The Real Buffalo Joe Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I like everything about that article except the wide right reference. I hated that too, but it was put there just to let people know that he is definitely not biased. I was nervous about Toronto too. I could very well see them making that justification until you think about it for a few minutes. A relocation to Toronto (like if Bon Jovi bought the Bills) would likely mean a complete rebranding of the team. I don't think they could pretend "it was only moving an hour away" That isn't to say Toronto isn't a possibility, it is just to say that I don't think they would be able to point and tell us its the same team just an hour away. JMHO The media, and the national perspective would make it seem that way. Hell, if they moved the team to NYC (not that they would, but hypothetically), they would make it out to be "Well they're still in the same state." Now with Toronto being an hour or two away, the PR people in the NFL will make it out the same way nationally to make it seem like we the fans are whining about nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 The threat of it would likely be enough to get them backed down, especially if he had other people in his corner on it... Those other owners and contacts don't have the threat of withholding their and their constituents votes on other, more pressing issues to the states of the other Senators. What would they be more worried about, the NFL owners being upset, or potentially losing millions of dollars in funding for their states with a retaliatory vote by Schumer against those who "screwed" him? Don't think for a minute that stuff and more doesn't happen there. Schumer is very well connected and wields considerable clout among his peers as Senator of one of the larger states. Those owners aren't paying them once they get voted out of office by their constituents... The power lies in the ability to withhold vital votes they need for other projects/funding that potentially get them voted out of office. Politics deals with a whole lot more than single issues by themselves No, it wouldn't. That makes no sense--at all! You can't threaten someone with taking away some thing you want them to have---in fact everyone wants them to have. Schumer, like you and me, wants the anti-trust exemption to remain. Do you think he wants to be the guy who killed football (well, at least in Buffalo and towns like it)? He absolutely knows that if he was every crazy enough to write such a piece of legislation it would go nowhere. It makes no sense for his political survival to even suggest it. Again, why would you want this to happen? The Bills would be gone in a flash... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 No, it wouldn't. That makes no sense--at all! You can't threaten someone with taking away some thing you want them to have---in fact everyone wants them to have. Schumer, like you and me, wants the anti-trust exemption to remain. Do you think he wants to be the guy who killed football (well, at least in Buffalo and towns like it)? He absolutely knows that if he was every crazy enough to write such a piece of legislation it would go nowhere. It makes no sense for his political survival to even suggest it. Again, why would you want this to happen? The Bills would be gone in a flash... This would be the chip he holds to prevent the NFL from trying to relocate the Bills if it came to that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThurmasThoman Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 The debate about Schumer's power, and anti-trust status of the NFL, is some of the best posting I've seen on here in awhile. National writers looking to cover every angle of this sale would be wise to comb through Bills message boards for talking points for their articles, because there is some really fantastic analysis on here that you really don't get anywhere else. I can't add much, but I would tend to think that Schumer's power doesn't come in such a literal sense in that he would be able to attack the stability of the league from a legal standpoint, but he wields power more in his ability to shape the national conversation. If you had a scale whereby a statment from the President of the United States was a 10, and an op-ed piece from Jerry Sullivan was a 1... a comment from Schumer would be 5 or a 6. Hypothetically, him saying at a press conference that "the Bills leaving Buffalo would be a terrible, terrible loss" could end up on the national evening news. It could make the casual to non casual fan take notice. It could make the paper, or the front page of ESPN. To the NFL, the all-mighty dollar is ALWAYS king. But that works 2 ways, and the owners know that. Bottom line: let me walk you through a scenario which the NFL owners would dread to the center of their souls, that shows the kind of power Schumer has in his words alone. 1) The Bills are sold to an owner with out of town ties, either an LA business tycoon, or Bon Jovi 2) Bills nation is angry, knows the team is gone in 6 years (when the lease is up) 3) (and this is the part that scares the hell out of the league) Bills fans have SIX years to make noise about the issue. Schumer references it on the senate floor. Obama is asked to comment on it. Schumer turns it into a "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure this doesn't happen to the fans of Buffalo" commercial. HE CAMPAIGNS ON IT. Suddenly, this move looks like it's hurting the league. Suddenly there's a story every night on sportscenter about the fate of the Bills in 6 years, how pissed off their fans are, what's happening from the politicians to help. 4) Heaven forbid the Bills make the playoffs in this stretch. Or.. WIN THE SUPER BOWL (stranger things have happened). Now, during the league's prominent, center-stage event, the commissioner has to answer questions about how a super bowl winning team could be allowed to relocate. (now look, some witty comedians on here are going to jump to the comments and say "you lost me at the Bills winning the Super Bowl." I get that it's unlikely. That's not the point. The point is it's a theoretical possibility at some point over the next 6 years.) That lease is more than it's 400 million termination fee. It's a guarnatee that the NFL will have to endure SIX SEASONS of bad press if the Bills are sold to an out of town owner. No, not smear campaign bad press. But just like the concussion story, there will be a bad taste associated with the league when they are brought up on non-sports programs, if it's because a US senator is speaking out about one of their teams relocating. The reason why Goodell acted so quick on the concussion issues is to make the bad press go away. The owners had to pay for that too, so it's not about "losing" money in a short term deal, it's about avoiding bad press. Good press = the league keeps growing. Bad press = less chance for expansion, less chance for money. Gotta spend money to make money, league will ultimately take a hit to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I was going to school in Ohio when the news broke that the Browns were leaving Cleveland. It was bad, bad, bad. It was surreal and I truly felt horrible for the fans of the Browns, whom have grown on me over the years. No fan should have to go through that. I won't go through it. If the BILLS leave, I'm done with the NFL. Forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) He is right, places like Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, etc are the soul of the NFL... It's a black eye on the NFL to have places like that with no teams, as you can tell by even when they allowed Cleveland to be relocated, they quickly replaced them... As much as we feel like we need the NFL, they might not realize it, but they need us just as much...our loyalty and love for the team runs deep in these places in a way other places cannot even comprehend. M2003, I didn't even want to bring that up...guys calling talk radio that had grown up going to games with their dads and it was just all coming to an end. Yes, grown men on the radio crying and it wasn't even remotely embarrassing. I don't know why I kept listening as it was just so gut wrenching. Paraphrasing one guy (and I can never get this out of my head) "we're losing our team and why are we just sitting around talking about it like it is just another sports story...my God, we're losing our team and I feel so powerless...there is nothing we can do about it...and I just can't even talk anymore..." Welling up as he hung up the phone. Edited April 17, 2014 by dollars 2 donuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I won't go through it. If the BILLS leave, I'm done with the NFL. Forever. Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kellyto83TD Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 This just in from Roger Goddell..'Pimpin' ain't easy!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I won't go through it. If the BILLS leave, I'm done with the NFL. Forever. I'd have to find out what teams voted against the move, and root only for those teams. But not with passion. Mostly for just cynicism towards the other teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 This would be the chip he holds to prevent the NFL from trying to relocate the Bills if it came to that... Wait.....you're messing with me right? Awww, you almost had me man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBILLSFAN Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 While Goodell doesn't have a vote, he has a TON of influence with the vast majority of owners and is the person responsible for running the league. I've been hoping one of our local journalists or a national writer would do a piece on the players involved in this sale and what their roles are. I think it would be great for us fans to know this to know how we can influence or participate, in addition to it being interesting to know, especially without our owner selling the team, is Mary ? the estate ? is the estate being run by Littman ? --- tons of questions. Back to Goodell, if he is for the team being in the city, you can bet he can influence the other owners who rely on his judgment and counsel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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