YoloinOhio Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Interesting ... @JohnKryk: Per @DailyNewsVinny, Toronto or London are #Rams owner Stan Kroenke's fallback destinations if can't move to LA: http://t.co/fzzNXoUD6T Sources have mentioned Kroenke might simply go back to the Edward Jones Dome on one-year leases, and turn attention to Toronto or London, Bonsignore wrote. And if the Chargers and Raiders move to Los Angeles, the Bay Area and San Diego could be markets he looks at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Didn't he already purchase the land for a stadium in CA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 Didn't he already purchase the land for a stadium in CA?yes, he has property but may get squeezed out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Terrible decision if the league doesn't put the Rams back in LA. Help Oakland find the $ to stay where they belong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Linen Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 What's wrong with the St. Louis market? Or is it over a stadium or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'm just so relieved that western NY doesn't have to go through the stress of the constant speculation that one's team is a candidate to be moved. We had that threat overhanging for so long. That threat seemed to become more imminent and serious as the owner got older. The Toronto series made that issue even more real. I'm so thankful that the Pegulas not only bought the franchise but that they also got involved in the community. Their ownership enlivened the fan base and brought hope that the team would be operated in such a way that it would become a serious team in the league. Squabbling over the team is so much more enjoyable than worrying over the survivability of the franchise in the region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 What's wrong with the St. Louis market? Or is it over a stadium or something? Probably stadium related. Still, St. Louis is very much a baseball town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonabb Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 What's wrong with the St. Louis market? Or is it over a stadium or something? Nothing. It's NFL owner greed. The city wouldn't close its eyes and bend over when he ask to replace his 20 year old stadium so he pouted like a baby and decided to leave. I've said it many times, put a team in Toronto, realign the divisions and put them with the Bills, maybe the Browns and Steelers too. Make regional divisions as much as possible. The geographic names of the divisions are the best NFL joke ever. My guess is they rename them after the teams move around to the Kraft Divison, Jones Division, Synder Division.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'm just so relieved that western NY doesn't have to go through the stress of the constant speculation that one's team is a candidate to be moved. We had that threat overhanging for so long. That threat seemed to become more imminent and serious as the owner got older. The Toronto series made that issue even more real. I'm so thankful that the Pegulas not only bought the franchise but that they also got involved in the community. Their ownership enlivened the fan base and brought hope that the team would be operated in such a way that it would become a serious team in the league. Squabbling over the team is so much more enjoyable than worrying over the survivability of the franchise in the region. If the NFL puts a franchise in Toronto, it will be pretty tough on the Bills. I believe about 30% of tickets comes from Southern Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC in St. Louis Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 St. Louis is a baseball town, but it is also a great sports town. The problem is, they've sucked for years, and the owner has all but ignored the fans. They know he wants to move the team and he does not give one tiny bit of concern toward the people of Missouri. There is a ton of resentment toward that guy. He's taken advantage of a horribly written lease for years, and now the city is thinking about building a billion dollar stadium for the Rams. They just sold the naming rights for about $110 million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I have yet to read anywhere a good explanation for how the NFL's special non-profit/anti-trust exempt status granted by the federal government would be affected by moving a franchise out of the country. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't, but it seems to me the behemoth that is the NFL would have already found a way to put a franchise in Canada. They're the only league without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 If the NFL puts a franchise in Toronto, it will be pretty tough on the Bills. I believe about 30% of tickets comes from Southern Ontario. I think it would be fine. I believe i read it's more like 17%. A good number are likely from Southern Ontario like st catharines, welland, ft erie etc. Many canadians come for the atmosphere. I'm sure a toronto team would serve a different clientele. There is an insane number of people in southern ontario. I think the bills could continue to draw over 10k from there. You also would expect a toronto team to create more nfl interest across the border and possibly more ticket holders here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 If the NFL puts a franchise in Toronto, it will be pretty tough on the Bills. I believe about 30% of tickets comes from Southern Ontario. I don't see a team being moved to Toronto primarily because it doesn't have an adequate stadium. Canada and the local authorities are different from the US and its political environment because they are less likely to give significant subsidies to build a facility. I'm not saying it won't happen but the local and national governments are less amenable to use taxpayer $$$ for a private venture owned by a billionaire. When the bidding got in the billion $$$ plus range for the auction for the Bills the Rogers/Bon Jovi group understood that the financial numbers did not add up to allow for a viable business venture.For them the calculation not only needed to include the cost of the franchise but also the major cost of a new facility covered by them. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobu Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) St. Louis is a baseball town, but it is also a great sports town. The problem is, they've sucked for years, and the owner has all but ignored the fans. They know he wants to move the team and he does not give one tiny bit of concern toward the people of Missouri. There is a ton of resentment toward that guy. He's taken advantage of a horribly written lease for years, and now the city is thinking about building a billion dollar stadium for the Rams. They just sold the naming rights for about $110 million. This is pretty much spot on. I lived in St. Louis for about 6 years after high school my whole Mom's side of the family is like 6 generations deep there. This is Bill Bidwell and the Cardinals take two. Almost the exact same circumstances. St. Louis will not miss the Rams until they are gone, much like the Cardinals. Ironically, I was a football Cardinals fan when I was a kid. Neil Lomax, Otis Anderson... Good times. Then Bill Bidwell ripped the heart out of my chest and I picked up my Dad's team. Funny how things work out. Otis Anderson killed us in 25. And it's not just Missouri, there is a huge fan base on the East side. Belleville, Alton, Wood River, Edwardsville, Troy, etc. Edited October 8, 2015 by Show Me The Baby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'm just so relieved that western NY doesn't have to go through the stress of the constant speculation that one's team is a candidate to be moved. We had that threat overhanging for so long. That threat seemed to become more imminent and serious as the owner got older. The Toronto series made that issue even more real. I'm so thankful that the Pegulas not only bought the franchise but that they also got involved in the community. Their ownership enlivened the fan base and brought hope that the team would be operated in such a way that it would become a serious team in the league. Squabbling over the team is so much more enjoyable than worrying over the survivability of the franchise in the region. you said it man. I'd rather complain about X, or Y, than worry that the team may not be here. At least, unlike my Pirates, the Bills have an ownership group that tries to win and spends the money necessary to do so. Whether they succeed or not, or make the right moves, at least they are putting their full effort forward. Not all sports teams do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 i thought Toronto was a part of our region? wasn't that always the argument for us playing games there? either way, who cares. they love the CFL in ontario. they will be playing to half empty stadiums, much like what they have now in STL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 you said it man. I'd rather complain about X, or Y, than worry that the team may not be here. At least, unlike my Pirates, the Bills have an ownership group that tries to win and spends the money necessary to do so. Whether they succeed or not, or make the right moves, at least they are putting their full effort forward. Not all sports teams do that. my boss is a Pirates fan too - sorry about the loss. The wild card format sucks IMO. Sorry about going OT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 you said it man. I'd rather complain about X, or Y, than worry that the team may not be here. At least, unlike my Pirates, the Bills have an ownership group that tries to win and spends the money necessary to do so. Whether they succeed or not, or make the right moves, at least they are putting their full effort forward. Not all sports teams do that. You bring up an interesting issue with the Pirates. Many people categorized Pittsburgh as simply being a football town and not a baseball town. But that was an unfair characterization. The Pirates had a rich baseball history.Their owner for a very long time was using the shared MLB money to buy down his debt and increase his equity instead of investing in the franchise. The fan base withered because the owner allowed the team to become non-competitive due to selfish financial reasons. That same dynamic of fiscal driven management was also happening during the last decade of the Wilson era with the Bills. Once the Pirate franchise started to be operated in a serious manner the team correspondingly became a more talented team. Clearly the fan base has positively responded. The attendance has taken a tremendous jump upwards with many capacity crowds and the region has supported the team with great enthusiasm. If ownership acts responsibly and demonstrates its loyalty to the customers by presenting a quality product the fans will respond in kind. The Pirates are a good example of that and the Bills under the Pegulas are another obvious example of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 If the NFL puts a franchise in Toronto, it will be pretty tough on the Bills. I believe about 30% of tickets comes from Southern Ontario. It would likely expand the market for the Bills much like it does for the Sabres. You'd have a lot more people from Toronto coming down to Bills home games. Sabres also have a lot of fans in Southern Ontario with the behemoth of the Leafs franchise in Toronto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vorpma Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'm just so relieved that western NY doesn't have to go through the stress of the constant speculation that one's team is a candidate to be moved. We had that threat overhanging for so long. That threat seemed to become more imminent and serious as the owner got older. The Toronto series made that issue even more real. I'm so thankful that the Pegulas not only bought the franchise but that they also got involved in the community. Their ownership enlivened the fan base and brought hope that the team would be operated in such a way that it would become a serious team in the league. Squabbling over the team is so much more enjoyable than worrying over the survivability of the franchise in the region. Well said!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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