Kim Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Bills: abandoned as a child on the streets of Seoul, today she goes to glory in the NFL

He soccer It has movie lots. But also lives that seem to have been written by some Hollywood creative. One of them could tell the story of Kim Pegulathe owner of the Buffalo billsone of the most popular teams in the NFL who is in the running to get first superbowl of its history.

On the weekend when the Division rounds of the season, with four big games that will determine the two finalists of each conference, the Bills led by the quarterback Josh Allen The reigning champions are waiting, i Kansas City Chiefs From Patrick Mahomesa clash full of toppings that promises to break every audience measurement record (in Argentina it is broadcast by ESPN and Star+, this Sunday from 8.30pm).

Born in 1959, the Bills quickly became one of the NFL’s most iconic and passionate franchises. Their fans call themselves the Accounting mafia and they have a bizarre (and reckless) ritual before games: they throw themselves from above onto a burning table with the aim of breaking it.

As you read it, but better to watch it on video.

Geography things, even if they are there Giants of New York and the New York jetthe Bills are the only real New York team, as the city of Buffalo It is located in the hinterland of that vast state while the other two teams mentioned play very close to the Big Apple but on the other side of the Hudson River, in New Jersey territory.

There they have Niagara Falls, in their translation the Niagara Falls. And since “falls” also means “falls”, ESPN and its extraordinary cycle “30 for 30” appropriately titled “Four Falls of Buffalo”, the 2015 documentary that recounts a negative series to which it is difficult to find similarities in sport on a general level.

Buffalo is the only team in NFL history to reach four consecutive Super Bowls… but he lost them all. It was between 1991 and 1994, and in the first of four attempts to win their first Vince Lombardi trophy, they had the glory at the feet of Scott Norwood But his kick for a 47-yard field goal sailed wide right and sealed the 19-20 loss to the Giants in Tampa.

Despite the frustration, after that precious first grand final, the Bills returned to town and were greeted with one of those impressive parades where members of the team stand on a stage and speak to thank the crowd for their support.

Amid that fervor, people asked Norwood, who had stepped aside after being harshly criticized for his ruling, to speak. But he was supported by the fans. “I have never felt so loved as I do in this moment” the soulless one finally said kickersin front of the 25 thousand people who chanted his name.

“We want Scott!” It was a rallying cry for the fans until the following season, when, in a very small revenge, a kick from him took them back to the Super Bowl, which meant their second fall, this time against Washington in Minneapolis but by 24-37.

Norwood left the team but the constant remained like karma: in 1993 he finished 17-52 in Pasadena and in 1994 he finished 13-30 in Atlanta, both against dallas Cowboys. They have never been as close as the first time.

But what they were denied by the centimeters may come true this year, and a lot of it will have to do with a twist of fate that happened thousands of kilometers away.

Kim Pegula, the new queen of the Bills

At the beginning of the nineties, while Buffalo was experiencing the happiest and at the same time painful seasons of their history, Kim Pegula I was onto something else. She didn’t even have that last name, it was Kim Kerr. And little did she know that she was about to embark on a love affair that would put her in charge.

It was during that time that he met Terry Pegulaa successful businessman and engineer who emerged from the oil industry, with activities in an infinite number of sectors, and whose fortune today is estimated at 7 billion dollars. They married and she became his right-hand woman.

However, the first turning point in the life of this extraordinary woman had occurred a few decades earlier, on Asian soil.

It was said recently Clarion the story of Henry Ford’s great-granddaughter, who heads the Detroit Lions (still in the postseason, they face the Buccaneers also Sunday). Unlike the heir to the creator of the world’s most popular car, the Bills owner’s family tree is a mystery.

Kim was abandoned when she was little, on a street Seoul, the capital of South Korea. They found her in front of a police station, as the official NFL website recently reconstructed. And she never knew anything about her biological parents, except the information (from DNA banks) that one of them was originally from Japan.

After spending time in an orphanage, she was adopted by a few years later Ralph and Marilyn Kerr, a Canadian couple who needed to move to the United States to complete the process that would allow them to receive it. Have chosen RochesterEdita suburb of New York, the first home where he could feel the love of a family.

She finished school, where she excelled as a cheerleader and in the school band, and couldn’t decide what to do with her studies. She had planned a trip to Alaska that didn’t happen and she ended up working as a waitress at a restaurant in Belfast, New York. where Pegula had dinner.

Everything happened quickly, Kim left the delicatessen and began to show her business skills by working in one of Terry’s companies. They fell in love, got married and had three children, among whom he stands out Jessica Pegulathe famous 29-year-old professional tennis player who became number 3 in the world and today occupies fifth place in the WTA rankings.

Sports are a central part of this family, which also includes the two children from Terry’s first marriage. In 2011 he founded Sports Pegulaa set of businesses linked to the territory which includes, in addition to the Bills, also the Buffalo sabers of the NHLamong other teams.

The Bills were acquired in late 2014, when the team was put up for sale following the death of Ralph Wilson, its founder. Pegula emerged victorious from a real battle that the other side had nothing but Donald Trumpdetermined to get into the NFL now Jon Bon Jovi with the sweet wallet.

The iconic singer was determined to pay whatever he needed and was already planning his move to the city, but the belief began to spread that his intention was to move the team to Toronto. This put a strain on everything and took him out of the fray.. Some time later, Bon Jovi himself discovered that this belief was part of Buffalo (where DJs avoided playing their songs). a dirty countryside orchestrated by the former Republican president.

“I’ll never go back to Buffalo, you’ll never see my face in Buffalo, ever. I’ve wiped it off the map,” Bon Jovi lamented in Britain’s GQ magazine, unable to stomach one of the “most disappointing episodes of my life.” . life.”

In troubled waters, the profit of Terry Pegula, who in addition to being a rich and successful man was part of the local community: put $1.4 billion in cash and remained with the Bills. Today, according to specialized media such as Forbes, its value would be around 3,700 million and in 2028 it would reach 6,000 million. Nothing wrong.

Buying the Bills was another step for the Pegulas in their community work within the city, transforming a forgotten area of ​​Buffalo into what is now called Pegulavillean area of ​​several hectares with training centers, stadiums, restaurants and entertainment complexes.

What money or financial geniuses cannot buy is sporting glory. A debt which in this city as cold as it is flat, of 800 thousand inhabitants, means getting rid of the backpack of those four lost and unforgotten finals.

After taking over as owner, Kim retooled the numbers, made investments, and took two years to start seeing success progress of what he was building within the team.

The bills They returned to the playoffs after a 20-year absenceand in July 2018, the hiring of Josh Allenborn from that year’s draft, it allowed them to have a quarterback they could trust to once again go in search of a Super Bowl, which until now had not been awarded.

To get to the big match on Sunday 11 February in Las Vegas, they will first have to overcome two steps: being narrow favorites against the Chiefs and then beating whoever wins among them. Baltimore Crows AND Houston Texans.

It is clear that the film by Kim Pegula, the South Korean who was born with nothing and today seeks everything, still has several chapters to complete.