ThurmasThoman Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I agree with you and I think this is why the new owner is putting on his "we're staying in FLA face". On the flip side, I really believe the Bills are not in WNY - as soon as 2015.... The way the league is going it has outgrown Buffalo and our perpetual mediocrity, (if we are even that good). When it occurs, I believe the other owners will approve a relocation of the franchise.... I don't have sources deep within the organization or anything like that, just a feeling that when the old man dies, it's all over.... couldn't disagree more. nfl doesnt belong in cleveland cincinnatti green bay pittsburgh indianapolis et. al there's lots of "unsexy" cities with teams. but the bills have toronto in their backyard, history, and a fanbase that the league knows will turn out 80,000 strong to see a winner. oh, and a stadium, no matter how old and sh*tty it is. owners won't want to see the entire western new york/toronto disappear. not when jax, sd and oakland are all viable candidates, not to mention st. louis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 couldn't disagree more. nfl doesnt belong in cleveland cincinnatti green bay pittsburgh indianapolis et. al there's lots of "unsexy" cities with teams. but the bills have toronto in their backyard, history, and a fanbase that the league knows will turn out 80,000 strong to see a winner. oh, and a stadium, no matter how old and sh*tty it is. owners won't want to see the entire western new york/toronto disappear. not when jax, sd and oakland are all viable candidates, not to mention st. louis. I saw Rep. Bob Filner on the news yesterday talking about the Chargers new stadium issue. I'm not sure how much influence he has, but his opinion was that if the Chargers want the City of San Diego to pay for a 1 billion dollar stadium , they want part ownership of the team. The newscaster said the NFL doesn't do that anymore, he said everything is negotiatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toshiero Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Colin Cowherd was basically saying today that a billionaire from Chicago (the new owner of Jags) may have said he wants or intends to keep the team in Florida...but with a new stadium approved in LA, he'll move them in 3 years. Jacksonville can't sell out their upcoming Monday night football game (and that's with 25 percent of the seats blocked off already - they are still 10,000 seats short - FOR A MONDAY NIGHT GAME!!!!). The new owner bought the team to make money...what better opportunity than a brand new stadium in a huge city. In my opinion, despite our team record, we still place high on the attendance list....and we DO have the best fans in the NFL (Green Bay is a close second in my opinion)....so there ya have it....straight from Cowherd (LOL). We're safe. We have the best fans? Wait till the new owner says Bills fans have to start paying realistic ticket prices. We will see then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICanSleepWhenI'mDead Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 The only thing that matters really, is the lease. Here's an article with a link to the original lease, and all 10 of the amendments. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/229143/3/The-Jaguars-Lease-Agreement-with-Jacksonville I haven't read it yet… I know the original lease was signed in 1993. Don't know when it runs until or what if any buyout clause exists. Perhaps my buddy ICanSleepWhenI"mDead can give us the Cliff Notes version. Hey SJBF - - I started to take a look at this last month but it's fairly long and I got sidetracked. If you're still interested, post a reply and I should be able to find time to finish looking it over in the next few days (now that the Bills' season is over) - - but I don't want to spend the time if you've moved on from this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 We have the best fans? Wait till the new owner says Bills fans have to start paying realistic ticket prices. We will see then And start showing up in December. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section122 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/story/_/id/7442525/san-diego-chargers-commit-2012-season-san-diego Looks like SD is having commitment issues I seriously think this will be the team to move though as it is the easiest and most sensible move for the league. Jags, Bills, Vikings, etc would all require realignment to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpcolosi Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Why do people keep saying 80,000 strong? Do folks not realize a few things... 1.) the stadium has been decreased down to 73,000 2.) we had less than 50,000 at the last game of the season and have no sold out an entire season in quite awhile I love the Bills. I'm as big, or bigger, a diehard than most on this board. I honestly don't think they will leave assuming the State/County/Town shell out some $$$ to rehab the stadium (side note - has anyone with Poloncraz thought about hosting concerts there or doing something to raise more $$$ on an annual basis that can help fund the stadium refurbishment??). But, when we make arguments, you need to be factual. The team does not get 80,000 strong for every game. They struggle, as they did in the 90s, to sell out cold weather games, and the stadium, like Jacksonville whether you like it or not, has reduced seating capacity by 7,000 from it's heyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpcolosi Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 to add on to this: Has Rogers ever thought about the Blue Jays playing a series here against the Yankees? 20,000 more seats than the Skydome to sell out and an open air stadium. It would be of national interest and draw fans from Southern Ontario to Syracuse, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and maybe even a national TV appearence. Throw the Bills a small amount, say the annual revenue fee from Erie County for remodeling the stadium (currently $2-3mil), give locals more $$$ for parking fees, hotels, etc. It's things like that the county needs to look into to utilize RWS more and increase its current revenue stream to help pay for remodeling fee.s. Shoot - look into hosting the MAC championship, more concerts (last one was 2001), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTW2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I love the Bills. I'm as big, or bigger, a diehard than most on this board. I honestly don't think they will leave assuming the State/County/Town shell out some $$$ to rehab the stadium (side note - has anyone with Poloncraz thought about hosting concerts there or doing something to raise more $$$ on an annual basis that can help fund the stadium refurbishment??). The stadium concert is pretty much dead, except for the biggest acts in the largest cities. Concert promoters prefer smaller venues, ala the FN Center or Darien Lake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTW2012 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 to add on to this: Has Rogers ever thought about the Blue Jays playing a series here against the Yankees? 20,000 more seats than the Skydome to sell out and an open air stadium. It would be of national interest and draw fans from Southern Ontario to Syracuse, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and maybe even a national TV appearence. Throw the Bills a small amount, say the annual revenue fee from Erie County for remodeling the stadium (currently $2-3mil), give locals more $$$ for parking fees, hotels, etc. It's things like that the county needs to look into to utilize RWS more and increase its current revenue stream to help pay for remodeling fee.s. Shoot - look into hosting the MAC championship, more concerts (last one was 2001), etc. You do know the Ralph is a football stadium, right? No amount of "remodeling," save tearing it down and building up again, can reconfigure it to host a baseball game. The MAC championship game is not moving from the 10 yr old indoor Ford Field in Detroit to the going-on 40 yr old outdoor Ralph. Yes, I agree with your sentiment that the Ralph should be used more. This goes along with the logic that its eventual replacement should be a) located in downtown Buffalo (possibly Niagara Falls), and b) a covered stadium, to maximize its potential usage for more than just 7-8 Bills games a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 to add on to this: Has Rogers ever thought about the Blue Jays playing a series here against the Yankees? 20,000 more seats than the Skydome to sell out and an open air stadium. It would be of national interest and draw fans from Southern Ontario to Syracuse, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and maybe even a national TV appearence. Throw the Bills a small amount, say the annual revenue fee from Erie County for remodeling the stadium (currently $2-3mil), give locals more $$$ for parking fees, hotels, etc. It's things like that the county needs to look into to utilize RWS more and increase its current revenue stream to help pay for remodeling fee.s. Shoot - look into hosting the MAC championship, more concerts (last one was 2001), etc. Great idea on the baseball thing...last time we used the stadium for another sport was the NHL Winter Classic...would love to see pro baseball for a few games at the Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geno Smith's Arm Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Great idea on the baseball thing...last time we used the stadium for another sport was the NHL Winter Classic...would love to see pro baseball for a few games at the Ralph. Get a grip. As the poster above you noted. RW Stadium isn't the right dimensions for baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Several NFL teams have figured out ways to increase stadium revenues. Kansas City and Green Bay are good examples. Build an annex/wing to the stadium like these teams did. A Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame would certainly be a drawing card. Lease out space and house the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Build a Stadium Hall of Fame with scale models, histories, interactive exhibits, etc. Is there a Stadium Hall of Fame/Museum? Probably not. Did people think a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was a stupid idea? Probably so. Our civic "leaders" are all brain dead. Any region and it's people are mostly limited by imagination and the ineptitude of their leadership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBD Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 like Jacksonville whether you like it or not, has reduced seating capacity by 7,000 from it's heyday. They removed seats to add luxury boxes, they don't tarp off seats as in Jacksonville. Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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