BILLS02138

FWIW, I came across this information... seems a bit low, eh? The Buffalo Bills will play a series of ten games over a five-year period at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, beginning in August 2008, resulting in a commitment of $78 million of payments scheduled from 2008 through 2012;

I wonder how many other likeminded individuals obsess about the Bills and feel as if though they have no outlet to do anything to help prevent the potential of a Bills relocation besides buy season tickets and merchandise? Some folks say we have no say.... others quickly dismiss and write you off. Yes, people with money sometimes win and that is usually the case. I, however, believe we can influence the outcome of this one, especially when dealing with a CANADIAN predator like Ted Rogers vs. the influence the United States Government has with the NFL. Yes, big money supports the NFL but through proper revenue sharing channels - and all new management/ownership at One Bills Drive (if Ralph cannot make money in a market that spreads from Albany to Toronto - then it's time for internal change at One Bills Drive), there is absolutely no reason why the league cannot support both large and small market franchises alike. If Green Bay and New Orleans and the other bottom 5 small market franchises can remain in the league - so can the Buffalo Bills. I would argue that its best to mobilize now -- to help keep the Bills in Buffalo, permanently - while they still play in Buffalo. Sitting back and doing nothing because you feel you cannot have an impact is your choice but do NOT criticize others for trying. But once they're gone -- it's over Bills fans! If done tactfully and professionally, there are enough socio-political opportunities for a potential grass-roots organization to create such a political fuss, attract nationwide media, attract new dollars to the Buffalo Bills and possibility recruit additional ownership groups with long term commitments to keep the Bills local. Here's what I propose: 1) Create a legit 501©(3) -- non-profit organization committed to Buffalo NY and the preservation of the Buffalo Bills franchise. This organization would be set up as THE outlet to get involved. We would collaborate with authorities, business organizations, and Buffalo friends and fans worldwide to create network and outlet to help secure the franchise in WNY. We would look to use our contacts to attract corporate support from companies inside and outside WNY and Southern Ontario, international media support, push season ticket sales, sponsorships, and use donations to purchase all remaining season tickets to donate to charities and local hospitals and other non-profit organizations for fund raising needs. We would also provide an outlet for NY residents to put GREAT pressure on Albany to cut taxes and mandates that hold WNY back economically. 3) Attract local celebrities who support Buffalo (Russert, Goo Goo Dolls, Hollywood, etc.), former Bills/Sabres players with money and influence, to get involved, help attract media attention to Buffalo, NY and this mission. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peopl...ffalo,_New_York http://www.hollywood.com/CelebPOBList/POB/...o,%20New%20York.) 4) I also propose that we collaborate and work with other small market teams. If the Bills move - which small market team is next? We have to encourage our politicians in Washington to continue to collaborate with other Congressmen/women and Senators to place continued pressure on the NFL to preserve small markets. The bottom line is: the Bills are bigger than Buffalo. The Bills get support from all over the world. Either you live in Buffalo, an expat from Buffalo or a friend of Buffalo - this is such an easy passion for people to support and sell. Why not take advantage of all our resources, contacts, political connections, and the internet to create such a beast that not even the NFL can overcome. With five years left on the lease, we have SOME time but not that much time to mobilize and make our presence known. We may be a small market but there is no reason to act small.

I have no sympathy for these folks. You had plenty of time, notice and options way before Sunday to get your tickets. On the flip side - this goes to show you that the marketing/ticketing deparmet @ One Bills Drive is dated and lazy. If I ran the show there - the game would have been sold out WELL in advance. I'd pay my marketing/ticket staff and encourage them to be as aggressive as pharmaceutical reps. With a market that stretches from Syrcause to Toronto - I would have worked with the team, the players, and the coaches and found ways to collaborate a marketing plan that would pull at the heart, soul, and purse strings. It's just unacceptable - I don't care about the Bills record - this is the NFL! No excuse.

Wow, great post! I'm tired of his defeatist mentality, too. I think you're on to something here. As someone who now lives in the Boston market for the past four years, I am always amazed at how the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins pair up together for important games and events. Last year during the Bills/Pats game, the Patriots paraded a bunch of Red Sox players out on the field before the game to get the crowd going. Last week, less than 24 hours after signing Matsuzaka, the new Red Sox pitcher was on center ice dropping the puck at the Bruins game. Buffalo is a small home town with big time perks! The Sabres and Bills are big fish in a small sea. The lack of marketing and collaboration between these two organizations is astonishing. I'm afriad Ralph satisfying his ego will come at the community's expense. It's time that Ralph partner up with Golisano and find ways to collaborate and thrive. If Green Bay can make a decent buck - so can Buffalo. A smart businessman like Golisano WOULD find a way to make it work. Can you imagine how much pride and energy we would have if these two organizations fed off each other in positive ways? Damn! Go BUFFALO

"Reliable" Source POSTED 10:05 p.m. EST; UPDATED 10:20 p.m. EST, December 13, 2006 FINS FOR SALE Our Florida sources have tipped us off to a looming development that, in our view, makes Dolphins coach Nick Saban's disinterested interest in the Alabama job understandable. The Fins, as we hear it, are in the process of being sold. Per a source with knowledge of the transaction, advertising executive Jordan Zimmerman, a co-owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers, will become majority owner of the Dolphins. Also involved in the new ownership will be Papa John's founder John Schnatter. Since it was Huizenga who hired Saban, Saban might be interested in keeping his options open. And that's why, we believe, Saban declined an opportunity (when pressed by Peter King of SI) to state unequivocally that he will not under any circumstances pursue the Alabama job. Saban, in our opinion, will be looking for either an extension from the new ownership, or a ticket out of town. Coincidentally, Zimmerman's clients include Papa John's and the Miami Dolphins.

Just curious, what market do you reside? (Inside WNY or elsewhere?) In a market like WNY - where the Bills have been KING for decades - and now hockey is picking up big time - people need to know before Tuesday before the Sunday that there are only 7500+ tickets left. Yeah, everyone knows the Bills - but the team MUST do a better job marketing itself and letting fans know which games are available.

Personally, I think the Bills marketing department is lazy. I was home for ten days over the Thanksgiving Holiday and I saw ONE commercial on TV pushing ticket sales. ONE commercial on TV is not enough. There should be billboards, cooperative marketing with malls, restaurants, airlines (jetblue), and companies throughout WNY and Southern Ontario. Also, shouldn't the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Enterprise being assisting with these ticket sales efforts? Without the Bills and Sabers; Buffalo is NOTHING. You've got to spend money to make money. Also, while at the game on Sunday, besides the fact that the score boards kept shorting out; I either missed it or didn't see the group sales listing like they normally present during a time out. It's time Ralph bring in some top notch people - both on the field - and in the administrative offices. There is NO reason not to sell out a Buffalo Bills game. If we continue to unsell; we simply provide ammunition to other markets looking for a team...

Let's go Buffalo Money well spent between the state and county. Get it done. ($5.45 million to replace the stadium's Sony video replay scoreboard for next season and the sideline ribbon message boards the following season.)

I totally agree with you. I was thinking the same thing while watching MNF football tonight. You can see IT in Leinart's eyes. Confidence - intensity - and the will to win. JP does not have "IT" Jauron does not have "IT" IT was evident yesterday on the field. The team lack INTENISTY - and reflected the demeanor of the COACH. Until they show up and play a complete game - I will not be convinced. BILLS - show up and beat the F@#$ing PATRIOTS.

Yep, it can. You'll just have to drive farther... have fun.

Those are great images, btw. Could you imagine our outter harbor stadium looking something like that? Nice... very nice.

And good luck to you on your wish to get the Bills to move to Pembroke or Lancaster. ps: It's not going to happen. Go Bills

I agree; LA will see a team before Toronto... I also agree that with enough political support and money, the BILLS will (hopefully) stay in Buffalo. And yes, I've seen a game at the following urban stadiums: HEINZ FIELD, PITTSBURGH SOLDIER FIELD, CHICAGO INVESCO FIELD AT MILE HIGH, DENVER What stadiums have you been to man? Bottom line: IF WNY is going to build a stadium - we're going to need to justify the expense... and if the venue can serve multiple purposes - it makes funding a whole lot easier - esp when it comes down to the tax payer. Also: as Bills fans - the reality is - we may just have to give something up - ie. Tailgating - in order to keep the Bills in Buffalo. If the powers-that-be say build it downtown - then do it. I'm willing to sacrifice tailgating; are you? BTW, where are you from? Rochester?

We will not see a new stadium while Ralph is alive. He is too old to be taking on that type of transaction. A new owner; whether it be his children; his wife; or Golisano - the writing is on the wall - the Bills will one day want a new stadium - just to keep up with the rest of the NFL - and I believe a convention center/stadium combo is an idea worth considering. Ya want to know why daquixers? While you're bitching about tailgating, walking, and parking at a stadium; the good folks up in TO will be offering $1 BILLION dollars for an NFL franchise... and it would be an abortion that we lose the BILLS because we can't get our ducks in a row and plan accordingly. National Football League team for Toronto Canadian NFL team may not be such a long shot $1 Billion for the New Orleans Saints? Until we have a new stadium and long term lease, we will always have this THREAT just 90 miles away.

Hmm, I don't know about you but the only thing I see laying around is garbage from the pigs/tailgators who don't pick up after themselves. The cans are long gone by folks who go around and collect all the cans.

Dude, yeah, I'm a season ticket holder. Go to the games all the time. I'm just trying to be practical here. WNY is not NYC. We will have a difficult time enough keeping the Bills here; let alone build them a new stadium. We will have to be practical in what we build... hence, killing two birds with one stone (a combo Convention Center/Stadium) seems like a practical idea to me. And no, I do NOT support a stadium in Lancaster or Pembroke. We fricking sprawl enough around WNY - no reason to sprawl further out to nowhere. Keep it in OP or build it downtown. PS: I don't know what you're talking about. I park in Lot 5 - get in - tailgate - walk up to the stadium - and get out - with MUCH ease.

And for those of you who B word about the lack of parking in downtown Buffalo --> PLEASE READ THIS and then tell me where we lack parking in downtown Buffalo.

Build a combo Stadium/Convention Center behind the HSBC Atrium building along the 190/Cobblestone district. Yes, bury the 190, let the city reconnect to its waterfront and make it happen. Don't talk to me about money in NY State. You pay enough fricking taxes. Heck, I'd even support the toll at the 190 if it were going to BURY the fricking eyesore. You're right - a stand alone stadium does zero for economic development - but add a convention center to the mix and we might have a powerful economic development tool. Heck, we don't even need to spend money on plans when we can just borrow the plans from the proposed NY Jets Westside Stadium/Convention Center. However, if the Bills do build a new stadium AND it's not downtown - then I propose building it in Orchard Park. Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the support from Rochester AND Toronto. But why build all new infrastructure in Lancaster or Pembroke? As someone who currently lives in Boston and frequents Gillette Stadium for Pat/Revolution games - traffic is ---> one way in AND one way out. It takes HOURS to get to and from a game in Foxhole. I fear that we would have that same problem in Pembroke or a different un-urban location. So, bottom line kids - if you think the BILLS will stay in Buffalo after a new owner comes in and DOESN'T demand a new stadium - you're all dreaming. The Ralph serves its purpose now - but will not in the near future. I love tailgating... but I love the Buffalo Bills, MORE. If that means a downtown location with smaller parking lots - then we adapt and make the best of it. (Heck, I just drove around M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and was totally impressed with its location. Yeah, I noticed the lack of tailgating options but still was impressed with how it meshed into the urban fabric and light rail.) MY favorite urban stadium - INVESCO-Mile High Stadium in Denver - I'd hire these guys in a heartbeat to design my stadium. Just keep the damn BILLS in WNY.

PoliticsNY.Net: "U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by Ralph Wilson, the Bills Owner, will bring the fight to keep the Bills in Buffalo to the national stage on Tuesday, October 10 at 1:45 pm. Schumer, a longtime advocate for the Bills, will launch a new coalition with his fellow Senators who represent small market teams from across the country to elevate the fight for teams like the Bills. Schumer will also urge NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, to commit to the preservation of small market teams. The NFL team owners are set to meet on October 24, and Schumer will announce that Goodell will personally meet with Ralph Wilson in early November to discuss the needs of the team. After Goodell was elected NFL Commissioner, Schumer urged the Jamestown native to visit with Wilson as soon as possible." ###

You people do not realize how much money is in WNY... and that's just how the select few who have it like to keep it. The Bills will be in Buffalo forever. No Toronto, No LA, No Portland, etc. Put your personal beliefs away and worry about Sunday.

Dude, what the hell are you smoking? This has got to be the most assinine comment ever posted. The kids will be fine...

You want to keep the Bills in Buffalo, eh? I say take the $20 million and begin planning for a combo downtown Stadium & Convention Center near the new proposed Casino, Bass Pro, etc... take the plans from the JETS and built in Buffalo. Link

I don't think it matters where Bills fans are from... but... it does matter WHERE THEY PLAY... The Bills will never leave Buffalo - mark my words. Toronto is a lot like LA - most people are transient and can give two flying !@#$s about football...

Could fans in Toronto ever show the same affection for the Bills and running back Willis McGahee that devoted Buffalo fans do? NEVER The Star Would Buffalo Bills ever move to Toronto? 86-year-old owner of NFL franchise foe of relocation But new owner might be tempted in post-Wilson era Sep. 7, 2006. 01:00 AM MORGAN CAMPBELL SPORTS REPORTER The owners of the Leafs and the Jays have finally admitted in public that they plan to work together to lure an NFL franchise to Toronto. Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has even said he's ready to accommodate a team and is waiting for the league to give him the word. He might be waiting a while, since the NFL already has 32 teams and the league has said it has no plans to expand soon. But what about relocation? Since 1988 five NFL franchises — the Cardinals, Rams, Raiders, Browns/Ravens and Oilers/Titans — have changed cities. It's pure conjecture right now, but the slimmest of possibilities exists that the next team to relocate might wind up in Toronto. With an 86-year-old owner who has expressed no clear plan for the franchise for after he dies, an address less than 90 minutes from Toronto, and a stadium lease that expires in less than a decade — could that team be the Buffalo Bills? Yesterday team officials weren't prepared to talk about the possibility of the NFL in Toronto, much less the Bills moving there. "The question about Toronto is an NFL question, not a local team question," said Bills spokesperson Scott Berchtold. Though Berchtold and Russ Brandon, the Bills' VP of business operations, said the team has no plans to move, the team does have a relatively old stadium, the impetus behind most NFL relocations. Thirty-three-year-old Ralph Wilson Stadium has forced the team to consider moving before. But they didn't consider it long. In 1998 the Bills faced a pair of developments that threatened their tenure at Ralph Wilson Stadium in suburban Orchard Park. First was the expiration of their 25-year lease on the park, second was the stadium's condition. The building needed more seats and new luxury boxes, and although state government had pledged $63 million (all figures U.S., the Bills wouldn't qualify for the grant unless they could find $11 million on their own. If the team couldn't raise the money through premium ticket sales, the only other choice would have been to find a new city. But Berchtold says moving was never an option. "At the time nobody in the organization was thinking about moving," he said, adding that the team signed a 15-year lease at Wilson Stadium in 1998. "We were all concentrating on $11 million and making that goal. I don't know anyone in the organization, from (owner) Mr. Wilson on down who ever thought about leaving Buffalo." Not only was 86-year-old owner Ralph Wilson against moving in 1998, he has also voted against every relocation bid that has come up since he has owned the Bills. But even the team's top staff doesn't know what plans — if any — Wilson has for the team for after he dies. "We have no idea what he's going to do," Berchtold said. "You'd have to ask Mr. Wilson. He's been asked that question before, but he's never really answered it." Wilson is committed to other small markets — this year he joined a committee tasked with making the league's revenue-sharing agreement friendlier to small market franchises. But there's no guarantee a new owner would feel the same way, especially with a huge market less than two hours away. According to Nielsen Media, Buffalo is the 49th-largest television market in the U.S. If Toronto were included in those rankings it would place fifth, behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. Other Buffalo businesses have already noticed Toronto's drawing power. Last month Buffalo's urban radio station, WBLK, sponsored a concert by soul songstress Anita Baker at Ontario Place. This month it's holding a contest to meet R&B sensation Beyonce Knowles after her concert — in Toronto. The Bills realize thousands of Canadians cross the border for their home games, and they plan to keep building the popularity of the Bills brand in the GTA. But they plan to do it from Buffalo. "We've made strides in southern Ontario in our ticket (sales) and marketing program," Brandon said. "Southern Ontario is part of our marketing plan and it always has been."

He's out