buffalonian Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I'm curious as to whether Ricky Williams has a following in Toronto as a result of his time with the Argos; and if so, will this following result in a large contingent of Miami fans at the game on 12/7. Ricky said some positive things about Toronto before he left: "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here, Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Williams Also, interesting to note that before going to Texas to play football, Williams played baseball for Batavia in the New York - Penn league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I would expect that there may be several DEALERS that miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flbillsfan#1 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 There will be MANY Miami fans at the game. The Bills will have NO home field advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 There will be MANY Miami fans at the game. The Bills will have NO home field advantage. Why would that be true? There are a lot of Bills fans up north, and I don't suspect there are may fins fans up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heels20X6 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Why would that be true? There are a lot of Bills fans up north, and I don't suspect there are may fins fans up there. For some reasone FLBillsFan thinks that Toronto is a Miami hotbed....despite me telling him numerous times (as a person BORN and RAISED in Toronto) that the city is 50% Bills fans with the other 50% split amongst the other teams. The next largest fan base in Toronto (and I'd say its 10 to 15%) is the Patriots bandwagoners. After that it would be Steeler fans. Miami is NOT popular in Toronto. Why would they be? The team itself is nearly on the opposite side of the continent and has been sucking fierce for many years until now. Combine the two and you have fan apathy. Ricky Williams was met lukewarm in Toronto. The city liked him as a person but he barely played with the Argos (calling it a cup of coffee would be an overstatement) because he spent half the one season on the IR with a broken arm. It wasn't like he tore up the league, set rushing records and won a Grey Cup. Raghib "the Rocket" Ishmael is more popular in Argo lore than Ricky is. He's just a footnote. When Torontonians make up 20% of the Bills season ticket base (according to Jaws), how would they not have home field advantage in that city? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endless Ike Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Why would that be true? There are a lot of Bills fans up north, and I don't suspect there are may fins fans up there. Bills fans have 7 other opportunities to see the bills in action for 1/4 of the price, and we already know the tickets aren't selling as well as one might hope... while there may not be a lot of fins fans, they will definitely be a significantly larger percentage than a regular home game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heels20X6 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Bills fans have 7 other opportunities to see the bills in action for 1/4 of the price, and we already know the tickets aren't selling as well as one might hope... while there may not be a lot of fins fans, they will definitely be a significantly larger percentage than a regular home game Again, even if EVERY Miami fan in Toronto showed up to the game, you're looking at maybe, maybe 10,000 people. I became a Bills fan as a small child because everyone in my neighborhood was a Bills fan. I still have a lot of family in TO (a lot of them going to game) and they tell me that Toronto is still pro-Buffalo. You also have to take into account that the Toronto media has always covered the Bills as though they were the 'home' team of Toronto. Following 15 minutes of Leafs coverage that is....but still, the Bills are covered by TO media much like a small city outside of Buffalo covers the team. They send reporters, they do stories on the players. When Trent was hot, there were numerous articles about him in the local paper....and when the Bills started slumping....there were articles wondering why too. The media coverage may be amped up this year due to actually getting a game but they have always been covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I'm curious as to whether Ricky Williams has a following in Toronto as a result of his time with the Argos; and if so, will this following result in a large contingent of Miami fans at the game on 12/7. Ricky said some positive things about Toronto before he left: "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here, Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Williams Also, interesting to note that before going to Texas to play football, Williams played baseball for Batavia in the New York - Penn league. Seeing as Ricky Williams was pretty bad in the CFL and then immediately left once he had the opportunity, I don't really see too many people being in love with him there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Bills fans have 7 other opportunities to see the bills in action for 1/4 of the price, and we already know the tickets aren't selling as well as one might hope... while there may not be a lot of fins fans, they will definitely be a significantly larger percentage than a regular home game Right. This would be due to the renound traveling prowess of those die-hard Miami fans? C'mon dude, seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I'm from Toronto. Buffalo definitely has the most fans followed by Dallas and Pittsburgh. There are a smattering of Cleveland, Oakland, Miami, and Green Bay fans as well. Of course, you always see a lot of jerseys for the "hot" teams. For instance, a few years ago, you would have seen a lot of Ravens, Colts, Patriots and Falcons jerseys. There will be a small contingent of Miami fans. I suspect it will be 40% Bills, 15% Fins, and 45% casual fans who won't make any noise or care either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 FWIW, I have noticed a lot of ads down here in Miami trying to sell tickets and vacation packages to Dolphin fans for the Toronto game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalonian Posted November 26, 2008 Author Share Posted November 26, 2008 FWIW, I have noticed a lot of ads down here in Miami trying to sell tickets and vacation packages to Dolphin fans for the Toronto game. Hmmm? Leave sunny and warm Miami for Toronto in December? Hopefully those travel packages aren't selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numark Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 Miami can't even fill up there own stadium. Why would there be a big following in Toronto? It will have mostly bills fans, and feel like a home game. Just not as a good as if it was in buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flbillsfan#1 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 For some reasone FLBillsFan thinks that Toronto is a Miami hotbed....despite me telling him numerous times (as a person BORN and RAISED in Toronto) that the city is 50% Bills fans with the other 50% split amongst the other teams. The next largest fan base in Toronto (and I'd say its 10 to 15%) is the Patriots bandwagoners. After that it would be Steeler fans. Miami is NOT popular in Toronto. Why would they be? The team itself is nearly on the opposite side of the continent and has been sucking fierce for many years until now. Combine the two and you have fan apathy. Ricky Williams was met lukewarm in Toronto. The city liked him as a person but he barely played with the Argos (calling it a cup of coffee would be an overstatement) because he spent half the one season on the IR with a broken arm. It wasn't like he tore up the league, set rushing records and won a Grey Cup. Raghib "the Rocket" Ishmael is more popular in Argo lore than Ricky is. He's just a footnote. When Torontonians make up 20% of the Bills season ticket base (according to Jaws), how would they not have home field advantage in that city? You now live in Ottawa, pretty far from Toronto. I have a number of relatives that live in Toronto & have visited them since I was a kid for a week or two at a time. I also had a summer place in Ont. for a while. I would agree about 50% of the City is Bills fans, that means there will be no homefield advantage if the other 50% at the stadium are not. I have said before many Canadians VACATION in Florida & MANY of them have adopted Miami as their team. I think there will be a number of Canadians at the game from places other than Toronto, maybe even a few from Ottawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 You now live in Ottawa, pretty far from Toronto. I have a number of relatives that live in Toronto & have visited them since I was a kid for a week or two at a time. I also had a summer place in Ont. for a while. I would agree about 50% of the City is Bills fans, that means there will be no homefield advantage if the other 50% at the stadium are not. I have said before many Canadians VACATION in Florida & MANY of them have adopted Miami as their team. I live in Toronto and think this is a load of crap. Canadians go to Florida and watch the Jays in spring training or the Maple Leafs against the Panthers or Lightning. Nobody visits there and comes back a Dolphins fan. They are well behind Dallas and Pittsburgh and even New England for Toronto's second most popular team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flbillsfan#1 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 I live in Toronto and think this is a load of crap. Canadians go to Florida and watch the Jays in spring training or the Maple Leafs against the Panthers or Lightning. Nobody visits there and comes back a Dolphins fan. They are well behind Dallas and Pittsburgh and even New England for Toronto's second most popular team. I agree about watching baseball & hockey but a number of them also watch football - even if only in sports bars. I have talked to a number of them. I'm just saying the Bills will not have a normal homefield advantage because of the crowd, the same as it was in preseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 It will be a bit better than the preseason game. No matter where you play a preseason game, nobody really cares that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 It will be a bit better than the preseason game. No matter where you play a preseason game, nobody really cares that much. This was the ultimate load of crap. High priced perseason tickets. I felt bad for the people that actually paid for them. What a rip off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flbillsfan#1 Posted November 26, 2008 Share Posted November 26, 2008 This was the ultimate load of crap. High priced perseason tickets. I felt bad for the people that actually paid for them. What a rip off. I agree, but there were a NUMBER of people that bought those tickets & went to that game that weren't Bills fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKing Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I'm curious as to whether Ricky Williams has a following in Toronto as a result of his time with the Argos; and if so, will this following result in a large contingent of Miami fans at the game on 12/7. Ricky said some positive things about Toronto before he left: "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here, Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Williams Also, interesting to note that before going to Texas to play football, Williams played baseball for Batavia in the New York - Penn league. JP will be heading to toronto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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