San Jose Bills Fan Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I think it's ridiculous that people still make false accusations. Naming the stadium after Ralph was not his idea...it was the idea of the NYS Governor and the Erie County Commissioner at the time. It actually was called Buffalo Bills Stadium for a while after the deal with Rich Products expired No false accusations Philster. As I stated before the Bills own the naming rights to the stadium. They can call it whatever they want or sell the naming rights (whoever buys the rights is subject to approval by the county). Here's the excerpt from the lease: "4.2 Naming of Stadium Complex. (a) The Bills shall have the exclusive right to name, or contract from time to time with any Person or Persons on such terms as the Bills may determine with respect to the naming of the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof; provided that (i) the term during which any such name shall apply shall expire no later than the end of the Term (whether due to the attainment of the Stadium Lease Expiration Date or any earlier termination or cancellation thereof) and (ii) given the substantial interest of the County and the ECSC in the Stadium Complex and the public character thereof, the Bills shall not permit any name to be given to the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof except in accordance with this Section 4.2." The term of the lease is till 2013 with certain escape clauses. The Bills (Ralph) have chosen not to sell the rights till now and therefore have made the choice to call it Ralph Wilson Stadium. And here's the lease itself: http://www.erie.gov/billslease/stadium.phtml Hope this clarifies the discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLynchTrain Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 No false accusations Philster. As I stated before the Bills own the naming rights to the stadium. They can call it whatever they want or sell the naming rights (whoever buys the rights is subject to approval by the county). Here's the excerpt from the lease: "4.2 Naming of Stadium Complex. (a) The Bills shall have the exclusive right to name, or contract from time to time with any Person or Persons on such terms as the Bills may determine with respect to the naming of the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof; provided that (i) the term during which any such name shall apply shall expire no later than the end of the Term (whether due to the attainment of the Stadium Lease Expiration Date or any earlier termination or cancellation thereof) and (ii) given the substantial interest of the County and the ECSC in the Stadium Complex and the public character thereof, the Bills shall not permit any name to be given to the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof except in accordance with this Section 4.2." The term of the lease is till 2013 with certain escape clauses. The Bills (Ralph) have chosen not to sell the rights till now and therefore have made the choice to call it Ralph Wilson Stadium. And here's the lease itself: http://www.erie.gov/billslease/stadium.phtml Hope this clarifies the discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I don't have a big problem with not selling naming rights, even though when the economy was good, that money might have made the difference in getting one more good player on the roster. As I mentioned in the above post, the money from selling naming rights might have made a difference in getting one more good player on the roster. The lowest paying deal is Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. The Jaguars receive about $620,000/year. HSBC bank pays about $800,000 a year for the rights to the arena the Sabres play in. The lower end for most NFL stadiums is about $1 million/year. This money could possibly be used to add to someone's contract (Fred Jackson for instance) or to sweeten the offer to a free agent to bring him into the fold. Of course we'd never get the $7.6 million/year that Fedex pays to name the Washington Redskins stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfreak Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 If you think FedEx is a good stadium, you really are the village idiot on this board. It's possibly one of the worst stadiums in the league with sight lines and pillars in front of seats. What stadium built in the last 15 years has obstructed view seating? I think the atmosphere at redskins games is absolutely terrible too...a product of this corporate football crap where people go to network rather than watch a football game. There is a also a reason why Snyder wants a new stadium built after they got one only ELEVEN YEARS AGO.... its a terrible stadium! And you're talking about "landscaping" at a stadium? God, every post makes me laugh with this guy. Is everyone in Jacksonville like you? And what are your ties (if any) with Buffalo? Is it because you like Labbatt Blue that you suddenly became a bills fan? I agree, as I stated in an earlier post, FEDEX is the worst stadium/atmosphere I have ever seen. And who goes to NFL games to look at the landscaping? I can go to a botanical garden for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 There is nothing wrong with RWS. It's a football stadium. Not a spa or a french restaurant or cappuchino bar. There isn't a bad seat in the place. It's loud. You can tailgate freely. And best of all regular people can still afford tickets to games. Bills fans don't know how good they have it. Anyone who calls Ralph Wilson a moneygrubber has their head firmly situated in their colon. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 There is nothing wrong with RWS. It's a football stadium. Not a spa or a french restaurant or cappuchino bar. There isn't a bad seat in the place. It's loud. You can tailgate freely. And best of all regular people can still afford tickets to games. Bills fans don't know how good they have it. Anyone who calls Ralph Wilson a moneygrubber has their head firmly situated in their colon. PTR Just send them to other stadiums and see how it really is. Very few places tailgate like we do and you don't have to take out a loan to pay for tickets and parking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyemike Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I agree, as I stated in an earlier post, FEDEX is the worst stadium/atmosphere I have ever seen. And who goes to NFL games to look at the landscaping? I can go to a botanical garden for that. Most real Redskins fans pine for the days of RFK...I've been told that the stadium used to literally shake whenever the Skins made a big play. That would have been a great atmosphere to watch a game in. My dad was a Washington Redskins fan for many years. He used to go to games when the Redskins played at Griffith Park, which tells you how many years ago that was. There's a really good write up on FedEx Field by your fellow Buffalonians at the Ultimate Sports Road Trip site here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Baltimore's stadium is nice, but there's a lack of tailgating for cars...then again, nothing is really going to compare to Ralphie, Arrowhead or some other large outdoor stadiums. I hope they play at Ralphie Wiggam Stadium for another 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Philster Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 No false accusations Philster. As I stated before the Bills own the naming rights to the stadium. They can call it whatever they want or sell the naming rights (whoever buys the rights is subject to approval by the county). Here's the excerpt from the lease: "4.2 Naming of Stadium Complex. (a) The Bills shall have the exclusive right to name, or contract from time to time with any Person or Persons on such terms as the Bills may determine with respect to the naming of the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof; provided that (i) the term during which any such name shall apply shall expire no later than the end of the Term (whether due to the attainment of the Stadium Lease Expiration Date or any earlier termination or cancellation thereof) and (ii) given the substantial interest of the County and the ECSC in the Stadium Complex and the public character thereof, the Bills shall not permit any name to be given to the Stadium Complex or any portion thereof except in accordance with this Section 4.2." The term of the lease is till 2013 with certain escape clauses. The Bills (Ralph) have chosen not to sell the rights till now and therefore have made the choice to call it Ralph Wilson Stadium. And here's the lease itself: http://www.erie.gov/billslease/stadium.phtml Hope this clarifies the discussion. Doesn't change the facts...when the deal with Rich Products ran out, the stadium was called Buffalo Bills Stadium. To say that it was Ralph's idea to name it after him is ignorant at best. The Governor and the Erie County Commissioner proposed the idea...Ralph merely went along with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief D Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Can't say which ones are worse, but I can say St Louis, Detroit, Cincin, Tenn, and Cleveland stadiums are better. I have seen away games at these parks and they are much nicer. Of those I personaly like Ford Stadium in Detroit then St Louis. The lack of parking at other stadiums is much worse the RWS. As nice as Ford Staduim is parking sucks specially when there is also a Tigers game at the same time early in the season! One place I would have to think twice about going to a game again is indy (This was in the RCA Dome). Thought I was going to loose my life at the end of the game last time there and they hammered us!!!! However, other than the bad aweful restroom smell and long waits at the restrooms the environment at the Ralph can't be beat!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Is there a league rule against selling your stadium's naming rights to an alcohol or tobacco company. Would anyone disagree that the Ralph should be Labatt's Blue Stadium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief D Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Is there a league rule against selling your stadium's naming rights to an alcohol or tobacco company. Would anyone disagree that the Ralph should be Labatt's Blue Stadium? HAHA... Now I like that. Baseball uses beer names (Coors, Busch) why can't football!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyBillsFan Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 If you ever watch the movie "Midnight Express", id rank Jacksonville's Stadium right there with the condition.... And the fans...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax bill backer Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 If you think FedEx is a good stadium, you really are the village idiot on this board. It's possibly one of the worst stadiums in the league with sight lines and pillars in front of seats. What stadium built in the last 15 years has obstructed view seating? I think the atmosphere at redskins games is absolutely terrible too...a product of this corporate football crap where people go to network rather than watch a football game. There is a also a reason why Snyder wants a new stadium built after they got one only ELEVEN YEARS AGO.... its a terrible stadium! And you're talking about "landscaping" at a stadium? God, every post makes me laugh with this guy. Is everyone in Jacksonville like you? And what are your ties (if any) with Buffalo? Is it because you like Labbatt Blue that you suddenly became a bills fan? First of all everybody here thinks I defend Jacksonville which I dont.. So all your little jacksonville comments I really couldn't give two *****... And because I said Fed Ex field was nice everybody thinks that I like it better than the Ralph.. Listen its everybody's opinion on how nice a stadium is... And also tailgaiting goes with the atmosphere factor. My ties with buffalo is as thick as anyone on this board lived in Townawanda my whole entire life... and dude you should probaly quit posting.. the knowledge I see from you on this board is like knowledge from a retarted kid that just had a stroke.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax bill backer Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 If you ever watch the movie "Midnight Express", id rank Jacksonville's Stadium right there with the condition.... And the fans......... Probaly gonna take a huge swing on this but JACKSONVILLE FANS ARE BETTER THAN BILLS FANS...Sorry I love the bills but jacksonville is a college town with way more deticaded fans than than buffalo... With jacksonville being the number one city in america for turning college and NFL players im pretty sure they like football.. The Fact is Jacksonville has three teams the Gators,Noles, and Bulldogs.... AND BY THE WAY I HATE JACKSONVILLE.. so just because they have a sh------- NFL Fanbase.. there college fanbase,fan dedication, far surpass Buffalo..sorry.. Find somone else on this board from jacksonville and they will tell you the exact same thing..GO BILLS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Probaly gonna take a huge swing on this but JACKSONVILLE FANS ARE BETTER THAN BILLS FANS...Sorry I love the bills but jacksonville is a college town with way more deticaded fans than than buffalo... With jacksonville being the number one city in america for turning college and NFL players im pretty sure they like football.. The Fact is Jacksonville has three teams the Gators,Noles, and Bulldogs.... AND BY THE WAY I HATE JACKSONVILLE.. so just because they have a sh------- NFL Fanbase.. there college fanbase,fan dedication, far surpass Buffalo..sorry.. Find somone else on this board from jacksonville and they will tell you the exact same thing..GO BILLS who's your dealer cause I would love some of what you're taking.... Then why is Jacksonville consistently mentioned as a team under consideration for relocation? Sure the Bills are, but that's because Ralph won't make us pay more money for our ticket's. He has yet to see what the fan's limits are because he's afraid we're too poor. We know that we have the lowest prices, but also sell out every game. Jax definitely does not. We're poor, what Jax excuse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Probaly gonna take a huge swing on this but JACKSONVILLE FANS ARE BETTER THAN BILLS FANS...Sorry I love the bills but jacksonville is a college town with way more deticaded fans than than buffalo... With jacksonville being the number one city in america for turning college and NFL players im pretty sure they like football.. The Fact is Jacksonville has three teams the Gators,Noles, and Bulldogs.... AND BY THE WAY I HATE JACKSONVILLE.. so just because they have a sh------- NFL Fanbase.. there college fanbase,fan dedication, far surpass Buffalo..sorry.. Find somone else on this board from jacksonville and they will tell you the exact same thing..GO BILLS Fine with me, jax. Not a thing wrong with you sticking up for your own town. Nothing at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Doesn't change the facts...when the deal with Rich Products ran out, the stadium was called Buffalo Bills Stadium. To say that it was Ralph's idea to name it after him is ignorant at best. The Governor and the Erie County Commissioner proposed the idea...Ralph merely went along with it And the Fieldhouse was originally the 'Ralph C Wilson Fieldhouse' until the stadium was renamed. Then they changed the FH to the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Probaly gonna take a huge swing on this but JACKSONVILLE FANS ARE BETTER THAN BILLS FANS...Sorry I love the bills but jacksonville is a college town with way more deticaded fans than than buffalo... With jacksonville being the number one city in america for turning college and NFL players im pretty sure they like football.. The Fact is Jacksonville has three teams the Gators,Noles, and Bulldogs.... AND BY THE WAY I HATE JACKSONVILLE.. so just because they have a sh------- NFL Fanbase.. there college fanbase,fan dedication, far surpass Buffalo..sorry.. Find somone else on this board from jacksonville and they will tell you the exact same thing..GO BILLS Why do they tarp off so many seats ????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJ91 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I was just wondering for the people who have traveled to different cities to watch NFL games.... I was just wondering if anybody can name a stadium worse than the Ralph..The reason why I say that is because I keep hearing that RWS is the worst..the only one I could think of was Mcaffe Coliseum in Oakland.... Does anybody have anything else. RWS is an old stadium. The basic main structure was built in 1972 and opened in 1973! Even the massive improvements and added luxury suites, that cost we taxpayers over 100 Million dollars, are now over 10 years old! Now, that said, of course it is going to seem like the worst stadium in the NFL! The older stadium "bowls" or structures, such as the old Soldier Field structure, Lambeau Field's basic bowl, and Arrowhead Stadium's basic structure, although still standing, have had much newer and much more expensive reconditioning and remodeling jobs done to them, so even they seem newer and more fan-friendly. Just about every other stadium in the NFL except in Oakland, San Diego and for just one more season, New Jersey Meadowlands, have complete newer stadiums to watch their teams play in then we do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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