apuszczalowski Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I'm a Bills fan living in FL. Here is something I don't understand. At one time, Wayne Huizenga owned the Dolphins, Panthers and Marlins, how did he get around NFL oenership rules? They can only own teams of different sports that are in the same state/region. Those teams are all Florida teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billnutinphoenix Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman and Derek Morris -- all Bruins who are making big money -- disagree. The Bruins are fifth in the NHL in cap hit. agreed..Jacobs may seem cheap but can't disagree with numbers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulMan Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Call me crazy, but it looks here (to me) that there's a hell of a lot more post season activity for the Boston Bruins over the last decade than the Buffalo Bills. I'd take Nancy Pelosi for an owner if it meant keeping the team in Buffalo. 2009 -- defeated Montreal, 4-0, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals lost to Carolina, 4-3, Eastern Conf. semifinals 2008 -- lost to Montreal, 4-3, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals 2004 -- lost to Montreal, 4-3, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals 2003 -- lost to New Jersey, 4-1, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals 2002 -- lost to Montreal, 4-2, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals 1999 -- defeated Carolina, 4-2, Eastern Conf. quarterfinals lost to Buffalo, 4-2, Eastern Conf. semifinals I wouldn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFan Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 If I am not mistaken, the NFL has a rule about ownership of other sports franchises. If so, Jacobs would have to sell the majority share of the Bruins. This has been a stumbling block in conversations about him in the past. As for what kind of owner he would be, any owner who makes a commitment to keeping the team in Buffalo is a good owner at this point. Do not kid yourself about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefan66 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I'm all for someone who will keep the team in Buffalo, presumably Jacobs would. That would be fine with me. Maybe Jacobs is cheap because he is saving his $$$ for purchasing the team. Anyway. Ralph has already stated his heirs will not own the team and will need to sell it upon his death. I'm sure he knows who wants the team at this point. He's probably been approached by Jacobs, the LA consortium, Kelly amongst others. Maybe that's his driving reason for wanting to pay 10 Million for the next HC, wanting the team to do well to drive up the price of the franchise. Ralph should do whats best for WNY and put the team up for sale now and end this speculation. Then again, he didn't get rich by doing for others and not himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat7s Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Ralph should do whats best for WNY and put the team up for sale now and end this speculation.Then again, he didn't get rich by doing for others and not himself. I agree with you, he should sell the team while he's still kickin'. That being said, maybe he hasn't put it up for sale because he knows there currently are no owners/ownsership groups that would keep the team in Western New York. Putting the team just "up for sale" opens the flood gates for every billionaire with an interest to throw their names in the hat... I bet Ralph doesn't want that. Think about all the pressure and BS we'd hear from ESPN (and the like) about people wanting to buy it and move it to LA. It would be a constant circus that would have a horrible effect on the players, coaching staff, and especially the fans. Many of you know how it feels to be an employee of a company that is "up for sale." No one is comfortable and production suffers... same thing with pro sports teams (see the Phoenix Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Houston Oilers, etc.). The years those teams were either up for sale and had onwership turmoil they had awful seasons and attendance slumped. Simply put Ralph would be a total jerk to just put the team up for sale and it would be HORRIBLE business to do so. Jacobs is a very successful person. The Bruins have been successful, they just have a tough time winning the big one... so do 29 other teams in the NHL. It kills me to see how some of you dissect Billionaires. They are BILLIONAIRES. Unlike all of us who are hundred-airs on a good day They aren't perfect and certainly make mistakes, but they did not get to where they are financially by losing and not caring about winning ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Jacobs has an absolute cash cow in the Bruins and the arena. I don't know why he'd ever sell them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Jacobs has an absolute cash cow in the Bruins and the arena. I don't know why he'd ever sell them. Because the Bills are a bigger cash cow and he's from WNY. I think thats what ppl are speculating anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefan66 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Jacobs has an absolute cash cow in the Bruins and the arena. I don't know why he'd ever sell them. Because the NHL isn't even a blip on the national sports scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac17 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Because the Bills are a bigger cash cow i doubt this. 40 hockey games with big time corporate sales vs 9 football games with low corporate sales + you own the arena + concerts + 20% of the local sports network. Now factor in how much the bills are worth vs what ralph paid and it is a much different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurlyBurly51 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 i doubt this. 40 hockey games with big time corporate sales vs 9 football games with low corporate sales + you own the arena + concerts + 20% of the local sports network. Now factor in how much the bills are worth vs what ralph paid and it is a much different story. Not to mention the TV contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 i doubt this. 40 hockey games with big time corporate sales vs 9 football games with low corporate sales + you own the arena + concerts + 20% of the local sports network. Now factor in how much the bills are worth vs what ralph paid and it is a much different story. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/31/hockey...ins_313364.html http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/30/footba...lls_301765.html Theres the raw numbers from forbes. But IMO they seem to state the Bills are a bigger cashcow then the Bruins. So anyhow do any financial genius's wanna break it down for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/31/hockey...ins_313364.html http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/30/footba...lls_301765.html Theres the raw numbers from forbes. But IMO they seem to state the Bills are a bigger cashcow then the Bruins. So anyhow do any financial genius's wanna break it down for us. The big asset that isn't mentioned there is the arena. On top of the things gmac mentioned, there's also the money he's getting from the Celtics use of the arena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 The big asset that isn't mentioned there is the arena. On top of the things gmac mentioned, there's also the money he's getting from the Celtics use of the arena. Did they mention the money the Bills get from toronto in there? Just wondering Im not very good with the whole financial thing at least in regards to pro sports franchises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson from Gamehendge Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Thats it? The only good thing? Pass... Did it occur to anyone that owing an NFL team, and owning an NHL team are very different. Guys like Jacobs didn't make their fortunes throwing good money after bad. He would have to try really hard, not to make a profit as an NFL owner, no matter what market. You can't really say the same about the NHL, which as much as I, and most here, love it, has been on life support for the last 25 years or so. I think being that he is a Buffalonian, who still operates in Buffalo, is a huge difference, than a guy who purchased a franchise in another city (Boston) as an investment. The fact that he is still has a large amount of his fortunes invested in WNY tells me that he he realizes the importance of keeping the franchise in the area. It is likely that any owner who were to own the Bills is not going to be able to spend as freely as a Jerry Jones, or Dan Snyder type, who have unlimited sources of potential revenue. The Ralph Wilson fan club around here, who insist that he isn't cheap (he has been at key times in this franchise history) can take heart...you can be cheap, and still manage to field a competitive team. If your team is competitive, anything can happen. I think that hope, that having a competitive team, would be enough for most of us. An owner can be frugal, as long as he makes the right decisions. Mr Wilson has made one blundering move after another, which is how we got to this point... I dunno, Jeremy Jacobs doesn't sound like the worst option to me...even if the only things he can bring to the table are just insurance that the franchise stays in WNY, and a new stadium... Ok, so what more is there to the guy? I said it would be a blessing for the Bills to remain here and get a new stadium (or remodel the Ralph)...but who has Jeremy Jacobs gone out and got for the Bruins? He just traded 1 of their best players in Kessel, because he didn't want to pay the kid a new contract. That sounds VERY VERY VERY familiar!? No? I am sorry, but I just do not understand your argument here? It is basically the same thing that I was saying. Trust me, a new stadium won't be a GOOD thing for CURRENT Season Ticket holders. If you now have seats on the 50 Yd line, in a new Stadium they will be on the 20 Yd line up about 30 rows in the new Stadium & will cost 2-3 times more money. The BEST thing would be to remodel the Ralph. Would that even be feasible or worth the money? I would think we would want something brand new if we were going to put that kind of money into a stadium. Something downtown would be perfect. They could have concerts there in the summer and spring...not to mention MANY other kinds of events to generate money and tourism. To stay competitive, you need a newer stadium up-to-date with the rest of the league. But, I do understand your argument about the seating and pricing. However, if we want this team to stay...we are going to have to be willing to pay the price. And as long as Ralph, Jeremy Jacobs, Jim Kelly, Rush Limbaugh, Santa Claus or the Pope himself, are willing to spend on a GM and a Coach, I dont see us having to pay a little more being a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordio Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Jacobs is famous for not trying to win. He wants to keep things under budget. All you people who have accused Ralph of being cheap...you're gonna find out what a cheap owner really is! PTR comparing apples to oranges. See the NFL actually brings alot of revenue in for every team. Can you blame jacobs for not spending a ton of money on the bruins when he can not fill the Fleet center up on most nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Ok, so what more is there to the guy? I said it would be a blessing for the Bills to remain here and get a new stadium (or remodel the Ralph)...but who has Jeremy Jacobs gone out and got for the Bruins? He just traded 1 of their best players in Kessel, because he didn't want to pay the kid a new contract. That sounds VERY VERY VERY familiar!? No?I am sorry, but I just do not understand your argument here? It is basically the same thing that I was saying. You are dismissing Jacobs viability as an owner of the Buffalo Bills, by pointing out that he has been frugal as an owner of the Bruins. You then go on to say that the only positive that he has to offer us, as Bills fans, is that he would keep the team in WNY, and likely get a new stadium built. I was being sarcastic when I said, "that's it?"... those two things would be huge. My argument was that there are different financial considerations in owing an NHL team, than there are in owning an NFL team. You say that there are plenty of people who could buy the Bills, and keep them in Buffalo...name three! If he can gurantee the team stays in WNY, and build a new stadium, I am not sure that him "being cheap" as owner of the Boston Bruins should preclude him as a desirable option for us as fans. Like I said, Ralph Wilson (the out of town owner), who seems to have a blind, devout fan base here, has been frugal in the most important aspects of running the Bills. Being cheap, when done right, can also be seen as being smart. There are a number of franchises in all pro sports that remain competitive, year after year, without sinking to the depths that the Bills have. If Jacobs is a good businessman (and I am presuming that he is) owing an NFL team, as opposed to an NHL team, gives him far more opportunities to make profit, and thus, far more opportunities to build a stable, competitive, franchise. Simply saying that an owner is bad, because he didn't pay a player as much as they wanted, and let him go, is silly. There are plenty of examples of this, where, in final analysis, the owner was wise to hold back. Owning an NHL team, because the profits seem to be out of whack (in a bad way for the owners) with player salaries, there is far less room for error. Signing the NHL equivalent of a Derrick Dockery deal (sorry can't think of an NHL equivalent at the moment) can be disastrous for an NHL team. In the NFL, there are far more personnel decisions to be made, far more money to be made, and a wider margin for error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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