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Here is a good video about why the Bills are still in Buffalo, which mentions some of the things I previously stated as to how the team could stay in the area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARqU...FsbCBueQ%3D%3D
This topic has been discussed to death on here and needs no further comment. The Bills are staying indefinitely and that is great for the area.
Just a short history. There was nothing about moving.
They did gloss over a point, which I don't remember the year, but it was the first renovation of the Ralph. The price tag was about $120 million. There was a hard press to "regionalize", to get approval for the money. I remember they were practically begging Rochester to get on board. Rochester responded by filling more corporate suites than Buffalo area companies. I think at that time they were most vulnerable to move, if Ralph Wilson passed. I do remember the community was always on edge back then.
So it was history showing how as Buffalo shrank, they reached out to Canada and the rest of upstate to support the team. The title could also have been why do the Buffalo Bills still exist.
They basically exist because the area was vibrant in 1960. I remember the booming downtown. We started a business in the 1950's downtown. We closed it the 1990's as it was hemorrhaging money. I remember we has a promotion where we gave away Bills tickets with a small purchase. We bought 100 tickets anticipating a huge response. We gave away about 30 or so and the rest we gave to the employees. Between the expensive parking and exodus of businesses, our business died. If it wasn't for the courts there would be no downtown.
This topic has been discussed to death on here and needs no further comment. The Bills are staying indefinitely and that is great for the area.
I posted it so others can hear another perspective than those that are usually on here. It didn’t have anything to do with moving, but it is for people that wonder how Buffalo can still have an NFL team or view it as a “small†market based upon metro/combined statistical area population or media market population. Especially given how the team probably has one of the highest populations within a couple of hours of the stadium in the league.
Just a short history. There was nothing about moving.
They did gloss over a point, which I don't remember the year, but it was the first renovation of the Ralph. The price tag was about $120 million. There was a hard press to "regionalize", to get approval for the money. I remember they were practically begging Rochester to get on board. Rochester responded by filling more corporate suites than Buffalo area companies. I think at that time they were most vulnerable to move, if Ralph Wilson passed. I do remember the community was always on edge back then.
So it was history showing how as Buffalo shrank, they reached out to Canada and the rest of upstate to support the team. The title could also have been why do the Buffalo Bills still exist.
That was the point, but that regionalization has always been there and is the thing with NFL teams. An example of this is if you go back to view an early logo for the Kansas City Chiefs, it shows a caricature of a Native Chief with the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas due to KC’s location and proximity to portions of those states: https://logos-world.net/wp-content/u...go-History.jpg
So, this goes to show that regionalization of pro football teams goes back a long time and has been an aspect of the fan base of said teams/franchises.
That was the point, but that regionalization has always been there and is the thing with NFL teams. An example of this is if you go back to view an early logo for the Kansas City Chiefs, it shows a caricature of a Native Chief with the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas due to KC’s location and proximity to portions of those states: https://logos-world.net/wp-content/u...go-History.jpg
So, this goes to show that regionalization of pro football teams goes back a long time and has been an aspect of the fan base of said teams/franchises.
I really wouldn't call the Bills a "regional" team. It certainly isn't Rochester's team. The majority of my friends aren't Bills fans. They might root for them if not playing their own team in a playoff game. Wegman's, of course has to support them, as with other businesses.
I often hear that the Bills are the only team to play in NY, and call themselves a NY team. I believe the NY Bills would bring in many more NY, and taxpayer fans. (4-5 million).
The Boston Patriots regionalized.
Don't need to hear about Canada. They overwhelmingly don't care. .003% of them care.
I really wouldn't call the Bills a "regional" team. It certainly isn't Rochester's team. The majority of my friends aren't Bills fans. They might root for them if not playing their own team in a playoff game. Wegman's, of course has to support them, as with other businesses.
I often hear that the Bills are the only team to play in NY, and call themselves a NY team. I believe the NY Bills would bring in many more NY, and taxpayer fans. (4-5 million).
The Boston Patriots regionalized.
Don't need to hear about Canada. They overwhelmingly don't care. .003% of them care.
It is still a regionalized team, even if the team is based in a specific area, as the Kansas City example illustrates. All that really means is that it is the primary team for people in WNY, CNY, Southern Ontario/Golden Horseshoe, much of the Twin Tiers of NY/PA and even parts of the Erie PA area. Hence, the airing of preseason games in those areas and even further out: https://www.buffalobills.com/news/ho...on-week-3-2023 (Needs to be updated, as the Syracuse TV station is WSYR 9)
It is still a regionalized team, even if the team is based in a specific area, as the Kansas City example illustrates. All that really means is that it is the primary team for people in WNY, CNY, Southern Ontario/Golden Horseshoe, much of the Twin Tiers of NY/PA and even parts of the Erie PA area. Hence, the airing of preseason games in those areas and even further out: https://www.buffalobills.com/news/ho...on-week-3-2023 (Needs to be updated, as the Syracuse TV station is WSYR 9)
So, there is a pull/following from multiple areas nearby.
So what are those numbers? I have never seen the actual data as to how many season ticket holders are in Binghamton, for instance. Don't want a generalization because they are on TV on a slow TV day.
So what are those numbers? I have never seen the actual data as to how many season ticket holders are in Binghamton, for instance. Don't want a generalization because they are on TV on a slow TV day.
I'll put it this way, I know of people in the Syracuse area that have definitely attended bills games in the recent past. So, again, there are people from outside of the Buffalo area that attend games and given the Canadian season ticket holders alone, they make up a substantial portion of attendees.
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