May Day 10

200 million might get you millsteins land

Here is an article that actually presents information beyond the surface "7th wonder" and "closer to toronto" positions http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/Stories/2014/MAY06/ten.html We're talking 9 or 10 figures in acquiring land and rebuilding/rerouting roads before a shovel even hits the ground on a stadium.

God love Jim kelly... but that is a weak "argument" in the face of all that is going against it.

How many canadians even go directly to the stadium on gamedays? I would bet a very large majority stop and get food and libations on their way to orchard park. I would also expect the rainbow bridge delays, gridlock in the city of nf and trying to find beer and food would cost canadians more time than a trip elsewhere. The smart ones would likely swing down to the peace bridge anyways

already happened, including the idea of closing off the bridge to autos on gameday. This NF thing just all seems far-fetched.

to me, its impossible. At least the most common vision of the Millstein area. That area is too small for the "campus" with parking and stadium footprint... let alone offices and practice facilities. In any direction you would run into serious demo and property acquisition issues... and maybe even environmental remediation. I also read there are people within Millstein's property who refuse to sell. The traffic is something that is addressed and would be mega bucks to "fix" even if its possible. There is also disaster bottleneck situation post-game with the nearby Rainbow Bridge and customs being right there. You would have a nearly unprecedented wait every gameday and the line would spill out and further gridlock the stadium area. Grand Island Bridges would be awful. Robert Moses, LaSalle, Pine Ave, Niagara Falls Blvd are all very poorly designed for major traffic situations. The area there is a corner landlocked by a natural water border. I also shudder to think the danger of having the gorge/falls there when it comes to the drinking associated with football games. The Niagara Falls government is as backwards as the come. There is also a much smaller tax base to draw from and they are not the incumbent Erie County. The State has also invested a lot of bucks in downtown and I think the stadium would be more likely put there to enhance the efforts and succesful development, or in place where infrastructure and land is already on hand. I think we are talking doubling the price of a stadium to make it work/shoehorn it in Niagara Falls. There is also little to no real development that radiates from plopping a stadium down. I think if you 'have' to put it in NF. They are better off more toward Wheatfield, and then you ask yourself 'why'?

the only way they pull it off is the wolf in sheep's clothing who cant close the ultimate deal in WNY, thus putting it back on the politicians/taxpayers. overtly signing the team off to Bon Jovi/Rogers/MLSE to screw Buffalo will be a real bad look.

specific performance clause. Playing their games at RWS is, in fact the lease payment. Not playing there violates the lease/non-relo agreement.

if thats what it takes, Id get used to it.

maybe she was laughing at the former players I believe "rent" is paid by "playing".

Its the million dollar question. Will the NFL's eyes get bigger than their stomachs? As it is, now, IMO it is a fairly dull product without the gambling/fantasy aspect and even with that, with the replay and commercials, etc seems to be turning off people I know. $80,000 PSLs in Candlestick, Minnesota Viking ship and Atlanta clown centres, London aspirations, etc isnt a good look for me and it is almost at the tipping point. If the Bills left i would have little trouble tuning out the NFL. Meanwhile, there is some farming the NFL has to do with its concussion, drug use, and alumni issues/lawsuits, etc.

I think it would take a little bit for the shock to wear off, but I think I would be cool with this

oh, I had it backwards. I thought the NHL team couldnt be in both cities.

wouldnt this violate the NFL/NHL rule out of market... with 2 cities now? Both Leafs and Bruins owners owning the Bills?

I see it as if the NFL wants to keep the Bills in Buffalo in good faith, and the Wilsons/The Trust are also doing the same, I will show my appreciation with my wallet moving into the future as well as generational pass-down. If they are going to try to milk every penny and find reasons our "market" doesnt "deserve" a team, then really, screw off. It really isnt anything I would want to support anyways and the NFL will be dead to me.

This is like Snider/Comcast and the NHL with endless possibility

I wonder if its design is kind of a good cop/bad cop thing. Golisano wont be able to keep a straight face negotiation/threatening the state/county. We all know his intentions are WNY.

I mentioned it. He never won a division or a playoff game and was responsible for destroying the league

good job Wawrow, BTW.

I love Pegula... but I dont buy that he hung on to Ruff and Regier 2-3 years too long, thus nosediving the franchise in order to unify the fanbase, when (IMO) everyone was pretty unified to get rid of those two in February of 2011.

whoa

I think you are off base with that one. People were ready to burn HSBC if we didnt see R&R's heads roll... then Pegula bought the team and people 'lived' with giving R&R a chance due to the 8th place run and the promise of all this money being thrown at the situation. I R&R were shown the door after the season everyone would have been just as happy.

You said "average" owner. Buffalo/WNY is well below average, while there are a couple extraordinary markets out there where an NFL team can make more, and people may be flexing huge cash in the owner's direction in around 7 years time.

The problem is, guys like Trump see a team making X instead of X x 30% as losing money. Whoever the owner is, he/she is going to have to be very comfortable tying up a huge portion of their wealth in a long-term asset that would bring smaller returns than otherwise invested. also, dont discount the vested heirs of Jacobs and Pegula as well (and Rich).

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