Two weeks ago in the CFL Eastern Division final, the Toronto Argonauts tried to distance themselves from Ford. But he showed up at the Argos-Hamilton Ticats game anyway.

At the Bills game, Ford was treated like a rock star.

"I want to shake your hand. You're the best, buddy," one man said approaching the mayor.

Ford said little, just nodded and smiled.

"He's a man of the people," one man said after getting a photo with Ford.

Asked if he's a Rob Ford fan, Mays shook his head, "I'm a Bills fan."

Mays didn't even think about asking the mayor to move. He suspects Ford's seat was toward the middle of the row, not on the aisle.

"I didn't say anything to him. I'm a passive guy, so I'd rather get it out via a tweet."

Mays tweeted that Ford was in his assigned seat and the tweet went viral.

From behind Ford, a man shouted, "Hey Rob, time to get the Bills in Toronto for good."

Ford turned his head and responded, "I'm working on it."

There was little time for Ford to watch the game because there were so many interruptions. As it progressed, the situation became a security nightmare.

A woman said she was denied a photo with the mayor because he said, "I'm going to do something at halftime."

The Rogers security guard said almost everyone was pleasant with the mayor.

"One person yelled out, 'You're a loser,' but that was it," said the guard, named David.

Between photos, Ford drank from a tall Blue Jay bottle with a straw. When a beer hawker came around, Ford looked the other way.

All around him, fans hoisted beers and shouted their approval of the mayor.

Most fans were polite.

With two minutes to go in the half, Ford rose and climbed the steps to the concession area.

At the top of the stairs were two Toronto police officers to keep the area safe.

Ford stood near the VIP concession area and began posing with people. Suddenly, madness ensued as he started getting more and more requests for photos.

People were six or seven rows deep, raising cameras above their heads to catch a photo or video.

As the situation threatened to escalate, security people scrambled to find out how to respond.

"He's feeding off this," said 28-year-old Charlotte Hargreaves of Toronto, referring to the global media attention.

"It's ridiculous that this has gone on so long, that the media are taking this to this level."

As many as 100 people were pushing and shoving to get close to the mayor. One woman who posed with Ford gave him a kiss on the cheek.

One man walking with a little boy couldn't get through and shook his head in disgust.

Asked if this was a security issue, a man with an earpiece in his ear, looked back and said, "Yeah it is."

Two male fans began shouting names at each other and almost came to blows.

While Ford kept posing, three or four security people and police could be seen discussing the situation several paces away.

As the second half was about to begin, calmness was restored when Ford was escorted by police and security to a side exit.

Behind closed doors, with security blocking media and fans, Ford could be seen quietly speaking with security.

A few moments later, he got into the elevators.

"He's gone," a security guard said to the fans. "And he's not coming back."

That's when Mays returned to his original seat.

"I wasn't mad," he said. "I thought it was entertaining."

Torstar News Service