TAMPA, Fla. — While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to take on the Eagles in Monday night’s playoff game, fans are also preparing to cheer on their boys.
“Back to back to back to back champions that all I wanted, a home playoff game,” said Matt Algeri.
Algeri is a day one fan, along with their friends, who are all part of the non-profit “What the Bus Really Matters” or WTB.
They will be out at Raymond James Stadium, along with thousands, cheering on the Bucs. They’ll also be wearing their cool new t-shirts saying “Buckle up Playoffs 2023."
“We’re excited,” said Cheryl Stewart.
Stewart is the executive director and founder of WTB. She said she got the idea 18 years ago during one of their big tailgate parties. She said people used to give them money. Instead of pocketing the cash, they started using it for local kids and domestic violence organizations.
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“We call ourselves Robin Hoods,” she said. “We build a fun party with beer in our hands, but people buy-in and help the cause, and we’re just super appreciative of that.”
They’ve raised more than $400,000 over 18 years. The money has been used to help organizations like the One Voice Foundation for kids with cancer, local back-to-school events, domestic violence organizations, and more.
“All of it goes back to our community, the kids in this community,” Stewart said. “That’s what’s just really great, and we do it while cheering on the Bucs.”
Stewart said this was another great year for donations despite this season being a post-Tom Brady season.
“We were kind of expecting a little drop off from the people that maybe went and got season tickets for Brady, not the Bucs,” she said. “But we didn’t suffer from that. That’s a very good thing.”
They raised $40,000 this year, and Monday’s playoff game will help them add to that. They will also be getting a little help from Luke Goedeke’s father, who will join them on Monday.
“He’s a super Superman. The reason he’s coming is because he believes in our charity aspect of this,” said Stewart.
To learn more about the organization and donate, click here.
