Toronto Bills?

[AquaAdrenaline]

I live in Toronto as well, and if they can get 60,000 suckers to pay $250 CAN on avg. per ticket over the next 5 years, then they can sure as hell sell out 75,000 personal seat licences as well.

However, I think this move is a very arrogant one by Rogers and Wilson and I for one am against it. Again, I use the word "suckers" to describe the kind of customers they view Torontonian NFL fans as and this move to me is nothing but a way to make profit for Rogers. As for Wilson, this is like Torontonians paying lots of money to keep the Bills in Buffalo. If Rogers ever owned an NFL team in Toronto, I think a lot of people would remember what a jackass he was while the Bills were visiting, and there would be a big rush of people who would say, "screw this, we're going to support our own brand of Canadian football" and they're going to buy CFL tickets instead.

 

[phunwin]

If the Buffalo Bills were to move anywhere, the name, and colors stay with Buffalo. The team would have a new name, and color scheme in the new location.

If the Bills left Buffalo, I don't think the NFL would grant an expansion team. For one, Goodell and the owners are plenty happy with a 32 team format. For another, the line for an expansion franchise starts with Los Angeles. Finally, it's an open question whether Buffalo can support the Bills, given that the local economy has vacillated between "stagnant" and "near-collapse" for most of the last 30 years, and I don't know that significantly sunnier days are ahead. This isn't a Cleveland situation; Cleveland's a much bigger city (and metro area) than Buffalo, and has a lot more corporate and business money to put into the team.

Buffalo's best hope for survival is to make the Bills more of a regional franchise, which means drawing heavily from Southern Ontario, which, in turn, means the occasional Toronto game. They already hold training camp here in Rochester, which helps the "regional" label.

I think there's at least a 50-50 chance that the team will be sold to Toronto-area interests upon Ralph Wilson's death. Wilson intends to leave the team to his kids, and the kids intend to sell. A consortium of local interests (perhaps headed by Tom Golisano, and involving Jim Kelly) could probably put up enough money to buy the team, but I would think that the Toronto backers (whose names escape me at the moment, but I think they own the Rogers Centre) could probably offer more.

 

[BuffaloSoldier2]

I'm all for the importance of history and I love the rivalry against the Bills. In fact, I have a permanent black hole of hate in my heart made especially for the Bills, but sometimes you just have to burn it down and start over. Thats what I see in Buffalo. Yes, I as well believe it is America's game, but if you talk to Goodell I'm sure he can't wait for the 1st NFL team to pop up outside the US. I just might visit ol' Toronto to see the Fins play or who knows maybe even the Super Bowl might be played in Canada sooner than we think, but trust me I would never go to Buffalo. never have never will. I wouldn't be surprised to see this happen a couple years from now.

There's a lot of class in this thread but not in this post. You claim you never will go to Buffalo and have never ever been there? So basically you know nothing about the city or the atmosphere surrounding the team. What if I said everyone who lives in a college town past the age of 25 and isn't in grad school is a loser and needs to grow up? That would be pretty ignorant right? Well that's how your statement is.

It sucks to be part of a team that has to deal with this crap. Buffalo is a struggling city. Yet, we have sold out 90% of our games in one of the biggest stadiums in the league without covering up our seats (see the Jaguars). The team is till making serious money and is finally primed for a playoff run. If Ralph Wilson is doing this for the good of the team, then I will cheer him. But if he is setting the Bills up for a move, I hope he runs in hell and I will pss on his grave. Sorry if that's offensive but that's how strongly I fell about this. This team means more to the city than most people can understand. We haven't made the playoffs in 8 years & yet we are always amongst the top 10 in attendence. The NFL belongs in Buffalo and Buffalo deserves their yearly beating of the Fins in the snow (just kidding). :up:

 

[BuffaloSoldier2]

It can't be that great if they're talking of moving them.

You have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[AquaAdrenaline]

Well, Roger Goodell grew up around 50 miles of Buffalo...

 

[ganooch]

It can't be that great if they're talking of moving them.

Wrong. Just ask the Colts' fans in Blatimore and the Browns fans in Cleveland. THer support was never in question but their owners moved them.

maybe the NFl should tweek the rule on community ownership and see if the citizens of Buffalo are really interested in buying them as do the fans of the Packers. Buffalo is definately not the same city it was 40 years ago but it is an original AFL franchise and should stay where they are as long as the fans keep coming!

 

[Iroquois Joe]

Well, Roger Goodell grew up around 50 miles of Buffalo...

What keeps Buffalo down?
Prime boarder location, excellent transportaion network, rail, road and water, one of the last undeveloped water fronts for a major city, beautiful natural location.
Doesn't make sense why there is no big investment there. But then the same thing can be said about Detroit.

 

[AquaAdrenaline]

I think the Toronto people might have just shot themselves in the foot because like you said, the Buffalo people will rally around the team and somehow, someway, that they'll gather up the funds to win the auction after Wilson dies and the team will stay. But by then, teams around the NFL like the Saints or the Jaguars who might have looked to Toronto as a possible relocation site up until this press conference last week, will acknowledge Toronto as part of the Bills territory and not dare to infringe onto it, therefore Toronto gets no team.

 

[I am Bane]

Wrong. Just ask the Colts' fans in Blatimore and the Browns fans in Cleveland. THer support was never in question but their owners moved them.

maybe the NFl should tweek the rule on community ownership and see if the citizens of Buffalo are really interested in buying them as do the fans of the Packers. Buffalo is definately not the same city it was 40 years ago but it is an original AFL franchise and should stay where they are as long as the fans keep coming!

when Art Modell moved Cleveland to Baltimore i was so angry. Cleveland has possibly the bestest fans in the whole league. they live and die by their football. i loved the dog pound since iwas a kid. loved walking through the stadium as a kid, standing where big dog thompson stood (too bad it was summer and i couldnt see a game).... its a great city for football.

the city tried everything to raise money, petition, whatever to keep Modell from moving the Browns. the city even offered proposals for a new stadium (ones that Modell basically turned down himself)... he wanted more luxury boxes and more money basically. so Modell ripped the heart of Cleveland and took them out. I hope that Buffalo isn't preparing to do the same. it'll be sad to see something like that again.