TXBILLSFAN Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I have been saying the same thing since it was known that the Bills were coming up for sale. The city has to put together it's best offer now, including a bright, shiny new stadium. The difference in value between a team in Buffalo playing at the Ralph and one playing in a new stadium in Toronto or Los Angeles is far too great. Buffalo needs to make it difficult for an owner to leave even if they can't quite compete with the Los Angeles. The time to do that is now, not in three or four years because by then it will be far too late. No new owner is going to buy the team without a plan and that plan isn't going to be "Buy the Bills and Hope Everything Works Out". If Buffalo doesn't have a solid deal on the table you can bet some other city will. Another city might anyway, but if Buffalo doesn't come to the table pre-sale then they are simply conceding losing the Bills. Then the city will end up trying to lure the Jags or another team here with at least as good of a deal. A deal they should have offered the Bills to stay. That is one hell of a hand to push all your chips in on. If that is what Buffalo is going to pin its hopes on then this is over - and not in a good way. I'm sure it will be a factor if bids are reasonably close. If not, then the decision is easy. I agree with you with respect to certain prospective owners, i.e. Trump -- but, I think Golisano and Pegula both would be comfortable buying the team and working out a deal sometime after on a new stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I agree with you with respect to certain prospective owners, i.e. Trump -- but, I think Golisano and Pegula both would be comfortable buying the team and working out a deal sometime after on a new stadium. I don't doubt that some prospective owners would do that. But again, their valuation of the franchise will be less than that of a prospective owner who has a good deal already worked out with LA, for instance. That's a bid that should be higher, so that's the bid that would almost certainly win. That is my concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBILLSFAN Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I don't doubt that some prospective owners would do that. But again, their valuation of the franchise will be less than that of a prospective owner who has a good deal already worked out with LA, for instance. That's a bid that should be higher, so that's the bid that would almost certainly win. That is my concern. Yes/No. As pointed out by others, there is a fairly standard model that has been worked out for a lot of the new stadiums that have been built over past several years -- state/local pay X%, PSL/suites X%, NFL X% and owner X% --- I suspect, Buffalo would fall into that breakdown with perhaps a bit less on PSL's/suites and more on one or more of the other parties --- if LA or Toronto promised to completely fund a stadium, that would certainly change the rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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