Chalkie Gerzowski Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 you need to sell out the "home" game... The Toronto media have reported that plenty of seats are available in all price ranges for the Bills-Jets clash. “Ticket sales are going very well, but I’m not going to get into specifics,” Adrian Montgomery, Rogers Communications’ general manager of the Bills in Toronto series, said Tuesday, calling the ticket figure a moving target. “We are pacing well for this game, and we expect an incredible atmosphere,” he added. While the number of seats available for the last three “home” games suggests concerns about the games being blacked out in Buffalo, Montgomery insisted that won’t happen with the game being played in Toronto. “There won’t be a blackout,” he said. How could he be sure? “I’m just telling you that there won’t be a blackout,” he added. Montgomery wouldn’t comment on whether the Bills in Toronto officials had some way to ensure a sellout. If not sold out 72 hours before kickoff, the game would be blacked out here, because the National Football League considers Toronto close enough to count as a home game. http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/874260.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 $32 tix on StubHub. I bet if you stand outside the Rogers Centre at kickoff they will hand you a free ticket. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 $32 tix on StubHub. I bet if you stand outside the Rogers Centre at kickoff they will hand you a free ticket. PTR Somewhere, Fred Rogers is rolling over in his grave... or is it Kenny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjames24 Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I live and work in downtown Toronto and must say, there is NO hype for this game. People aren't talking about it, promotion is limited. Unless you are a hardcore football/sports fan, you really wouldn't have much of an idea the game is one week away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JauronGone Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 to be honest - the rogers center (formerly the skydome) is such a ****ty place to watch any sporting event (espcially football) that there is no way real fans in canada would pay to see a game there - with absolutly no atmosphere, no tailgating - if they could just drive a little bit to the ralph and experience the real deal plus people were really soured by the prices of the tickets initially it may have turned them off of the whole thing. and not to mention it is kindve a meaningless game. prediction - Bills 18 . Jets 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Yeah, it was an "incredible" atmosphere for the Bills-Fins game last year ... and I don't mean that in a good way. Hope Mr. Wilson has already cashed that $78 million check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need therapy Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 “There won’t be a blackout,” he said. How could he be sure? “I’m just telling you that there won’t be a blackout,” he added. Montgomery wouldn’t comment on whether the Bills in Toronto officials had some way to ensure a sellout. If not sold out 72 hours before kickoff, the game would be blacked out here, because the National Football League considers Toronto close enough to count as a home game. I'm pretty sure that the reason the game will not be blacked out is that the Bills sold the rights to promote and sell tickets to the game to Rogers Communications. As soon as they did that, the NFL considers the game to be sold out, because Rogers Communications basically purchased all of the tickets from the Bills. The same thing happened last year because they did not sell out the Dolphins vs. Bills game, but it was still televised in the Buffalo market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frez Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Yeah, it was an "incredible" atmosphere for the Bills-Fins game last year ... and I don't mean that in a good way. Hope Mr. Wilson has already cashed that $78 million check. Isn't that the name of the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PearlHowardman Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/images/de...ls_3rd_logo.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/356990..._49f64ac99d.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5...series_logo.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygodhatesbuffalo Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I am a life long Bills fan. I am Canadian. Until this year, I was a Bills season ticket holder for the last 7 years. I worked at the Rogers Centre when I was in school as an usher for the Blue Jays. And you couldn't pay me to go see a Bills game there. The atmosphere is the worst in professional sports. The rules in the stadium just don't make watching sports fun let alone a football game. The game day experience involves being able to tailgate...that isn't happening in Toronto. Your tailgate will most likely consist of $8.00 beers and $12-$15 appetizers. The street meat is pretty good outside the stadium but that's about it. It blows my mind that Mr. Wilson and the marketing geniuses at One Bills Drive have not marketed the tailgate experience. Sell the suite at the stadium with a limo bus. Limo bus picks up the people from the out of range businesses in Ontario and Rochester, NY areas. Have drinks and food on the limo bus ride to the stadium. The folks can mingle on the limo bus and watched the pregame on mobile Direct Tv or something enroute to the stadium. Get them in their suite for the game and then limo bus their ass back to Toronto, London, Kitchener, Rochester, Syracuse, etc. Don't B word and complain that you can't sell box suites to industry. GET INVENTIVE. DON'T TAKE ONE OF MY DIVISION HOME GAMES AWAY AND PUT IT IN A DULL ****HOLE STADIUM!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starrymessenger Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I am a life long Bills fan. I am Canadian. Until this year, I was a Bills season ticket holder for the last 7 years. I worked at the Rogers Centre when I was in school as an usher for the Blue Jays. And you couldn't pay me to go see a Bills game there. The atmosphere is the worst in professional sports. The rules in the stadium just don't make watching sports fun let alone a football game. The game day experience involves being able to tailgate...that isn't happening in Toronto. Your tailgate will most likely consist of $8.00 beers and $12-$15 appetizers. The street meat is pretty good outside the stadium but that's about it. It blows my mind that Mr. Wilson and the marketing geniuses at One Bills Drive have not marketed the tailgate experience. Sell the suite at the stadium with a limo bus. Limo bus picks up the people from the out of range businesses in Ontario and Rochester, NY areas. Have drinks and food on the limo bus ride to the stadium. The folks can mingle on the limo bus and watched the pregame on mobile Direct Tv or something enroute to the stadium. Get them in their suite for the game and then limo bus their ass back to Toronto, London, Kitchener, Rochester, Syracuse, etc. Don't B word and complain that you can't sell box suites to industry. GET INVENTIVE. DON'T TAKE ONE OF MY DIVISION HOME GAMES AWAY AND PUT IT IN A DULL ****HOLE STADIUM!!! I live in Montreal but work at Front & Bay. Can't believe how dead this whole Bills thing in Toronto is. Brandon and Ralph are true geniuses. Incredible that Ted paid USD 78MM for this. And that stadium is the pits. Reminds me of the atmosphere in the Big O when the Expos were playing there. Its what killed the franchise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Yeah, it was an "incredible" atmosphere for the Bills-Fins game last year ... and I don't mean that in a good way. Hope Mr. Wilson has already cashed that $78 million check. Lori, Do you know how many people from the American side of the border went up to Toronto last year to watch that dismal Bflo/Miami game? It would be interesting to know how much money the Rogers group lost on this American football venture? Ralph might not know how to assemble a winning team but he certainly knows how to make money off a losing team. I guess Russ Brandon, the marketing guru, wins the organizational MVP. No wonder he was elevated to the GM position by the owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I live in Montreal but work at Front & Bay. Can't believe how dead this whole Bills thing in Toronto is. Brandon and Ralph are true geniuses. Incredible that Ted paid USD 78MM for this. And that stadium is the pits. Reminds me of the atmosphere in the Big O when the Expos were playing there. Its what killed the franchise. The upfront payment makes sense if you consider it an investment. If the Rogers group successfully bids for the Bills when it is auctioned off they won't have to pay a very expensive relocation fee to the league because they can claim that Toronto is already part of the expanded Buffalo market. For Ralph Wilson, in addition to his upfront $78 M bonanza he received, he has potentially gotten a very rich bidder interested in his franchise when it gets auctioned off. The more high rollers interested the more money he can take to his grave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starrymessenger Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 The upfront payment makes sense if you consider it an investment. If the Rogers group successfully bids for the Bills when it is auctioned off they won't have to pay a very expensive relocation fee to the league because they can claim that Toronto is already part of the expanded Buffalo market. For Ralph Wilson, in addition to his upfront $78 M bonanza he received, he has potentially gotten a very rich bidder interested in his franchise when it gets auctioned off. The more high rollers interested the more money he can take to his grave. Don't understand this relocation fee thing. If the Detroit Lions moved to Toronto, I might see Ralph being entitled to something because its in his market (maybe another 78MM). But if the Bills were bought and moved to Toronto don't see why there would be a fee payable to anyone. My take: the Bills are not moving to Toronto. After a couple of years whatever stadium they were playing out of would look like Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville did last week. As a business matter, the Bills best asset is its fanbase, which is Buffalo & Western NY, so why alienate it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax bill backer Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 If Wilson dosen't sign another extension with the Toronto people, he would be stupid. He's basically getting free money while Rogers is losing money.. I love the idea for the party bus thing though, get those people on a bus to sell are box seats out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Don't understand this relocation fee thing. If the Detroit Lions moved to Toronto, I might see Ralph being entitled to something because its in his market (maybe another 78MM). But if the Bills were bought and moved to Toronto don't see why there would be a fee payable to anyone. My take: the Bills are not moving to Toronto. After a couple of years whatever stadium they were playing out of would look like Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville did last week. As a business matter, the Bills best asset is its fanbase, which is Buffalo & Western NY, so why alienate it? You misread my comments. If the Bills are bought by the Toronto group and moved there there wouldn't be a relocation fee because it is considered part of the same (Buffalo) market. Your example of Detroit moving to Toronto would not be allowed because Ralph Wilson presently controls that market. The NFL would not allow such an infringement of another owner's market. However, if an LA group won the auction for the Bills and moved the team to LA then there is a substantial relocation fee charged. The money would be distributed to the other league owners. Could the owners waive a relocation fee because the team is moved into a more TV lucrative market? Possibly, but not probable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starrymessenger Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 You misread my comments. If the Bills are bought by the Toronto group and moved there there wouldn't be a relocation fee because it is considered part of the same (Buffalo) market. Your example of Detroit moving to Toronto would not be allowed because Ralph Wilson presently controls that market. The NFL would not allow such an infringement of another owner's market. However, if an LA group won the auction for the Bills and moved the team to LA then there is a substantial relocation fee charged. The money would be distributed to the other league owners. Could the owners waive a relocation fee because the team is moved into a more TV lucrative market? Possibly, but not probable. ok, thanks. I suppose it makes more sense if Ted Rogers was getting something for his money. He was definitely one of the sharpest business heads ever up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Would that blackout extend to Rochester? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonidas Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Sorry guys, I'm rooting for a blackout this time. Big time. If we prove Toronto isn't a viable market for an NFL franchise and Los Angeles gets the Jags, Chargers, or Raiders, the chances of the Bills staying in Buffalo improves dramatically. Looks like you'll have to go to the local bar to see the game...if it's even worth watching, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax bill backer Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 the game is on NFL network...how can it be blacked out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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