Big Turk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Not sure Buffalo will ever reach its previous level of prosperity but I applaud people like TP that have the willingness, the funding, and perhaps the vision to make things happen. Restoring the city center with things like Harbor Center seems like a worthy goal. With this I support the downtown stadium idea which could lead to all kinds of activity springing up around it. Buffalo continues to get a bad rap but I think its generally from people who have never been there. The weather issues are overrated. Sure it snows but the city rarely has any downtime as a result. This can't be said about many east coast cities but its generally true of the cities around the Great Lakes, another resource that can't be underestimated. Fresh water something many cities, for example the US southwest, are experienceing shortages (or maybe no shortage of water but too many people stressing the environment being the problem). Add hydroelectric power to the list of pluses and close proximity to the Canadian market. The big hang up probably being the high tax environment. The funny thing is when people from out of the area come here after hearing all the bad things, they almost always love the area... And I agree, it would be hard to restore it to its former level of greatness, but its not unrealistic to have a renaissance in the city similar to what Cleveland has done, and make it a vibrant, living and breathing city people want to come to again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Story from yesterday says Rogers will not bid and "the one Toronto group there is, apparently has begun to get out the message that it will not -- repeat, not -- relocate the team from Western New York". Great news! http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/NFL/2014/06/30/21776801.html Go Bills! They are lying. Of course they are going to move the team first chance they get. They have to say they are keeping the team in Buffalo because 1) the Bills are locked in a lease and 2) The trust wants to sell to someone with a long term plan of keeping the team in Buffalo. So JBJ and the Toronto group is trying to spread lies about keeping the team in Buffalo and using people like Jaws, who before yesterday we all trusted, to help spread these lies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) It would have been possible and effective to just say little, but keep JBJ in a positive light. The over-the-top and the obvious lying really rubbed me the wrong way. totally agree. a better lie would have been, "jbj hasn't really talked to me about his intentions, but i think he'd make a terrific owner." instead his response came across as overly defensive and straight up damage control. if the report that keeping the team in buffalo is a requirement of any sale is accurate, i'm expecting that "i love buffalo -- those people are blue collar just like me!" press release from jbj any moment now, followed quickly by he and pegula having a casual dinner at tempo. Edited July 1, 2014 by Dirtbag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 They are lying. Of course they are going to move the team first chance they get. They have to say they are keeping the team in Buffalo because 1) the Bills are locked in a lease and 2) The trust wants to sell to someone with a long term plan of keeping the team in Buffalo. So JBJ and the Toronto group is trying to spread lies about keeping the team in Buffalo and using people like Jaws, who before yesterday we all trusted, to help spread these lies No, they are being told by the NFL "Don't bother bidding without having a long term plan on how you will help the Bills succeed in Buffalo to present to the other owners" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 They are lying. Of course they are going to move the team first chance they get. They have to say they are keeping the team in Buffalo because 1) the Bills are locked in a lease and 2) The trust wants to sell to someone with a long term plan of keeping the team in Buffalo. So JBJ and the Toronto group is trying to spread lies about keeping the team in Buffalo and using people like Jaws, who before yesterday we all trusted, to help spread these lies And who, exactly, is going to believe those lies? The Wilson Estate? The other NFL owners? Doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Let's remember that there are terms included in the trust, and they very likely require more than an "I really really really promise to keep the team here" on behalf of the new ownership group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McD Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 No, they are being told by the NFL "Don't bother bidding without having a long term plan on how you will help the Bills succeed in Buffalo to present to the other owners" Plans are changed all the time. I don't want a plan, I want a damned guarantee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Plans are changed all the time. I don't want a plan, I want a damned guarantee! Lol, you don't even have a guarantee you will wake up tomorrow morning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McD Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Lol, you don't even have a guarantee you will wake up tomorrow morning... True that. But you know what I mean... I want a locked in, no BS guarantee the team will be here for 30 years or more. We need some level of security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Let's remember that there are terms included in the trust, and they very likely require more than an "I really really really promise to keep the team here" on behalf of the new ownership group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Plans are changed all the time. I don't want a plan, I want a damned guarantee! A guarantee huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 True that. But you know what I mean... I want a locked in, no BS guarantee the team will be here for 30 years or more. We need some level of security. The guarantee we are looking for would be a brand new stadium with a locked in lease. I just don't see us getting it done if we are depending on Cuomo. It's going to take some $ from the private sector. Perhaps something involving the Jacobs family or a huge investment from Pegula, or both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 No, they are being told by the NFL "Don't bother bidding without having a long term plan on how you will help the Bills succeed in Buffalo to present to the other owners" Link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 The guarantee we are looking for would be a brand new stadium with a locked in lease. I just don't see us getting it done if we are depending on Cuomo. It's going to take some $ from the private sector. Perhaps something involving the Jacobs family or a huge investment from Pegula, or both! I think private funding will cover at least 50%, if not more, of the cost, including the NFL stadium fund. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I think private funding will cover at least 50%, if not more, of the cost, including the NFL stadium fund. GO BILLS!!! i guess at the minimum 50% will be covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Link? No link, but that's more or less the gist of the message. I think private funding will cover at least 50%, if not more, of the cost, including the NFL stadium fund. GO BILLS!!! i guess at the minimum 50% will be covered. I would say anywhere from 30-60%...the good news is that there will be private money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRQ_BillsFan Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I would/will be scared if an outside buyer wins and then says we don't need a new stadium or can't get a deal done with the state. If they hem and haul just to waste time, I would be equally concerned that they are just waiting out the current lease. Any new stadium will come with a 30 year lease, this is a good assurance BTW, The monies from the NFL would count as the owners money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Story from yesterday says Rogers will not bid and "the one Toronto group there is, apparently has begun to get out the message that it will not -- repeat, not -- relocate the team from Western New York". Great news! http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/NFL/2014/06/30/21776801.html Go Bills! Unless there is some other Toronto group, besides Tannabaum/JBJ, with loads of cash, I still believe it's Pegulas team to have. The one person who may have tried to outbid Pegula and have the money to do so would have been Edward Rodgers. Even so, if a Toronto group won, if they are coming forward with a Buffalo plan and promising to stay in buffalo, it would be a monumental egg-in-the-face failure if the NFL approved this owner and then the team leaves. Something along the lines of the Cleveland debacle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) I believe this is correct in part. The NFL doesn't consider Canada to be part of their revenue (TV market). I don't believe they can due to their not for profit status with the government. This point was brought up before about if someone tried to move the team to Canada. Their status could be revisited and possibly revoked since they would become an international organization. I know there are international not for profit orgs but the NFL is a little different than Teach for All. Also if it was considered part of our market someone could potential move the team without having to worry about the relocation fee. I have been one of several to keep beating that drum about the NFL's special 501c6 non-profit status. I am not an expert by any means, but given my familiarity with the non-profit world, and what little reading up on it I've done, it seems like a pretty formidable hurdle to overcome to have an NFL franchise outside the states. The NHL has been international for 100 years. MLB for 50 years. NBA for 25 years. Did the biggest and most profitable of all the major sports leagues just discover Canada exists as a potential market for relocation/expansion in 2014? Reminds me of that great Homer Simpson quote about geography and Canada: "Oh, Marge, anybody could miss Canada, all tucked away down there." Edited July 1, 2014 by jimmyo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonabb Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Wanted to add to my comment from this morning what I was told by a local high-level manager re: Pegula buying the Bills which I think is important and also would add to the comments/reports of his impending ownership. The person I spoke with stated that Pegula has/is meeting with other owners and in addition to his much publicized sale of OGM leases, he's liquidated other financial assets/instruments, although I don't think he'd need to given the sale price of the OGM leases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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