Please don't build a dome! (unless it's like Arizona's

[PromoTheRobot]

 

I still dont understand what events are going to be held in a 63,000 seat indoor stadium between January and April that the FNC cant hold. I guess UB can play there, but they cant draw any fans.

 

They might come if it wasn't freezing cold to watch. Remember UB drew 26K last year at RWS.

 

 

Maybe a Final Four one time.

 

We already host regionals on a regular basis. If we do a good job with the World Juniors hockey championship, why not a Final Four or a Frozen Four?

 

 

Maybe a Wrestlemania one time?

 

Why not once a year?

 

 

Doubt they will start a low level bowl game because nobody local would show up.

 

Nothing wrong with 20K coming to town for a bowl game. Still boosts the economy.

 

 

I also don't understand how there is a need for high end amenities and seats here that would require an indoor stadium. There isn't that kind of clientele in WNY... at least not a whole lot.

 

Actually the city is changing in that direction. Won't be like the Jerruh Dome, but it will have more amenities. There is a market for it here.

Edited January 5, 2016 by PromoTheRobot

[Chandler#81]

I've only seen football inside a couple domes, but they both lacked that "game day ambiance" you'd like. The new one going up in Atlanta looks pretty cool though. Crazy retractable top in multiple sections. Maybe the best of both worlds. Or the worst? I'm actually torn on this as I see both sides.

 

http://mercedesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Falcons-stadium.jpg

Cool.

I gotta say, I attended the game last year @ Houston and it was everything The Fun Police is bitching about. Terrible, sterile atmosphere.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Build a dome to make it easier and more attractive for an older, more upscale, classier clientele to attend the games. Get rid of the drunken idiots that make the city and the fanbase look foolish. I have no issue what drinking and tailgating but getting absolutely plastered and making and ass of yourself has to be stopped.

A dome will make the drunken idiots who attend games more dignified? Or will they stay home because it's a dome? Don't think so. Actually, rowdy fans should liven things up at a dome in Buffalo. The baseball games I've attended at Toronto's dome almost made me feel like I was at a wake

[May Day 10]

Yeah, that game at RWS for UB had a decent amount. Probably more like 15K Id say (I was there) the weather was still poor... but it was as big a game as they could have... and was hyped all season. I would say optimistically if they built up... UB could draw 15-20K game in a decent stadium... and it doesnt need to be indoors. I would go to more games, but UB Stadium is the worst venue I have ever seen. Maybe if they advanced into a better conference, Joe and Jane sports fan may be more interested? I could see a conference be interested in our TV market and new stadium. Temple took off.

 

I could see them maybe getting a Final Four... possibly a frozen four there but would a 63K seat stadium be applicable to that? Wrestlemania cant be there every year, it moves around like the Super Bowl.

 

 

Ultimately, Im fine with whatever. Im grateful to be having this conversation. By then, Ill be 10 years older and probably in a different frame of mind. Right now I do think there is a gigantic aesthetic difference between, say the Lions home games and the Steelers, Broncos, Seahawks, Bills, etc.

[RevWarRifleman]

Pittsburgh should be the model for any new Bills stadium, IMO.

 

Good, basic, clean stadium that fits the identity of the team. Can you imagine a Steelers dome?

 

MAYBE you could lure a Super Bowl here, but I doubt it. Other than that, you would be taking away a big part of what makes Bills football great (when the team is winning).

 

We are about to start watching playoff games. There will be snow, crazy fans, wind. It adds to the ambiance of the games. A dark, sterile, ugly dome just cannot compete with a place like Gillette Stadium (I almost threw up when I typed that) in the snow.

 

Imagine a dome over Lambeau Field. It would be freaking sacrilegious! I say the same thing is true for a dome in Buffalo.

 

I do have ONE caveat. The Arizona dome is an AWESOME stadium. It is so bright with natural light due to its construction that it's almost like being outside. They even have a grass field that gets rolled outside into the sun between games (that wouldn't work here obviously).

 

Arizona NEEDED a dome because it's like 100 degrees there half the time. But overall, pro football should be played OUTSIDE in the elements. It's part of what makes this game great.

 

"Oh you must not be a season ticker holder! It's cold!"

 

Boo hoo.

 

It's cold in New England*.

It's cold in Cleveland.

It's cold in Chicago (the windy city)

It's REALLY cold in Green Bay. Dangerously so half the time.

It's cold in Pittsburgh.

It's cold in New Jersey.

It's cold in Philadelphia.

It's cold in Denver.

It's cold in Seattle.

It's cold in Baltimore.

It's cold in Cincinnati.

It's cold in Kansas City.

 

So are Bills fans softer than fans in those cities? Not at all. Just look at the Jets game! Bills fans sold out the stadium and went to watch the team go 8-8.

 

Imagine a world where the Bills are actually GOOD again! January. Snow falling. Home playoff game in the divisional round!

 

Now imagine a cold, sterile, dark, airplane hangar like half the NFL domes are.

 

No comparison.

 

Open air stadiums are cheaper and just plain better. The stadium sells out most years now as it is.

 

Lower the capacity a bit, add some new cool features, and field a winning team. There ALREADY is demand for Bills tickets now.

 

PLEASE NO DOME IN BUFFALO! (unless it's pretty much a copy of Arizona)

Yeh, where else would you rather be..............?

[Augie]

Cool.

I gotta say, I attended the game last year @ Houston and it was everything The Fun Police is bitching about. Terrible, sterile atmosphere.

We were at the Georgia Dome last week for the Peach Bowl and it's pretty sterile feeling. But not as bad as the old Metro Dome in Minneapolis where the Bills lost to the Skins in the SB. What a dump, and 9 degrees outside. Yippee! The new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta seems to have a lot of glass and natural light even if the dome is closed, so maybe it will be better. Edited January 5, 2016 by Augie

[Santana]

Building a stadium that has a retractable roof is not "Buffalo like" but monetarily it's way more beneficiary. It's hard to compare Buffalo to cities because a lot of other cities have multiple arenas/stadiums to hold major events. Buffalo not so much. Having a new enclosed stadium could ultimately lead to hosting a Super Bowl one day, NCAA tournament. Plus if Buffalo did go to a dome/retractable roof stadium I have no doubt that it would be one of the best in the country.

[KDIGGZ]

Put an overhang over the fans and open top over the field and endzones (think female body part shaped or baked potato if you don't like that reference)

[Augie]

Hosting Super Bowls keeps getting mentioned. Do we even have the hotel rooms and all the other stuff needed? And, while it's very cool, it's a ONE time deal.

[coldstorage5]

This past weekends game is why I became a Bills fan, ( 10 year old in NYC).

Declining the ball, that caused a poor punt. Field position, Snow, Wind, Loud crowd, a big home field advantage.

Thats Bills Football, I hope they never become like the Vikings, stale, indoor sterile football.

NO DOME!!!

[nucci]

Hosting Super Bowls keeps getting mentioned. Do we even have the hotel rooms and all the other stuff needed? And, while it's very cool, it's a ONE time deal.

We don't have the city for a SuperBowl. What would people do?

[bbb]

Hosting Super Bowls keeps getting mentioned. Do we even have the hotel rooms and all the other stuff needed? And, while it's very cool, it's a ONE time deal.

 

It seems like we're constantly building new hotels, so maybe by now or soon, we will.

 

I vote for open air, though! I do think Pitt is the model. I turn on a game and it's a dome, esp. the Superdome and it immediately turns me off. I turn on Lambeau or Steelers, etc. and I'm sticking with that game just for the aesthetics for some time.

 

[Heitz]

If they build a domed stadium, can they build a domed Hammer's Lot next door?

[ALF]

Survey what the players prefer.

 

Would good players re-sign for less to play in good conditions?

 

Would FAs be more willing to sign here with a indoor stadium.

 

It could have natural grass if rolled out to a climate controlled structure with sun lamps.

[Augie]

We don't have the city for a SuperBowl. What would people do?

I drank in the hotel bar with a bunch of Germans with limited English skills (far exceeding my German skills) and went to Pizza Hut in Minneapolis. So, there's that....

[nucci]

I drank in the hotel bar with a bunch of Germans with limited English skills (far exceeding my German skills) and went to Pizza Hut in Minneapolis. So, there's that....

I had a great time in Minneapolis,too

Edited January 5, 2016 by nucci

[TheFunPolice]

The point that I am making is that it has been an issue in Buffalo (regardless of whether or not it has been an issue in Pittsburgh). The potential for 1 outdoor hockey game a decade isn't going to drive a decision on the stadium. It is going to come down to how they can maximize nonshared revenue and what assets that they can create to do just this. It isn't even about the number of tickets sold as much as it is who has those tickets. If those tickets are $5,000 a season and 100 of them are included in Anchor Bar's $1.5M sponsorship package the Bills are thrilled. They would be even more thrilled if that money went right to marketing instead of tickets, but you get the point.

 

I appreciate your response.

 

In the end, I'm just glad that this is a conversation we can have!

 

And if it is a retractable roof stadium or a glassy dome like Minnesota and it has to be closed for economic reasons I could get with it.

 

Just say NO to Ford Field II. Or anything like the Superdome. Or the St. Louis dome (which along with Atlanta's current stadium has to be one of the worst looking venues in the league)

Edited January 6, 2016 by TheFunPolice

[tedstrong]

No dome...Please please please! Inside is sterile. Bills fans have a rep of being hearty!

[Punching Bag]

I agree with you. However, I've been to Arizona's dome plenty of times and it's nothing like being outside. Open stadium, please.

Been to it and had a poor view - not as poor as from Maryland's but not a seat I'd like to sit again in. Can not think of one seat in the Ralph I would not want to sit in again except the ones in first two rows behind players and they have been tarped off.

Let UB use it. Build it downtown. With a patriotplace type thing and a football version of harborcenter.

Went to UB but not in current era but if they put it downtown when I was a student I'd tell them to pound sand. Most of students are on Amherst campus now.

[SoulMan]

Just don't ever take away the tailgating like they did in Dallas.

[bobobonators]

Seahawks stadium looks sick. I want ours to look much like that. Just looking at it I feel intimidated. Lmao

[zonabb]

I'd cough up my seasons if they built a dome. If I'm going to watch a game indoors, in a t shirt, I'll do it on my couch with a nice six pack I can get for the price of a warm beer at the stadium and a cheaper seat with a better view! I don't think they care about fans like me, they care about wealthier fans who wants everything to be easy and clean and warm and carefree so they can chat, surf the web, and socialize. It'll turn into a Sabres game.. woman dressed up for a fashion shoe and an atmosphere more like the theater than a stadium. The reputation as a diehard fan base will take a hit. It'll take a hit anyway as prices will go up and push many out. But it'll be decidedly more conservative and boring.

[Punching Bag]

I ask a ton of people this year remodel the Ralph or downtown stadium. Overwhelming Remodel the Ralph. When I did a TV interview a couple of weeks ago, the TV reporter brought the d-stadium idea up. She had so many unbias negative points about the d-stadium. I still think the Pegulas might try something with the ECC south land sorta of like Patriots place or a variation of the Cowboys Ford Center at the Star.

 

There is much which can be done at The Ralph which has not been done before because each was a patch for less than 10 years.

 

Biggest issue is transportation:

• They need to have have express buses to rail/satellite lots with dedicated lanes which would allow a large portion of fans to quickly disperse giving those who choose to park closer shorter drive times.
• They need to work with customs to allow Canadian fans quick access on express buses to Canada since bridges are bottlenecks.
• They used to have rail packages for fans in East; bring them back.
• Add covered walkways / tunnels away from stadium
• The Bills should look at working with ECC South. Dorms, duo use of lots, etc.
• The stadium could be covered more without it becoming a sterile dome and this would be more sustainable than an air supported dome which may collapse under snow weight (see Minnesota). Leave end zones and field uncovered with most of stadium seats covered. All of that snow needs to go somewhere and usually it goes in parking lots making driving and parking more difficult.

Trying to turn the open air fans into a dome fans will cause loss of sales both from tickets and merchandise. Look at KC Chiefs stadium, GB stadium, etc as model - putting it downtown will not necessarily help sales.

[Manther]

No need for a dome. Downtown would be great.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

I appreciate your response.

 

In the end, I'm just glad that this is a conversation we can have!

 

And if it is a retractable roof stadium or a glassy dome like Minnesota and it has to be closed for economic reasons I could get with it.

 

Just say NO to Ford Field II. Or anything like the Superdome. Or the St. Louis dome (which along with Atlanta's current stadium has to be one of the worst looking venues in the league)

Yeah, I think Houston or Indy will be more the model (just a guess).

 

You are right though that it is great to have this conversation. Stability isn't something that we have had in a long time. I really feel for the fans of the Raiders, Rams and Chargers.

[RyanC883]

Only eight games a year.

 

This year, how many fit your "romanticized" Bill's snowy weather ?

 

Build a Dome.

 

There will NEVER be a Super Bowl here regardless, but perhaps the building could be used for other things.

 

Part of the reason of putting it downtown...............

 

exactly. Plus, when it's -40 degrees, people tend not to show up. Even in the Super Bowl years. A dome keeps the prospects of luring the Super Bowl, and also provides a multi-sport complex for NBA preseason games, perhaps a college basketball tourney, etc.

Seahawks stadium looks sick. I want ours to look much like that. Just looking at it I feel intimidated. Lmao

 

We do need an intimidating dome if we have a dome. I do not like the Indy and Det domes. The Carrier Dome is MUCH better than those domes.

Just don't ever take away the tailgating like they did in Dallas.

 

BTW, the Steelers stadium is downtown. Which is convenient, but makes tailgating much more difficult. Fans here also sell their tickets when the weather turns cold (under 30 or so). Plus, the weather is not nearly as cold/snowy in Pittsburgh as Buffalo.

 

It all comes down to the fans in the end. If we build a dome, it won't be sterile. WE WILL BE IN IT!!!!

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Pittsburgh should be the model for any new Bills stadium, IMO.

 

Good, basic, clean stadium that fits the identity of the team. Can you imagine a Steelers dome?

 

MAYBE you could lure a Super Bowl here, but I doubt it. Other than that, you would be taking away a big part of what makes Bills football great (when the team is winning).

 

We are about to start watching playoff games. There will be snow, crazy fans, wind. It adds to the ambiance of the games. A dark, sterile, ugly dome just cannot compete with a place like Gillette Stadium (I almost threw up when I typed that) in the snow.

 

Imagine a dome over Lambeau Field. It would be freaking sacrilegious! I say the same thing is true for a dome in Buffalo.

 

I do have ONE caveat. The Arizona dome is an AWESOME stadium. It is so bright with natural light due to its construction that it's almost like being outside. They even have a grass field that gets rolled outside into the sun between games (that wouldn't work here obviously).

 

Arizona NEEDED a dome because it's like 100 degrees there half the time. But overall, pro football should be played OUTSIDE in the elements. It's part of what makes this game great.

 

"Oh you must not be a season ticker holder! It's cold!"

 

Boo hoo.

 

It's cold in New England*.

It's cold in Cleveland.

It's cold in Chicago (the windy city)

It's REALLY cold in Green Bay. Dangerously so half the time.

It's cold in Pittsburgh.

It's cold in New Jersey.

It's cold in Philadelphia.

It's cold in Denver.

It's cold in Seattle.

It's cold in Baltimore.

It's cold in Cincinnati.

It's cold in Kansas City.

 

So are Bills fans softer than fans in those cities? Not at all. Just look at the Jets game! Bills fans sold out the stadium and went to watch the team go 8-8.

 

Imagine a world where the Bills are actually GOOD again! January. Snow falling. Home playoff game in the divisional round!

 

Now imagine a cold, sterile, dark, airplane hangar like half the NFL domes are.

 

No comparison.

 

Open air stadiums are cheaper and just plain better. The stadium sells out most years now as it is.

 

Lower the capacity a bit, add some new cool features, and field a winning team. There ALREADY is demand for Bills tickets now.

 

PLEASE NO DOME IN BUFFALO! (unless it's pretty much a copy of Arizona)

 

Yes to the Dome.

 

It's not about the cold its about a multi-use facility that can be used for more than just football. (I would prefer a retractable Dome, some genius engineer should design it so that the dome can come down all the way down the sides so that when it is open it is an undomed stadium)

[MarkyMannn]

Dome! And sit in your seat too

[PromoTheRobot]

We don't have the city for a SuperBowl. What would people do?

What is there to do in Detroit, Indy and Minneapolis in winter? All cities that hosted Super Bowls. Indy created a Super Bowl park downtown. And we have Canalside, a space where something similar could go. As for hotels, we are light locally but if you include rooms in NF,ON we have enough.

 

DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME!

Edited January 6, 2016 by PromoTheRobot

[KD in CA]

Who gives a crap about hosting one Super Bowl? Domes suck.

[bbb]

I'd cough up my seasons if they built a dome. If I'm going to watch a game indoors, in a t shirt, I'll do it on my couch with a nice six pack I can get for the price of a warm beer at the stadium and a cheaper seat with a better view! I don't think they care about fans like me, they care about wealthier fans who wants everything to be easy and clean and warm and carefree so they can chat, surf the web, and socialize. It'll turn into a Sabres game.. woman dressed up for a fashion shoe and an atmosphere more like the theater than a stadium. The reputation as a diehard fan base will take a hit. It'll take a hit anyway as prices will go up and push many out. But it'll be decidedly more conservative and boring.

 

I had been thinking about the difference between Sabres and Bills atmospheres lately, and theater sounds about right.

 

[purple haze]

I ask a ton of people this year remodel the Ralph or downtown stadium. Overwhelming Remodel the Ralph. When I did a TV interview a couple of weeks ago, the TV reporter brought the d-stadium idea up. She had so many unbias negative points about the d-stadium. I still think the Pegulas might try something with the ECC south land sorta of like Patriots place or a variation of the Cowboys Ford Center at the Star.

I love seeing games in Orchard Park, but I would love going downtown too. The days of building up suburbs at the expense of the cities are over for the foreseeable future. Cities are realizing downtown areas are important for the development and overall reputation of a city. A downtown stadium won't just be a downtown stadium; it will, more than likely, come with infrastructure changes that will help the area outside of Sunday's, i.e. revamped rail, public transportation and road development, as well as entertainment/retail spaces.

 

And if they retrofitted the Ralph where do the play in the meantime? Toronto? London?

I wonder what the cost/benefit really is with a new stadium vs a total retrofit of the Ralph, like Green Bay did with Lambeau field.

 

You also have to factor in the infrastructure issues with a downtown stadium, which would be significant. Plus then you have all those facilities in OP going to waste (as well as the infrastructure).

Infrastructure development would be a part of a stadium going downtown. I doubt it would just be a stadium. There would be development of public transportation, railway, roads, etc. Which would help the city in general, outside of just the stadium. I could see where the Pegula's pay for the stadium privately and the state/county and citizens of Erie County pay for the infrastructure upgrades as that will benefit everyone: residents and visitors alike year around.

Edited January 6, 2016 by purple haze

[jester43]

Pittsburgh should be the model for any new Bills stadium, IMO.

 

Good, basic, clean stadium that fits the identity of the team. Can you imagine a Steelers dome?

 

MAYBE you could lure a Super Bowl here, but I doubt it. Other than that, you would be taking away a big part of what makes Bills football great (when the team is winning).

 

We are about to start watching playoff games. There will be snow, crazy fans, wind. It adds to the ambiance of the games. A dark, sterile, ugly dome just cannot compete with a place like Gillette Stadium (I almost threw up when I typed that) in the snow.

 

Imagine a dome over Lambeau Field. It would be freaking sacrilegious! I say the same thing is true for a dome in Buffalo.

 

I do have ONE caveat. The Arizona dome is an AWESOME stadium. It is so bright with natural light due to its construction that it's almost like being outside. They even have a grass field that gets rolled outside into the sun between games (that wouldn't work here obviously).

 

Arizona NEEDED a dome because it's like 100 degrees there half the time. But overall, pro football should be played OUTSIDE in the elements. It's part of what makes this game great.

 

"Oh you must not be a season ticker holder! It's cold!"

 

Boo hoo.

 

It's cold in New England*.

It's cold in Cleveland.

It's cold in Chicago (the windy city)

It's REALLY cold in Green Bay. Dangerously so half the time.

It's cold in Pittsburgh.

It's cold in New Jersey.

It's cold in Philadelphia.

It's cold in Denver.

It's cold in Seattle.

It's cold in Baltimore.

It's cold in Cincinnati.

It's cold in Kansas City.

 

So are Bills fans softer than fans in those cities? Not at all. Just look at the Jets game! Bills fans sold out the stadium and went to watch the team go 8-8.

 

Imagine a world where the Bills are actually GOOD again! January. Snow falling. Home playoff game in the divisional round!

 

Now imagine a cold, sterile, dark, airplane hangar like half the NFL domes are.

 

No comparison.

 

Open air stadiums are cheaper and just plain better. The stadium sells out most years now as it is.

 

Lower the capacity a bit, add some new cool features, and field a winning team. There ALREADY is demand for Bills tickets now.

 

PLEASE NO DOME IN BUFFALO! (unless it's pretty much a copy of Arizona)

I love you man!

[jester43]

This past weekends game is why I became a Bills fan, ( 10 year old in NYC).

Declining the ball, that caused a poor punt. Field position, Snow, Wind, Loud crowd, a big home field advantage.

Thats Bills Football, I hope they never become like the Vikings, stale, indoor sterile football.

NO DOME!!!

This!!

 

I do not get to many games any more because of family/work responsibilities. When I could come (more 95-05 mainly) it was mostly December games. There is nothing better than bundling up and being outside in the winter hanging out with your friends. I mean, geez, is it really that hard to dress for December in Buffalo? Some people talk about it like its the South Pole

 

But when my boys get older you're damn right I'll be back. . And I do not want to take them to a dome. I want them bundled up like Eskimos throwing the football with fires and food cooking on all four sides of them just like we do now. And I want them to get to see the hang-dog expressions of the other team when we get up and the weather gets nasty. No one remembers how much fun that Miami game was when the blizzard rolled in and they just quit?

 

NO DOME.

[Corp000085]

Dome if it's on the taxpayer's dime. Open air if Pegula is self-financing it and wants it.

[nucci]

What is there to do in Detroit, Indy and Minneapolis in winter? All cities that hosted Super Bowls. Indy created a Super Bowl park downtown. And we have Canalside, a space where something similar could go. As for hotels, we are light locally but if you include rooms in NF,ON we have enough.

 

DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME! DOME!

Just because they had SuperBowls in those cities doesn't mean it was a great time for fans. Having said that, Minneapolis was fun but we did drink a lot.

[8-8 Forever?]

I would be really, really surprised if they didn't have a roof. The Bills need to sell more expense seats and in order to do so they need an environment that caters to the business community.

Plus in order to have other events there the 8 months of the year when the weather is crap it will need a dome. Domed stadiums were invented for climates like WNY. Having said that, I don't want a new stadium at all, bc I know that is what it will be.. Plus to get a super bowl will need to have a dome

Edited January 6, 2016 by 8and8-->NoMore

[ALF]

As long as the Bills stay in WNY , whatever stadium the Pegulas want is fine with me.

[MOFO]

If I were king-

 

Retractable roof like AZ with the caveat established before it is built, that Bills games will be played open air, in the elements the way god intended. That will eliminate the issue over why the Bills had the roof open for Miami one week in December, and then had it closed the following week for Green Bay. The roof will only be used to make the stadium more comfortable for tractor pulls, dog shows and Rolling Stones concerts. It would be good to be king...

[BarleyNY]

Torn on this issue. I prefer to see games outside, but a dome would be better for the city and a retractable roof is likely to be cost prohibitive.