buffalo Bisons" would be redundant.
Reveal the answer
The answer
The name came from a naming contest for Buffalo's All-America Football Conference team (originally the Bison); owner James Burrell liked a writer's comparison of the team to a band of "Buffalo Bills" after William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the showman born in Iowa in 1846 who founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883.
The name came from a naming contest for Buffalo's All-America Football Conference team (originally the Bison); owner James Burrell liked a writer's comparison of the team to a band of "Buffalo Bills" after William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the showman born in Iowa in 1846 who founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883.
Verdict right
Transcript (auto-generated)
[00:00] You got to get into aetherium, bro. You gotta get you some aetherium diversify, you know, I [00:07] Do love the idea [00:11] Jaws if you just had a bro in there [00:16] Hey, man, I think we're gonna need a bigger boat [00:20] I wonder if it's a different movie instead of the salty sea captain [00:24] We do under Google's that was the play of super excited told us we had to [00:44] You said we signed up for it in the end it's gonna be better and more true than Google can give you [00:53] All right [00:55] You want to crack crack open under Google? Sure. I've got it. I got a couple pressing ones. I think from my [01:02] from my time [01:05] With a patreon or previous patreon Mike Morrow [01:10] Is he still doing that? If not, that's a good question. Give him a hard time [01:15] But he had a lot of things to say he had a lot of questions. And so [01:22] Hit you up with one of them [01:24] Cool. Oh [01:27] Okay, I think this is fun and you might know the answer right away. And if you do then [01:32] Then we can move on to his second question [01:35] Which is also fun. So we were we were talking about so we saw some bison [01:42] While we were on our trip to Gatlinburg and we were talking about how we've done and under Google about how Buffalo aren't really a thing [01:51] that they're all misnomers that basically everything's bison and [01:56] We stood to do Rome, right? [01:58] No, they don't and they're not nickels and all of it's a lie Joey. You've been lied to your entire life [02:04] There's no Buffalo [02:07] It's in a song though. Look go back and listen to the episode everything should be bison [02:12] Well, we'll maybe a link to the episode when we post this [02:17] but he then said I [02:20] Which I thought was really interesting was the buffalo bills [02:25] My entire life because their mascot is a buffalo. I thought their mascot was a buffalo [02:31] but [02:33] really, they're [02:34] from Buffalo [02:36] So what the heck is a Buffalo bill? And I said it's a play on [02:43] Buffalo bill that's what I always thought it was I thought it was a play on both because what? [02:50] Like you're not gonna be bills. What are what are bills? What are bills? So bill Buffalo bill [02:57] was a [02:59] use a [03:00] Sharpshooter out in like, right Oklahoma [03:04] Like what does that have to do with Buffalo? [03:08] I think Oklahoma. I think Thunder, you know [03:11] Also, wasn't that the bad guy in Silence of Lambs? [03:16] Yeah [03:17] Like what's going on here? [03:19] Well, what do you want us to tackle who was Buffalo bill or why are the Buffalo bills named Buffalo bills both? [03:25] okay, Buffalo bill was like a [03:28] if I remember correct a [03:31] showman [03:32] Fencing himself to be of the Wild West and they would do you know your shows [03:38] shows yeah, where there was like fancy special shooting or like lassoing things and [03:45] Generally, it was like a [03:47] Hee-haw, but with less singing and more shooting [03:51] Right and any Oakley was a part of this is right [03:56] Yep, I don't ever may have been part of the Buffalo bill show. Okay, I think at some point [04:05] Why the Buffalo bills are the Buffalo bills I have no idea [04:09] I other than that it's a play on Buffalo bill [04:12] But do you agree with him or because when he said I immediately thought the same thing [04:16] I always thought the Buffaloes were the mascot [04:20] And so the Buffaloes are the mascot [04:22] Right, but like then why do you call yourself the Buffalo bills instead of the Buffalo Buffaloes? [04:27] Good question. This is my this is his [04:34] Yeah, I don't know I [04:36] Have I I really have no theory right now. I think Buffalo Buffaloes just sounds terrible. It is a coherent phrase according to Jason [04:46] Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo [04:49] Yeah, yeah. No, it's you can go even further. It's like I think you can have string together [04:54] Six or eight straight Buffaloes. That's a [04:58] real sentence [05:00] Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo [05:05] Okay, or why not just be the Buffaloes [05:10] It's probably not allowed when did the Buffalo bills come into existence [05:16] The NFL franchise, okay, so it's 70s. Yeah [05:21] Yeah, yeah, I don't think they were like original NFL [05:27] I would you know what? I might say even the six. Okay, let's give them a 60s. Sure [05:31] Let's say the Buffalo Bills came around in the 60s [05:34] Buffalo bill the character is what 18? [05:39] What good question, I would say late 19th century early 20th, so you're saying [05:46] In 1890s to 1910 ish, okay [05:52] I was gonna go a little earlier, but that's that that works for me [05:56] Didn't they lose four straight Super Bowls? They did. Yeah [06:00] Alternate that what like what else could a bill be? [06:05] Well, uh money [06:07] Sure, um duck duck bills an act of congress. Oh, there you go [06:14] Well [06:15] That's boring [06:17] Yep [06:18] Also, I don't think about Buffalo with that [06:21] a uh [06:23] Listing of the the the players in a play. Oh excellent a playbill [06:28] Do you think it's a I was thinking like a electric bill, you know [06:33] Well, yeah, it could be so you'd be charged for something [06:36] That's a bummer. It's just like a bummer [06:38] A [06:40] Buffalo bummer, I guess, you know [06:41] You you can take pride that you're you're paying a fair price for goods and services that you you've been provided to you [06:49] I guess well, okay. So I guess the question would be if buffalo bill [06:54] Is something that buffalo is claiming [06:57] Was buffalo bill actually attached to buffalo the city or was he more attached to out west with the? [07:03] Buffaloes, which we know now are bison [07:07] um [07:08] And then why would they claim him as their own? [07:11] Maybe the [07:13] The mascot is a bison [07:15] Because they know what's up [07:18] It's bison name [07:21] Bill [07:22] Oh, sure. Sure. We just named the bison bill [07:27] But they say the buffalo bills [07:29] Yeah, it's plural [07:31] Maybe there's a couple maybe is bill [07:33] Uh, you know how there are terms for uh, male and female [07:40] Of different species like a doe and a stag yeah for deer is bill [07:47] Like the the male version of a buffalo [07:50] Sure, the buffalo bills [07:52] Or the female like a heifer maybe they're very progressive and they were like way ahead of their time [07:56] They're like we're gonna be though [07:58] Or yeah, we were like, hey look, we don't want to identify your gender. You just decide on your own [08:03] We're just gonna be like, you know your bill that doesn't come up when I see buffalo in the news though [08:10] So, um, I like playbill somehow [08:15] Um [08:16] I just don't understand what else bills would be the bill of a of a cap [08:21] You know like a duck bill [08:25] Maybe the bison's name is william. Maybe they wanted to create a hybrid animal a half duck half [08:33] Bison so it's like a platypus but bigger [08:37] Yes [08:40] What is it yeah, okay, so here's the real question why aren't they the buffalo platypi? [08:46] pusses [08:47] platypuses [08:49] Because they don't they don't live there [08:51] Before I look this up. So to get back to your question about buffalo bill and whether or not buffalo the city could claim him [08:58] my [08:59] recollection of buffalo bill is that he was [09:04] Not necessarily a frontiersman but a [09:08] actor [09:10] Actor. Yes that may have come from like the east right and just played up the western [09:16] side of his [09:18] That could be confusing him. No, no, I I'm fine with that. I like that [09:23] So perhaps he came from buffalo and so they are that was their homage to him [09:29] But why so in the 1960s they were like, yeah buffalo bill everybody's heard of that [09:35] Well back then people sure [09:38] It was it was 100 year anniversary of [09:41] His death or something [09:43] I'm like, let's give it to buffalo bill [09:46] Let's go with that [09:49] He died in 1865 and in 1965. They named it after him. All right. Well that we're incorrect. So buffalo bill [09:57] Uh [09:58] Was a soldier a bison hunter and showman born in leclair. Iowa [10:06] Before it was the state even and he grew up in ontario [10:11] Canada mississauga and then settled in the kansas territory [10:17] he [10:19] Started working at the age of 11 after his father's death and became a writer for the pony express at age 15 [10:25] He was here for the union in the american civil war [10:30] And was a scout for the army during the indian wars [10:34] His legend began to spread when he was 23 [10:38] Shortly thereafter he performed in shows [10:43] That displayed cowboy themes [10:47] He founded buffalo bills wild west in 1883 [10:52] Taking his large company on tours in the united states beginning in 1887 [11:01] Okay, no, no, so 1883 started in the u.s. And in 1887 expanded to euro [11:08] Was amy oakley a part of that we don't know. Yes. Yes [11:13] So here here's what i've got on the uh, the buffalo bills [11:18] So, uh, the team [11:21] Was named after buffalo bill cody [11:27] The name buffalo bills was chosen during a naming contest for buffalo's all-american football conference team [11:34] The squad the squad was originally named the bison [11:38] So it would have been the buffalo bison, which was redundant. And so the owner wanted to switch things up [11:45] Uh, james f dyson wrote an essay comparing the team to a band of buffalo bills [11:53] And uh, the owner james burrell [11:57] Um, love the connection to the american frontier legend [12:01] So you were right? [12:03] I don't think I was right on anything, but you were right on the you you said it was named after buffalo [12:09] What are you talking about that's exactly what [12:11] You had the timeline and all that stuff with with the buffalo bill. That's just that's insane [12:15] I think the buffalo bison's a way better name [12:19] It's not redundant. We know that buffaloes aren't real bisons are the only real thing. So [12:25] Well, i've got the thing that I think is probably most important here [12:29] What's that? I was I was right about this [12:32] The mascot his name is billy. It's william billy the buffalo nice [12:38] You got to give the the long-form name [12:41] And he is eight foot tall and on instead of numbers. He has a bb [12:47] billy buffalo [12:50] So is he does he stand up or is he eight foot tall like a [12:56] Like a horse's back like what what do you call hands babe the blue ox? Yeah. Oh, we [13:01] I mean it's a [13:03] It's not a real buffalo. It's a [13:05] Person in a suit Joey. There's no such thing as a real buffalo [13:09] Uh, is it is it a bison? I said, I said, it's not a real buffalo [13:15] But there's no thing [13:17] Okay, you can't it's not that it's like there's no it's like it's not a real ghost, you know, like whatever [13:25] Right, no one's claiming it's a real ghost john because those those aren't real my point [13:31] So billy buffalo is eight foot tall [13:35] Is he a standing man in an eight foot costume or is he a bison sized person? [13:42] He's a person sized bison [13:46] That that clears it all up I think [13:53] Excellent, you're welcome. Like mario. We'll get this out to you in three or four months [14:00] Keep that money flowing in [14:03] All right team. I think wrap this up. Yeah. Yeah, I think we uh [14:09] I think we we did a lot of good work here [14:12] We will be back with you. I'm sorry. I just had to interrupt [14:15] Um, I want to uh, Jason says we gotta wrap this up. I want to pee. I think we should just end that [14:21] the show every week [14:24] I'll let you make that choice i'll do the outro and uh [14:28] You know if you don't love this outro, you can just do a cold cold clothes [14:33] And then you can you can put a you can probably find a bathroom flush [14:37] Just [14:42] The other thing that i've decided i'm gonna start saying is [14:44] Um, i've started this with my boss and i'm just i'm going with this with everybody [14:49] um [14:50] All right, take care go have sex with your wife [14:53] That's how i'm just gonna say goodbye to people now [14:55] Whether or not they're married. I mean, yeah, just go go have yourself some sex [15:00] I don't know. Okay [15:03] So, so I think we should end it and I gotta pee cool go have sex with your wife [15:08] That's that what she just did every episode now [15:11] All that's in there you can spice it together [15:13] We just cut out the singing and all the stuff it just was [15:19] But I will say that you can find us on twitter we are at undebeatables we're on facebook [15:24] Dot com slash the in the beatables [15:27] Our website is the end of beatables.com. There's also a contact form there [15:31] You can use that to send us a message email shout out at the end of beatables [15:36] Dot com and the website slash store [15:40] for a small t-shirt [15:43] For a once and always coach [15:45] Obviously Leonard [15:46] Now in the hall of fame [15:50] Let's get out of here. I go pee [15:56] All right, go have sex with your wife. See you later [16:04] Party's over [16:05] Nailed it Joey Joey's flatter. Yes [16:13] I don't [16:15] Nothing that's supposed to happen is happening. It's all fine. It's an instant classic