Wang vs. T.O.

[T master]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

[ganesh]

 

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

 

Why would that be called Greed. It is a business opportunity. The Bills are a business and have to be profitable to stay in the business. I am sure the Bills picked him for his talent, but if they have an opportunity to expand the horizons then more power to them. Calling that Greed doesn't seem to be the right thing.

[Doc]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

The first consideration is whether a player will help on the field. The marketing stuff is a secondary benefit. And in Wang's case, he'll need to prove something on the field first, before he's a marketing success.

[CodeMonkey]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

The possibility of American Football catching on anywhere outside of North America is minuscule, including China. Having one player on a team is not going to open the floodgates for a couple billion crazed Chinese Bills fans

 

For whatever reason they drafted him, it wasn't to sell jerseys in China ... even though they are made there

Edited September 2, 2010 by CodeMonkey

[PromoTheRobot]

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player?

No, I don't think that ever entered anyones mind. In fact I'm willing to bet you, out of billions of humans on planet Earth, are the only person to think there is a connection.

 

PTR

[Kelly the Dog]

I'm pretty sure that jersey sales are split evenly between the 32 teams, so no.

[nucci]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

Then why was he drafted in the 5th round?? He should have been our 1st pick. Think of the possibilities then! Some here have wild imaginations.

[Captain Caveman]

I'm pretty sure that jersey sales are split evenly between the 32 teams, so no.

 

You're right. There's no direct financial incentive for the Bills in drafting this kid (other than if he helps them win games and sell tickets.)

 

One disclaimer, I believe the Bills get to keep all profits from jerseys sold at the stadium, so if we start getting planeloads of Chinese into the Ralph, then you might be on to something.

[Taro T]

Why would that be called Greed. It is a business opportunity. The Bills are a business and have to be profitable to stay in the business. I am sure the Bills picked him for his talent, but if they have an opportunity to expand the horizons then more power to them. Calling that Greed doesn't seem to be the right thing.

So what, now the Bills aren't moving to TO but are moving to Beijing?

 

Man, that's gonna mess w/ the Fishes and the Cheatriots travel schedules.

[bowery4]

In Thailand where I live there is little to none opportunity to watch games, I have no doubt it is the same in China. Football isn't as easy to understand as B-ball either I was teaching the kids at my school American style football last year and it takes real time to get the ideas of the rules. They all think it is football because it should be kicked all the time lol.

 

Plus the NFL has no global vision, no developmental leagues in other places, no little league programs very little programing or marketing. The NFL saying they are trying to be a global brand doesn't translate into the NFL doing anything to actually do that.

 

I would love to have a job to expand the NFL in Asia somehow. If I were them I would exploit Austria and NZ since they have football of sorts already first. I know it could be done but they aint trying.

They also could go for Mexico and Canada (although Canada would get all protectionist about it, they could work a deal). Germany did pretty good from what I remember in NFLE, they just didn't do the whole Europe thing right.

They could also have farm leagues in smaller cities in the US, I know college ball does that for them now but look at the financal oppertunity they ignore, it's crazy

 

IMO, the real problem is that development takes time and cash up front and they (the owners) can't own the NFL only the teams so there is no real profit for them to think long range and outside the community they are in, hell they have to compete against each-other on the financial playing field it is not in their best interests to work toward a global market.

[Glory Bound]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

Interesting thought, but I seriously doubt whether marketing played much of a factor in the draft...if any. If so, they would have picked Tebow #1. Secondly, I doubt whether Russ Brandon had any influence on draft day.

[CookieG]

So what, now the Bills aren't moving to TO but are moving to Beijing?

 

Man, that's gonna mess w/ the Fishes and the Cheatriots travel schedules.

 

No, just a Buffalo- Beijing series. They do have a cool stadium, and with or without Wang, should bring in more than the 2 dozen people Toronto does.

Edited September 2, 2010 by CookieG

[peteski]

I hear we might be playing home games in Beijing once the deal in Toronto is done.

[RTW2012]

NFL merchandise revenue is divided equally among all 32 teams. If a billion Wang jerseys are sold in China, the Bills would get the same amount from the sales as Jacksonville, Dallas, or any other NFL team.

[Thisistheyear]

No, I don't think that ever entered anyones mind. In fact I'm willing to bet you, out of billions of humans on planet Earth, are the only person to think there is a connection.

 

PTR

 

Well, I had a very similar thought immediately after the pick. I'm not saying we drafted Yao Ming here. However, Russ Brandon is too astute of a marketer to not at least consider the possibility that having a Chinese American on the team could help drive the Buffalo Bills brand. I'm not talking jersey sales, I'm talking about exposing a brand to a gigantic overseas market. There's also a population of over 3 million Chinese Americans living on our soil.

 

Although, as I re-read your post, it seems to be dripping in sarcasm. Not sure how I missed that on the first read.

[Thurman#1]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

 

 

 

Because the NFL is really trying to increase the sales of knockoff jerseys in China?

 

Somehow I doubt the Chinese will pay more for a legit jersey. It might help the league, especially in the very long run, but isn't likely to help the Bills much.

 

Also, with Yao Ming, you can watch him score or block shots. With an LT, assuming he becomes a good one, you can watch him run into a guy like a bull and dance around him while the camera tracks away from him. LT isn't a glamor position even if it's a very important one.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Thurman#1

[NyQuil]

Celtic FC (who I absolutely hate) take advantage of the Asian market every season. In the past they have actively sought one player. from the Far East. For a few seasons they had Shunsuke Nakamura who started his career as a superstar in Japan. His signing by Celtic worked as far as merchandising and greatly increased the Scottish club's presence. This season they signed Cha Du-Ri, a South Korean national team player.

 

Hey, if it works in soccer it could work here.

[CodeMonkey]

Hey, if it works in soccer it could work here.

Except that soccer is already the worlds most popular sport.

[NyQuil]

Except that soccer is already the worlds most popular sport.

 

The NFL is growing world wide. I am saying it will work, but it could.

[PS 56]

We all know last year T.O. was brought in not only because of his abilities but another huge part was to increase revenue for the Bills by selling tickets because of his presence on the team and merch sales like jersey's & such .

 

So i started thinking, with Russ Brandon being a good sales person and knowing how to make money for the team as far as the Toronto series & all.

 

Have any of you thought that there may have been some thought put into bringing Wang here from the financial side of things before the pick in the draft was made or was it solely because he was a good player .

 

Because think about the jersey sales and financial possiblities in China ??

 

I hate to think that way, but in today's world greed is a motivating factor for a lot of things & seeing as Wang was the first NFL player of Chinese decent --- could they have looked at what say -- Yau Ming brought to the NBA & thought HEY JUST MAYBE ????

 

I for one hope that he was picked for his talent and will make our team a lot better years to come because of his ability's & not for financial gain . But i'm just sayin !!!

 

Based upon your title, you had my head scratching. But I see your point. After all, the Bills are a business and they need to make a profit. The word "Greed" is a bit strong with its negative connotations. Lets face it, you want to keep the team in Buffalo? You want them profitable as all heck.