Petition - FIRE RUSS BRANDON NOW!!!

[hondo in seattle]

Per the news releases, the Bills make more than double their usual take for each game in Toronto.

 

Think about it this way... if a potential new owner who sees this contract in place, what does this do to the odds he will move the Bills out of Buffalo?

 

As much as you may hate the Toronto series, it may be one of the brightest spots keeping the team from moving out of town. Add in the new stadium lease and you begin to realize that a certain 94-yr old owner is actually doing a great deal to keep Buffalo from losing their team.

 

This is a good thought. The Bills have signed a stadium lease and now a contract with Toronto. Both these inked agreements make it more difficult for a new owner to relocate the franchise.

 

I'm hoping we have a 10 year deal with St. John Fisher with a $10 million opt out clause. The more signed deals tying us to the region, the better.

[May Day 10]

the terms of the Toronto deal may not make it any more difficult. We just dont know yet (and may (hopefully) never know).

 

it could just as easily have a 'right of first refusal' clause on the purchase of the team and the $ up front is a down payment.

 

Maybe Ralph's estate gives back a prorated amount.

Edited January 29, 2013 by May Day 10

[Thisistheyear]

The hatred for the Toronto series is infantile. It provides much needed revenue and exposure to a gigantic market. If you're not smart enough or too thin skinned to understand that, please just let it go.

Also, petitions are super gay.

[McBeane]

The hatred for the Toronto series is infantile. It provides much needed revenue and exposure to a gigantic market. If you're not smart enough or too thin skinned to understand that, please just let it go.

Also, petitions are super gay.

 

Do you want to start up a petition with me to end all petitions?

[SlamnSam]

Please add me to fire the fool list.

[FLFan]

This is the way it is. Todays announcement should be no surprise. It sucks, but it is going to continue on this path and people just need to get over it. If the Toronto series helps stabilize the revenues and keep the team in Buffalo with Ralph's passing then it is a good thing. Buffalo is a small market and shrinking, not growing. Exapanding beyond Buffalo to gain additional revenues is smart business, and good for the future of the team.

[Keukasmallies]

Ya gotta stop thinking about the Bills as a product that needs to win to succeed; not the case, as demonstrated by profit/loss sheets. The Bills simply need to "be" to make $; on field results are not a first tier criteria for success.

[VABills]

The team makes money and they don't even sell out half of the seven home games they have. People when you buy all the tickets for those seven then you have a reason to complain. Right now the team has to stay financially viable.

[apuszczalowski]

they are a profitable team, giving up the competitive edge that the ralph affords them is inexcusable. it is a money grab, all the nonsense of expanding the fan base rings hollow when you look at pittsburgh, green bay.. just win, raise the prices at the ralph , whatever.. if that is not enough, sell the freakin team!

Green Bay, the team that did this exact same thing for decades?

THE TEAM IS ONLY PROFITABLE BECAUSE RALPH HAS ZERO DEBT ON THIS TEAM WHICH A NEW OWNER WILL NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF

 

The team loses at the Ralph just the same as it loses everywhere else. Over the last 6 seasons (since the 2007 season) they have yet to win 20 games total at RWS, explain to me again how losing one game a year is going to hurt this team winning?

 

IF YOU DON"T WANT THE BILLS TO LOSE A HOME GAME PLAYING IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL BE MORE LIKE AN AWAY GAME (OR DOESN'T HAVE THE RWS ATMOSPHERE) MAKE THE 90 MINUTE DRIVE TO TORONTO AND CHEER FOR THE TEAM

 

the Sabres lose money. The owner doesnt care. He wants to win. As a result, they are able to raise prices and people are spending more. With a more favorable CBA, they might make money. The team markets better in print, on TV, and amongst the NHLPA.

 

Then you have Russ Brandon who during his self promoting P.C. borrowed the same exact lines that Pegula used when he bought the team. It is all B.S.

 

It is also nearly impossible to lose money in the NFL

The Sabres are also an asset that was purchased for around $200 million dollars INCLUDING the arena that they play in.

The Bills are a team that is valued at around 4x's that amount without the stadium, and are currently owned by someone who has zero debt on the team therefore everything they bring in is profit.

Theres a big difference here.

[BillnutinHouston]

There are simply so many other ways to bring fans and corporate support to the team from Toronto, like possibly SELL naming rights to a toronto based business? SELL luxury suites and packages to toronto based businesses? SELL advertising to toronto based businesses? SELL tickets and travel packages to toronto residents?

 

Think the team's long term survival in Buffalo is the reason for this abomination? Then why is the City's name not present in the promotional material?

 

OP: See, here's where you lost me.

 

In terms of operting a profitable NFL franchise, naming rights are a drop in the bucket and make no appreciable difference.

 

Selling luxury suites/boxes, advertising, and travel/ticket packages to Toronto businesses and customers - do you not think they have tried? Really?

 

On the point about the Toronto series being important to the long term viability of the Bills in Buffalo, think about this strictly in terms of a) market share and b) a prospective new ownership group. If a group is willing to consider keeping the team in Buffalo, MIGHT it be advantageous to show that the Bills can be marketed to Southern Ontario, or is it better to just ignore that market segment? If possible, stop thinking as a fan (with your heart), and start thinking as a prospective new owner of the team. Brandon is trying to make lemonade out of the lemons in terms of positioning the team optimally and MAKING IT AS ATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT OWNER TO KEEP THE TEAM IN BUFFALO.

[BillnutinHouston]

Yeah, I'm sure if they didn't sell their annual game to Toronto, the team would fold. Give me a break.

 

Read my post - it's about the NEXT owner.

[Adam]

This looks insane to me.

[May Day 10]

Read my post - it's about the NEXT owner.

 

If Ralph sells the team, say next Summer, and he was already paid out, and they lose 4 home games over the following 4 years to Toronto, doesnt that make the team less appealing?

 

 

 

Edit: Wouldnt be surprised to see Rogers take a light buy-out since their aspirations for the Toronto NFL team would be done at that point.

Edited January 29, 2013 by May Day 10

[BillnutinHouston]

As much as you may hate the Toronto series, it may be one of the brightest spots keeping the team from moving out of town. Add in the new stadium lease and you begin to realize that a certain 94-yr old owner is actually doing a great deal to keep Buffalo from losing their team.

 

^^ Someone gets it.

 

So I guess that it has not been overly publicizied, but the new toronto series will call for 2 games, YES 2 games played in Rogers center each year, and that's somehow GOOD for Buffalo?

 

Care to revise your statement, counsellor?

Edited January 29, 2013 by BillnutinHouston

[davspo]

Look at the up side- one less good awful, poorly coached, uninspired game we have to sit though at the Ralph!

[Captain Hindsight]

Bills winning percentage in Toronto 20% 1/4

 

Bills winning percentage out of Toronto 32% 24/75

 

They suck either way.

[BuffBill]

I agree with you. He continually sells out games for a team that has not been to the playoffs in 13 years. Taking our your frustration on someone who has nothing to do w/ the poor quality of play over the past 13 years while trying to increase the fanbase in a shrinking city that is on economical hard times is absurd. We need the Toronto money, and the move that Brandon has made to get more fans from Rochester and CNY (which is largely lost on the anti-Brandon crowd). We need to regionalism, that is the TRUTH. You may not like it, you may wish that the economy and population of Buffalo was not shrinking, but they are. Fact is, if it weren't for Brandon recognizing this, this team would have no hope for a future in Buffalo.

 

 

 

Without the efforts to reach out to the CA fan-base, the Canadians would not come to the Ralph.

 

 

 

A well-though out response! I'd rather send Brandon a thank you card for his efforts than sign this poorly though out petition.

I would like to see a study done, because Canadians have been coming to Bills games for decades before this money grab series ever started. Also, it is possible that alot of Canadians won't make their annual trip to Orchard Park now, because they bring this disaster of a team to them?

[ChuTheFat]

It's not a "money grab". It's a "revenue stream". If you insist on thinking of it as a "money-grab" then technically every single game (home/away/other) should also be classified as a "money-grab" because all of them pull in cash for the purpose of running the operation and generating profit. All those player jersey's and other paraphernalia would also be nothing but a "money-grab" as well. Generally, most people just call it "capitalism".

 

A 94-yr old owner signs a stadium deal that anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together should be able to see will last longer than the owner himself. A 5-yr Toronto series deal? Really? Who's laying odds on good ol' Ralph still being around by the end of that contract?

 

Any potential new owner looking at the Bills will see 2 things... 1) long-term stadium deal already in place (no moving the team), and 2) a lucrative revenue stream coming out of Toronto that will double the income over at least one home game each year. Move the team and the Toronto series goes "poof" along with the lucrative revenue stream.

 

Note to fans: Ralph has just about guaranteed the team will be around longer than he will. Permanently? No, but at least not walking away from the city in the middle of the night like the Irsay's did to Baltimore.

[BuffBill]

It's not a "money grab". It's a "revenue stream". If you insist on thinking of it as a "money-grab" then technically every single game (home/away/other) should also be classified as a "money-grab" because all of them pull in cash for the purpose of running the operation and generating profit. All those player jersey's and other paraphernalia would also be nothing but a "money-grab" as well. Generally, most people just call it "capitalism".

 

A 94-yr old owner signs a stadium deal that anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together should be able to see will last longer than the owner himself. A 5-yr Toronto series deal? Really? Who's laying odds on good ol' Ralph still being around by the end of that contract?

 

Any potential new owner looking at the Bills will see 2 things... 1) long-term stadium deal already in place (no moving the team), and 2) a lucrative revenue stream coming out of Toronto that will double the income over at least one home game each year. Move the team and the Toronto series goes "poof" along with the lucrative revenue stream.

 

Note to fans: Ralph has just about guaranteed the team will be around longer than he will. Permanently? No, but at least not walking away from the city in the middle of the night like the Irsay's did to Baltimore.

The difference is, it is a money grab when you put your team at a disadvantage that no other team has on an annual basis for the sake of money. That my friend is a money grab. Plain and simple.

[Peter]

Why would anyone want to get rid of Russ. He is well respected around the NFL, is a good at the business side, and (most importantly for me) is an upstate guy who genuinely wants and is doing what he can do to keep the Bills where they belong -- in Buffalo.