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Building a new stadium for the Bills is a sticky issue. On one hand who knows if the new owners (after RWJr dies) will have any connections to the area or any desire to keep the team in WNY .... on the other I can guarantee that no matter who buys the team they are going to want a new stadium built before they even consider keeping the team here.
I personally agree that a new stadium should be built downtown. It would be the center piece of downtown revitalization & has been shown to work in many other cities over the last 10-15 years. The problem is that without significant public & government funding a new stadium isn't going to happen. No owner is going to foot the bill on a stadium in Buffalo when they can go to LA or Toronto and have the public pay for the majority of the bill. That being said I get the feeling that Buffalo is no longer the "football town" it once was & is currently more of a "hockey town" so losing the Bills wont sting quite as much as it would have a decade ago....... 10+ years of losing & constant rumors of the team leaving will do that to a city. It also hasn't helped them that The Ralph's atmosphere is closer to a frat party/biker rally than a family friendly place. I would never even consider taking my daughters to a Bills game. If/when the Bills leave some will miss them but no one will be shocked ... life will go on.
In the decade I've been away I've noticed too that Buffalo is now more of a hockey town. We should do everything possible to hold onto the Sabres (though with the new owner that hardly seems a concern) and let the Bills go. The area just doesn't have the financial muscle to shoulder an NFL team anymore.
In the decade I've been away I've noticed too that Buffalo is now more of a hockey town. We should do everything possible to hold onto the Sabres (though with the new owner that hardly seems a concern) and let the Bills go. The area just doesn't have the financial muscle to shoulder an NFL team anymore.
The area has become a hockey town because the Bills have sucked for over a decade.
I guarantee you this: The Bills start making the playoffs regularly again, Buffalo becomes a football town again.
Simple as that.
Of course we need to actually HAVE an NFL season to see about all of this
In the decade I've been away I've noticed too that Buffalo is now more of a hockey town. We should do everything possible to hold onto the Sabres (though with the new owner that hardly seems a concern) and let the Bills go. The area just doesn't have the financial muscle to shoulder an NFL team anymore.
I think people under 40 are bigger hockey fans, and people over 40 tend to be bigger football fans. (Not that they don't like the other team/sport.) Look at the ages of what people wear out in terms of team gear and what they seem to talk more passionately about. It doesn't help that Ralph Wilson doesn't seem to care about his team, makes himself disclosed from the media and fans, and seems willing to pocket any money he can. Why hasn't he sold the naming rights to the stadium? If Erie County owns it, why shouldn't they be able to sell the rights of Ralph Wilson Stadium (Talk about ego) to help cover the ongoing costs of the stadium improvements and maintenance?
The issue of a new stadium won't address what the Bills and the market lacks. Corporate and high-earning dollars that other big markets have. It's about the luxury suites and seats (since, as of the last CBA, didn't have to be shared). I don't see a new stadium generating much of an increase in terms of those things and overall revenue. Also, being in a market like LA would greatly increase the bottom line of the line. The TV deal would likely increase substantially alone based on a team in the LA market. It's been rumored that Ralph Wilson Jr. and Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) are the two NFL owners who are causing some conflict in the current CBA discussions.
Finally, a new owner or ownership group, unless they pay the whole purchase price in cash, will have to generate enough revenue to cover their loans. I believe Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings, has had loan problems.
I'm not saying they it won't work, but Buffalo and the Bills are a sitting duck.
The area has become a hockey town because the Bills have sucked for over a decade.
I guarantee you this: The Bills start making the playoffs regularly again, Buffalo becomes a football town again.
Simple as that.
Of course we need to actually HAVE an NFL season to see about all of this
That's certainly part of it but its not all of it. During the time the Bills have been down the Sabres players have become part of the community, many live here year round & contribute to the area. Former Sabres stay here after their playing days. On the other side of the coin many Bills players act like they are serving a prison sentence when they come to town & can't seem to leave fast enough once the season is over. Buffalo consistently puts up the best NHL TV ratings in the US (even for non Sabre games). Its now a hockey town (maybe The Hockey Town in the US) and with an owner that is now willing to spend some money the bond between the team & community is only going to get stronger.
I seriously doubt the Bills make the playoffs again under Ralph Wilson Jr's ownership. Recent drafts have been pathetic ... bust after bust after bust and he has no desire to put any money into the team for quality free agents & you're just not winning in the AFC East with a bunch of marginal players.
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The issue of a new stadium won't address what the Bills and the market lacks. Corporate and high-earning dollars that other big markets have. It's about the luxury suites and seats (since, as of the last CBA, didn't have to be shared). I don't see a new stadium generating much of an increase in terms of those things and overall revenue. Also, being in a market like LA would greatly increase the bottom line of the line. The TV deal would likely increase substantially alone based on a team in the LA market. It's been rumored that Ralph Wilson Jr. and Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) are the two NFL owners who are causing some conflict in the current CBA discussions.
I don't think we have to worry about LA. Last week they came out & said they are interested in/contacted 5 teams about relocation & none of them were the Bills. The group in LA wants to buy a team now not sit around & play a waiting game (for Ralph to die) & then enter a bidding war ....... they have several options currently available to them (San Diego - new stadium deal turned down by city, Jacksonville - terrible crowds for years & home games always blacked out, St Louis - another stadium issue & owners have been trying to sell team for at least 2 years, Oakland - Al Davis will bolt back to LA ASAP if they promise him a new stadium as Oakland continually turns him down & even Minnesota if they don't get a new stadium approved very soon). There has been some speculation that Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins owner & East Aurora resident) would be very interested in buying the Bills ... same with the Sabres new owner Terry Pegula, IMO those would be the 2 best case scenarios for the Bills long term future in WNY.
Last edited by jblake78728; 06-20-2011 at 01:19 PM..
I don't think we have to worry about LA. Last week they came out & said they are interested in/contacted 5 teams about relocation & none of them were the Bills. The group in LA wants to buy a team not not sit around & play a waiting game for Ralph to die & then enter a bidding war ....... and they have several options currently available to them (San Diego, Jacksonville, St Louis, Oakland & even Minnesota if they don't get a new stadium approved very soon). There has been some speculation that Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins owner & East Aurora resident) would be very interested in buying the Bills ... same with the Sabres new owner Terry Pegula, IMO those would be the 2 best case scenarios for the Bills long term future in WNY.
There has been talk about trying to get two teams in L.A down the line.
Yikes...Jeremy Jacobs? Ralph Wilson 2.
I haven't heard Terry mention anything about buying the Bills. The media has asked him, but he's never declared anything about it. He doesn't strike me as a big football fan in terms of wanting to buy one enough. People seem to expect him to be some white knight on a horse to save the city. I feel bad for him really. He's just a big hockey and Sabres fan who bought his favorite team.
The wildcard will be Toronto. Rogers wants the Bills. The new mayor of Toronto just came about wanting to get a team in Toronto. And to expand on your previous comment about the fan base here, taking regular season games to Toronto hasn't help keep the fans here on-board.
Jeremy Jacobs wouldn't be Ralph Wilson 2 ... first of all his group would own the team not just him & secondly they have been more than willing to pour money into the Bruins so why wouldn't they do the same with the Bills?
Toronto is definitely the wildcard & the "Toronto Series" has been a fail everywhere but Ralph's bank account.
Jeremy Jacobs wouldn't be Ralph Wilson 2 ... first of all his group would own the team not just him & secondly they have been more than willing to pour money into the Bruins so why wouldn't they do the same with the Bills?
Toronto is definitely the wildcard & the "Toronto Series" has been a fail everywhere but Ralph's bank account.
Might want to talk to Bruins fans about Jacobs. He's certainly isn't popular.
Yikes this thread is dead. Thanks. I tried to bring in a fresh idea that's worked in other places and the topic is brought back to the good ole' Bills. And State government. Even me pointing it out didn't do anything.
Maybe I should have titled it differently - but I wanted people to be drawn in to read it.
Oh well. Maybe I'll check back on this a week if I ever feel like coming back to this site ever again.
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