Canadian Bills Fan Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/columnists/david-moulton/2014/04/16/business-nfl/7801009/ CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivermont Mike Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) The Fort Myers columnist equates the Bills being moved for $$ to the NFL acting like a "money-sucking pimp." "Commissioner Roger Goodell, the fate of the Buffalo Bills will determine your legacy. Do you want to be remembered as a leader? Or as a pimp?" Two questions: Do you think that the NFL "club of 32" really cares about a team being part of a community's identity? Does moving the Bills franchise diminish the NFL's popularity in other markets, or is this a big "who cares?" Edited April 17, 2014 by Rivermont Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I truly fear the NFL has lost so much touch they wouldnt bat an eye relocating the Bills in the name of $. There are some people who get "bothered" somehow by the NFL losing money, you see comments on ESPN and such "just move them to LA". For the most part, real fans should hate the idea and the more press this gets, the more "scared" off the NFL might get. They really do not want any self-inflicted bad press/PR. I do fear they may justify a move to Toronto by saying it is "only an hour away". People elsewhere in the country may be fooled into thinking that is nothing and we still have our team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 He nailed it. I remember a few years back when Cleveland was brought back, my father was talking about his faith in the league. That's when he started to really worry about the future of the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Good find. Nice to know there's some national sentiment on our side. I'd be happy if not a single NFL franchise moved over the remaining course of my life. Tradition ought to mean something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I truly fear the NFL has lost so much touch they wouldnt bat an eye relocating the Bills in the name of $. There are some people who get "bothered" somehow by the NFL losing money, you see comments on ESPN and such "just move them to LA". For the most part, real fans should hate the idea and the more press this gets, the more "scared" off the NFL might get. They really do not want any self-inflicted bad press/PR. I do fear they may justify a move to Toronto by saying it is "only an hour away". People elsewhere in the country may be fooled into thinking that is nothing and we still have our team. while it hasnt materialized seriously yet, that there were ever talks of the super bowl going to london i think blew any remaining idea that some things other than money are sacred to the nfl out of the water for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkAF43 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Stepping back as a Bills fan, I think if it happened to any of the teams that have a supportive and loyal fan base to have their franchise ripped from their town for more money, it would be the end of me being an NFL fan. This isn't about anything more than greed. The rich getting richer. Sometimes the almighty buck (or billions) of them have to take a back seat to loyalty and your fans that have been there and supported through the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I like everything about that article except the wide right reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 I agree 100% CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's telling that this guy thinks Roger Goodell is the one who decides which teams move where. Goodell doesn't even get a vote. Also, the author obviously isn't following the subject he is writing about. The new lease precludes any imminent moving of the Bills. Just another "sports writer" writing the same article that others before him have written. Has he also written an article bemoaning the much more likely moving of the Rams? while it hasnt materialized seriously yet, that there were ever talks of the super bowl going to london i think blew any remaining idea that some things other than money are sacred to the nfl out of the water for me. Beats Indy! Or Detroit, Minneapolis, Jacksonville........ Would they make more money broadcasting from London? I thought the rights are already sold/paid for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's telling that this guy thinks Roger Goodell is the one who decides which teams move where. Goodell doesn't even get a vote. Also, the author obviously isn't following the subject he is writing about. The new lease precludes any imminent moving of the Bills. Just another "sports writer" writing the same article that others before him have written. Has he also written an article bemoaning the much more likely moving of the Rams? I don't think that he mentions Goodell until the very end of the article. Everywhere else he's talking about "the league" and when he brings up the Kings he talks about the owners. I think you're too quick to dismiss what the guy had to say which is...the league controls who, what, when and where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's telling that this guy thinks Roger Goodell is the one who decides which teams move where. Goodell doesn't even get a vote. Also, the author obviously isn't following the subject he is writing about. The new lease precludes any imminent moving of the Bills. This is all true, but don't you think Goodell wields some "soft power" whereby he could make it really ugly for specific owners who don't stick with his program? I would imagine that if Goodell really doesn't want something to happen, it won't. There is too much $ involved to rock the boat significantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Is it weird that if the Bills ever did leave, the only city I would still root for them in is London? This is all true, but don't you think Goodell wields some "soft power" whereby he could make it really ugly for specific owners who don't stick with his program? I would imagine that if Goodell really doesn't want something to happen, it won't. There is too much $ involved to rock the boat significantly. You are correct. Goodell is very popular with the owners as evidenced by his perpetually growing annual compensation. I think he would indeed wield some power here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I like everything about that article except the wide right reference. I can even appreciate that. He's not a Bills fan by any stretch, but still recognizes what a terrible thing it is to rip the heart out of a loyal fanbase. I talk to plenty of fans of other teams who say it would be a goddamn shame if Buffalo lost the Bills. Hell, right in my office, within a hundred feet of my desk, there's a Pats fan, Steelers fan, Jets fan and Packers fan. They enjoy a little wide-right ribbing, but not a single one of them revels in the possibility of the Bills moving. They're all against it in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billykaykay Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's telling that this guy thinks Roger Goodell is the one who decides which teams move where. Goodell doesn't even get a vote. Also, the author obviously isn't following the subject he is writing about. The new lease precludes any imminent moving of the Bills. Just another "sports writer" writing the same article that others before him have written. Has he also written an article bemoaning the much more likely moving of the Rams? Beats Indy! Or Detroit, Minneapolis, Jacksonville........ Would they make more money broadcasting from London? I thought the rights are already sold/paid for. I live in Ft. Myers for the winter. I can tell you that David Moulton is a very respected writer. It's good to see media people from other than Bflo start griping about NFL greed etc.. It can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) The Fort Myers columnist equates the Bills being moved for $$ to the NFL acting like a "money-sucking pimp." "Commissioner Roger Goodell, the fate of the Buffalo Bills will determine your legacy. Do you want to be remembered as a leader? Or as a pimp?" Two questions: Do you think that the NFL "club of 32" really cares about a team being part of a community's identity? Does moving the Bills franchise diminish the NFL's popularity in other markets, or is this a big "who cares?" 1. No. 2. Some may make some noise at first, but ultimately "who cares". Edited April 17, 2014 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I don't think that he mentions Goodell until the very end of the article. Everywhere else he's talking about "the league" and when he brings up the Kings he talks about the owners. I think you're too quick to dismiss what the guy had to say which is...the league controls who, what, when and where. Well, he says Goodell's legacy is dependent on what happens to the Bills. There is nothing Goodell can do if the super majority of his bosses say it's OK to move the Bills. And why fret over the Bills possibly moving now when any new owner really can't even discuss/plan it for another 7 years? The Bills aren't going anywhere for years, if ever. This is just some dude taking his expected shot at the League. Meanwhile, Stan Kroenke just bought 60 acres next to the Fabulous Western Forum, he can walk away from his "Jonesdome" lease after this season and Anaheim just announced they could now hold NFL games in the recently renovated Rose Bowl (temporarily, perhaps?), and the author of this article doesn't even mention it. Does David Moulton think the fans in St Louis don't deserve their team? This is all true, but don't you think Goodell wields some "soft power" whereby he could make it really ugly for specific owners who don't stick with his program? I would imagine that if Goodell really doesn't want something to happen, it won't. There is too much $ involved to rock the boat significantly. Goodell having power over the guys who pay him to be their mouthpiece?? He doesn't have a program. This isn't the commissioner of the NBA. The reason he gets $30 million a year is to be the public face to absorb all of the heat generated by the league's actions and decisions. It allows the owners (generally) to be viewed as benign, even grandfatherly figures just trying to keep on a grand sporting tradition and bring entertainment to us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kellyto83TD Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Here is the bottom line, There is no other market in America wiling to sell out each season with a crap team like Buffalo Fans have. No fanbase in a new city will put up with that BS. And how are you going to move a perennially losing team? What City/State will envest in that? LA? No California is basically bankrupt. Bills fans will have to fork over more money for tickets (And they should) no more lowest in the NFL if you want to keep the team here. Luxury suites will need to be filled and screw being sentimental with Ralph, Naming rights must be sold. If that can happen I can't see the NFL letting essentially guanteed money walk out the door so to speak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Well, he says Goodell's legacy is dependent on what happens to the Bills. There is nothing Goodell can do if the super majority of his bosses say it's OK to move the Bills. And why fret over the Bills possibly moving now when any new owner really can't even discuss/plan it for another 7 years? The Bills aren't going anywhere for years, if ever. This is just some dude taking his expected shot at the League. Meanwhile, Stan Kroenke just bought 60 acres next to the Fabulous Western Forum, he can walk away from his "Jonesdome" lease after this season and Anaheim just announced they could now hold NFL games in the recently renovated Rose Bowl (temporarily, perhaps?), and the author of this article doesn't even mention it. Does David Moulton think the fans in St Louis don't deserve their team? In (I beleive) the first sentence he says that the legacy of the league is dependent on how the sale of the Bills is handled. I guess we each focus on what is important to us. I'm here because of the Bills so anyone's thoughts on a city that already lost an NFL franchise leaving for a city that's already lost 2 doesn't concern me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 In (I beleive) the first sentence he says that the legacy of the league is dependent on how the sale of the Bills is handled. I guess we each focus on what is important to us. I'm here because of the Bills so anyone's thoughts on a city that already lost an NFL franchise leaving for a city that's already lost 2 doesn't concern me. Beerball, it's Goodell's legacy he specifically links to the Bills. That's why I disagreed with what he said, not just focusing on that. "Commissioner Roger Goodell, the fate of the Buffalo Bills will determine your legacy. Do you want to be remembered as a leader? Or as a pimp?" In the beginning of the article, he just calls the league a money sucking pimp. Neither of us care about the fate of the Rams or St. Louis. But it seemed strange this guy would go on about a team that isn't going anywhere for a while, and rail on the NFL despite that fact, while ignoring the more likely move of the Rams. That's why I thought his article was misdirected and seemed a gratuitous shot. It's all cliches. I'm confident the Bills are staying put--and I'm the pessimist here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts