With a little hard work and dedication, there is nothing you can’t have in life. And a kid in New York learned that lesson after he raised money to buy season tickets for his favorite team—the Buffalo Bills.
Leo Schult, a 5th grader from Elmwood Village, NY, might just be the Buffalo Bill’s biggest fan. When he was eight, his grandfather bought him a book about Pancho Billa, who was a world-famous Bills superfan.
Ezra “Pancho Billa” Castro showed up at Highmark Stadium for almost every game. He wore a signature sombrero, luchador mask, and pancho. The 39-year-old Dallas area man supported the team so much that they invited him to announce a Buffalo Bills pick at the 2018 draft. While he was on stage, he told the crowd that he was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. Despite his diagnosis, he still showed up for the Bills until he passed in May of 2019.
Ezra Castro’s story inspired Leo to follow in Pancho’s footsteps. So if there’s a game on, you can bet that he’s decked out in red and blue cheering on the team.
“Whenever the Bills score a touchdown, I grab this homemade flag,” Leo told WKBW News. “I run up and down the street waving the flag in the air.”
So, like any hardcore fan, Leo wanted to buy season tickets so he could root for the Bills in person. The only problem was that the tickets would cost him $3,000. That’s a lot of dough for anyone—especially a grade-schooler. But the kid had a dream, and he was gonna find a way to live it. His first idea was to ask his parents how he could raise the money before the Buffalo Bills met the Steelers in week one.
Buffalo Bills Fan Leo Schult Works His Way To Season Tickets
“If you really, really want to go that badly, start to earn some money, and then we’ll talk again,” responded his father. And that’s just what Leo Schult did.
For months he found ways to scrape together the cash. He did chores, sold 50/50 raffle tickets, and even had a garage sale. He cleaned out his closet and sold his clothes and toys on his parents’ front lawn. And by September, he had earned enough money to buy himself the season tickets. His first game was today. But unfortunately, he didn’t get to see a win. But that’s ok, a true superfan knows their team can’t win them all.
The Buffalo Bills played a strong first half and walked off the field at halftime with a 10-0 lead. But the Steelers rallied with 20 straight points during the second half. The final score was Buffalo Bills 16, Pitsburg Steelers 23.
