It is always a beautiful thing to witness athletes from different sports supporting each other. Sure, their sports may be different. But the hard work that went into making it to the highest level is what connects these athletes who seemingly have no connection to each other. However, sometimes, repping your fellow athlete can lead to some backlash. Especially when they are from a franchise from a different city.

As the Buffalo Bills visited the Chicago Bears for their NFL preseason game, a couple of their players wore the Chicago Sky’s jerseys to give a shout-out to them. Ty Johnson was rocking a Hailey Van Lith jersey, whereas Darrynton Evans wore an Angel Reese jersey. While it was all done in a positive spirit, the Buffalo Bills’ social media post eventually turned into a disaster as the fans were not pleased with this. This discontent among the fans was compounded after the Bills’ game against the Bears ended in a heavy defeat. 

While there were some who reacted positively to the players’ fit before the game, the majority of the crowd was displeased. 

Fans react to the Buffalo Bills’ post with Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith jerseys

“Come on now, we need to rep NYL!” One fan voiced the thoughts of many as the Bills should be representing their home team, the New York Liberty, instead of a rival team. Sure, the Liberty and Sky are at opposite ends of the league table, but they are rivals nonetheless. Especially at a time when the playoffs are around the corner and the Liberty is trying to achieve the rare feat of repeating, they need all the support and push behind them to carry into the playoffs. 

Yet another fan echoed a similar sentiment, saying, “No love for the liberty? Lol or any other NY team?” Demanding that the Bills’ loyalty stay with the teams from the New York Area. The Bills also faced a lot of trolling and jokes due to their post before the game as well. 

A fan commented, “And then they went out there and got embarrassed lmaoooo.” The fan certainly pointed out the Buffalo Bills’ embarrassing loss against the Chicago Bears. In the preseason game, the Bills laid an egg and lost in a 38-0 thrashing. Another fan trolled them with an ironic comparison to the Chicago Sky. 

Even before the Buffalo Bills lost the game, a fan jokingly foretold their fate in tonight’s game. “Oh god we’re gonna throw bricks tonight, aren’t we?” This was the prediction of a fan who can now certainly claim that they knew it all along. After the game was done, fans came in strong to suggest that just like wearing their jerseys, the Bills also played like the Chicago Sky.

“Played like em too,” said a fan, drawing a comparison between the Bills’ loss and the Chicago Sky’s season. The Chicago Sky have struggled immensely this year. After Angel Reese’s rookie year and the addition of 2025 draft pick Hailey Van Lith, hopes were high for this season. However, the season has been a major letdown. As of now, they have won just 8 games and are sitting second-last on the table. 

With the talented roster the Buffalo Bills have, including last season’s MVP Josh Allen, the Bills would certainly hope that despite all the trolls and jokes, their season does not go the route of the Chicago Sky. With Angel Reese also missing extended time owing to a back injury, what little hope they had of sneaking into the playoffs has also vanished. 

Angel Reese is very close to a comeback. It is certainly too late for the Chicago Sky. The best they can do for the rest of their season is to build some chemistry for the next year. And of course, Angel can go ahead and try to break her own record of most consecutive games with a double-double.