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The Buffalo Bills get the same "freebies" and it's real money too. I'm not a fan of taxpayer subsidized sports teams. I'm still wondering about all of the establishments who are at the edge of closing due to the loss of 7 weeks a year. Pretell, please. What businesses will die off because 7 weeks wouldn't happen? What businesses?
It costs taxpayers 817,000 dollars per game so that's like what? 7 to 7.5 million something or another.
As a side note I am extremely disappointed with Chris Collins stance on this issue. He ran on the platform of a fiscal republican but when it comes to the Bills he buckled so fast not wanting to be unpopular. While he's giving the Bills whatever they want others like the BPO, Zoo, Albright, have been pressured to have appointed reps, by Collins, injected onto their boards. But no such stings attached for the Bills.
The Bills attract 70,000+ fans per game... I love the zoo's, gallery's, etc. but... the majority of the home games are Sold Out. Thats some good math!
Stop and think why they are sold out... because the Bills have to lower their damn ticket prices. That is the ONLY reason why they sell out. That's not good math for taxpayers that's for sure. In 2010 the cost of each game will rise to 900,000 dollars a game while they play LESS home games as they are shipped off to Toronto. I don't even want to know what it will be raised year and year.
The zoos, gallerys, etc as you say don't ask for nearly as much and the benefit to having them around is much more than the bills. I dare anyone to try and explain why that hypocrite Collins doesn't put the same strings on the Bills but has no problems with everything else.
It's great that you are passionate about the Buffalo Bills, but we are getting to the point where we can't afford to have them any longer. The money could be better spend or even better not spent at all.
NFL is a money sucker. The economic spin off of having a franchise is becoming a total myth,especially in Buffalo. It's all about quality of life issues for having the Bills.
If the Bills were to leave the population would drop at a higher rate than it currently is & it would kill any chance of future growth. Having pro sports franchises allows Buffalo to keep a status that it wouldn't have otherwise, it keeps Buffalo on the map, so to speak. Losing these teams would turn Buffalo into Flint, Michigan or Toledo, Ohio ........ which some people might be ok with but many will not (and they will relocate).
Realistically speaking, the Bills aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The laws that were put into place by the league after Al Davis decided he wanted to move the Raiders up & down the California coast make it very hard for an owner to relocate a franchise & the recent court ruling in Phoenix regarding the bankruptcy, possible sale & attempted relocation of the NHL's Coyotes set a precedent that the courts will back up the league wishes over that of the team owners. What will most likely happen is that after Ralph passes & his family sells the team a new owner will come in & at some point try to get a new stadium on a ballot. If it passes then the team stays ..... if it doesn't then he will continually field sub par teams (while planting relocation rumors) in hopes that the fan interest wains so he can eventually go to the league & get permission to relocate (like Bud Adams did when he wanted to move from Houston to Nashville).
If the Bills cost the tax payer $7.35 mill a year, the Erie county budget from 2005 (best I could find) was $960 mill. I assume the $7.35 mill a year is the expense after operating costs, salaries and tickets were factored in.
Rounding up thats only 1% of the budget. If the Bills did in fact leave, what would be loss of moral for the city, and how many more people would leave? Maybe they don't win very many games, but isn't it still something for people to know Buffalo for?
It costs taxpayers 817,000 dollars per game so that's like what? 7 to 7.5 million something or another.
As a side note I am extremely disappointed with Chris Collins stance on this issue. He ran on the platform of a fiscal republican but when it comes to the Bills he buckled so fast not wanting to be unpopular. While he's giving the Bills whatever they want others like the BPO, Zoo, Albright, have been pressured to have appointed reps, by Collins, injected onto their boards. But no such stings attached for the Bills.
You didn't say how much business loss there would be if the Buffalo Bills didn't play 7 games a year. What loss of business? You are the one who said establishments, why can't you be to say which ones are on the verge of closing if the Buffalo Bills left. You answer my question, then I will answer yours.
Come on, T&C preached about freebies, is the buffalo Bills & their subsidy not a freebie? If it's budgeted into the County budget, it's what we are paying for. In such hard economic times (if there really is) then the budgeting to an entertainment sports team should have been first to be cut. A 1% return to the taxpayers is better than increased taxes to keep the losing football team here. Don't you think?
If the Bills were to leave the population would drop at a higher rate than it currently is & it would kill any chance of future growth.
Do you really believe that? Only season ticket holders believe that. Only tailgaters would cry in their beer at 7 am on a Sunday morning in November if they are told something as crazy.
You didn't say how much business loss there would be if the Buffalo Bills didn't play 7 games a year. What loss of business? You are the one who said establishments, why can't you be to say which ones are on the verge of closing if the Buffalo Bills left. You answer my question, then I will answer yours.
If you don't believe that losing a team full of millionaire football players (not to mention all the highly paid coaching staff & team executives) as half year residents (and some as full year) wouldn't hurt the economy you need to go back & retake a high school level economics class.
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Only season ticket holders believe that. Only tailgaters would cry in their beer at 7 am on a Sunday morning in November if they are told something as crazy.
