Buffalo Bills: Snowmobiles free stranded NFL stars after snowfall
Sometimes supporters use planes, trains and automobiles to get to a game, but have they ever tried snowmobiles?
American NFL side the Buffalo Bills have done just that after several of their players were trapped in their own homes when a deluge of snow hit the state.
As much as 2.4m (8ft) of snow has settled in three days - the same volume that would be expected in a year - and not even players used to smashing their way through tackles can make head way.
When the NFL moved the Bills' Sunday fixture against the New York Jets in their own Ralph Wilson Stadium to Detroit on Monday, fans would have expected to at least see some action on TV.
But what if their side had no players? Moving a fixture is one thing, but not even the muscle-clad NFL stars could dig themselves out of the white stuff.
"The first time I opened the door I thought 'this wasn't in the contract'," said running back Anthony Dixon.
The 27-year-old was one of a number of players stranded and while some of his team-mates walked miles to the team bus, Bills' president Bill Brandon estimated 85% needed rescuing with snowmobiles.
"Some of the guys have been in apartment complexes that are not ploughed in any shape or form. It's very difficult to get out," said Brandon.
Players accessed buses on safe roads from the snowmobiles, before flying around 255 miles to Detroit.
"It's been pretty hectic... it's something you never think you'll be a part of," said defensive lineman Jerry Hughes.
The snowstorm, which has battered western New York state, has been blamed for at least 13 deaths in western New York.
State governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency and a driving ban has been put in place for some areas.
However the snowfall is subsiding, forecasters say, but there is now a threat of flooding from rain over the weekend as the snow melts.
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