sick of haters!

[jimbohastle51]

i am soooooo sick of reading on the other forums i am associated with that the bills are leaving buffalo its a done deal and they mise well start speaking french and wearing maple leafs on the jerseys!!!! first off we always sell out our homes games at one of the biggest stadiums in the league, second we are known for having some of the most loyal die hard fans there is, third, our team is us.... it is all us buffalonians have (besides the sabres) for recreation, fourth, if the green bay packers can be city owned by a city that has more cheese than population why isnt there hope for us?!? and lastly goodell is from youngstown and grew up a bills fan, like he isnt going to do everything in his power to keep one of the more historical franchises around. yes the league is about growing and expanding, but taking teams away from cities that live and breathe football is not good for the game. L.A. has had its chances with 2 teams and it never worked, why waste time and money on that city again? toronto may be a football city and i am not saying expanding to toronto is a bad thing but taking out bills away is wrong, it is the wrong message to send. our team might not make billions of dollars but we arnt one of the largest populated cities in the world either. we get by, and with better marketing and maybe this new front office regime we can make it. i am hoping that wether it be gallisano or jim kelly's "plan" or whatever rumor is out there one of them do buy this team or put something in place to ensure our teams future. as well we fans.......... we buffalonians must do our part, buy uniforms, buy hats buy t-shirts and tickets to games and continue to help our team. yes someone is making money off the shirts and hats but we do get something out of it too.... OUR buffalo bills!

[ddaryl]

1.) we have one of the biggest stadiums but the cheapest tickets by far... revenue is quite a bit less then most other teams

2.) I sure hope other Buffalonians have somethng else besides the Sabres and the Bills for fun and entertainment... I know I do.

3.) I'm not going to load up on sports merchandise and make the rich wealthy sports leagues even wealthier. If that's what the requirements are then good-bye Bills and Sabres... The fact that you'd are suggesting this is frightening, and you should really try to gain some perspective.

Sports are nothing but a form of entertainment. When the requirements for maintaining those teams becomes this extreme it's just time to let go.

[eyedog]

4.) Goodell is from Jamestown not Youngstown.

[jimbohastle51]

1.) we have one of the biggest stadiums but the cheapest tickets by far... revenue is quite a bit less then most other teams

2.) I sure hope other Buffalonians have somethng else besides the Sabres and the Bills for fun and entertainment... I know I do.

3.) I'm not going to load up on sports merchandise and make the rich wealthy sports leagues even wealthier. If that's what the requirements are then good-bye Bills and Sabres... The fact that you'd are suggesting this is frightening, and you should really try to gain some perspective.

Sports are nothing but a form of entertainment. When the requirements for maintaining those teams becomes this extreme it's just time to let go.

just curious if you will be a fan of the bills in the new city they move to if that is what happens or if you'll just switch teams?

[YardRat]

Enjoy them while they are here...If they leave it's really out of our control.

I survived getting ****ed over by the NBA, I'm sure I will again if it happens with the NHL or NFL.

[Ebenezer]

Enjoy them while they are here...If they leave it's really out of our control.

I survived getting ****ed over by the NBA, I'm sure I will again if it happens with the NHL or NFL.
Sadly, I see a day when neither team is here...or hardly competitive.

[clumping platelets]

I hate being sick :(

[Ebenezer]

I hate cauliflower.

[clumping platelets]

I hate cauliflower.


:puke:

[Ebenezer]

...and brussel sprouts...

[clumping platelets]

I hate work

[Ebenezer]

I hate work
you could have fooled me.

[clumping platelets]

I must have :dizzy:

[yordad]

If I don't buy a uniform I'm a "hater"? Quit hatin on haters then.

[ddaryl]

just curious if you will be a fan of the bills in the new city they move to if that is what happens or if you'll just switch teams?

When the Bills move I will no longer watch or follow football.

When thew Sabres leave I will no longer watch or follow hockey,

I don't follow basketball, and I don't follow baseball.


and I moved away from buffalo in 1997 do to piss poor financials. I live north of Seattle these days, but my heart is with the Bills ands Sabres

[Captain gameboy]

I get tired of it too.

Anyway, if WNY takes care of WNY, the Bills and the Sabres will take care of themselves.

[Jan Reimers]

Despite the economic problems of Buffalo and WNY, logic says that the Bills should stay in Buffalo. It is a storied, blue collar, small market franchise that has carved a place in NFL history.

There is a large regional fan base that generally fills the stadium, a County that is more than willing to subsidize the team with a sweetheart lease arrangement, and politicians at every level - right up to Senator Schumer - who have shown that they will fight to keep the Bills here. They have expressed their concerns to a WNY-friendly league Commissioner in Roger Goodell.

There are celebrities like Tim Russert and influential ex-players like Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas campaigning on the Bills' behalf. Kelly would like to put together a local ownership group to buy the team and keep it in Buffalo. Separately, Tom Golisano has shown an interest in the franchise.

And then there is Ralph Wilson, who seems to have forgotten that Erie County, New York State, and the Bills' loyal fans have spent hundreds of Millions to help turn his initial $25,000 investment into a $750 Million asset.

He now says that instead of leaving the team to his wife, or selling it to local interests upon his passing - which would keep the team in Buffalo and reward all of those that have supported him so loyally - he will sell to the highest bidder.

And that, despite all that this team has going in its favor, will be the end of the Bills in Buffalo.

[YardRat]

Leaving it to the wife is no lock for staying in Buffalo. Ask LA about the Rams.

[Confused]

I just ignore those chicken little's Jimbo, Let em speculate and deficate. All it is.

[Jan Reimers]

Leaving it to the wife is no lock for staying in Buffalo. Ask LA about the Rams.
I know that, but it would give us a chance. The highest bidder approach will not.

[Night Train]

Outside of Toronto & maybe L.A., I can't see cities lining up for an NFL team. They've gone well beyond the fine line of sane economics and no community would want to front multi millions in these tough times.

If anything,the league will shrink. They're banking heavily on the corporate $$ and basically telling Joe Lunchbox, the backbone of the NFL, to take a hike. Make sure to stand in line for your 34-38k per season Cowboys club seats. Who here doesn't have 70K to drop on a pair every year ?

Luckily I've always been a big college football fan so the NFL isn't the end of football for me.

[HHURRICANE]

The Bills leaving is entirely up to Buffalo.

Raise the ticket prices to have a revenue stream that is on par with other NFL cities.

Pretty simple. If Buffalo is too poor to afford a team than they will lose the Bills.

[ddaryl]

The Bills leaving is entirely up to Buffalo.

Raise the ticket prices to have a revenue stream that is on par with other NFL cities.

Pretty simple. If Buffalo is too poor to afford a team than they will lose the Bills.


I can't believe we were the 1st team to sell naming rights to a stadium only to see us in the modern era, where all revenue streams are important, not having naming rights sold....

that has to be the biggest head scratcher going in regards to the Bills and revenue

[Jan Reimers]

The Bills leaving is entirely up to Buffalo.

Raise the ticket prices to have a revenue stream that is on par with other NFL cities.

Pretty simple. If Buffalo is too poor to afford a team than they will lose the Bills.
No, it's not. It is entirely up to Ralph Wilson. It doesn't matter what our ticket prices are or how poor the city and the rest of WNY are. There will be local interests willing to buy this franchise for a fair price on Ralph's passing, and to continue to wrestle with the challenges of operating a small market team.

Ralph's highest bidder approach will preclude this from happening.

Why can't people understand this?

[jimbohastle51]

When the Bills move I will no longer watch or follow football.

When thew Sabres leave I will no longer watch or follow hockey,

I don't follow basketball, and I don't follow baseball.


and I moved away from buffalo in 1997 do to piss poor financials. I live north of Seattle these days, but my heart is with the Bills ands Sabres

i moved to fort walton beach florida for work on a government contract on eglin airforce base and it wasnt my choice to leave, but my line of work and job made me leave, economically i was fine in buffalo with my position, the bills and sabres are a piece of home to me and i would think it is sad to see them go. i will always be a football and hockey fan, maybe not of a certain team but it would deffinatly make me feel even farther from home.

[ddaryl]

No, it's not. It is entirely up to Ralph Wilson. It doesn't matter what our ticket prices are or how poor the city and the rest of WNY are. There will be local interests willing to buy this franchise for a fair price on Ralph's passing, and to continue to wrestle with the challenges of operating a small market team.

Ralph's highest bidder approach will preclude this from happening.

Why can't people understand this?


That is the deal isn't it....


Ralph has said highest bidder... and IMHO that pretty much trashes Ralph's legacy in Buffalo.

What pisses me off about the wealthy is they can't seem to be happy with 500 million (after taxes) it has to be more because lets face it none of us want to get caught slumming with only a few 100 million in our pockets.

especially when you realize that Ralph paid about $50k for the Bills franchise and has made 1000 times that over the years with the Bills.

so I guess as much as I don't get into the Ralph is cheap argument in regards to player contracts and FA's, this situation pretty much puts me in the Ralph can suck my balls category...

[Jan Reimers]

That is the deal isn't it....


Ralph has said highest bidder... and IMHO that pretty much trashes Ralph's legacy in Buffalo.

What pisses me off about the wealthy is they can't seem to be happy with 500 million (after taxes) it has to be more because lets face it none of us want to get caught slumming with only a few 100 million in our pockets.

especially when you realize that Ralph paid about $50k for the Bills franchise and has made 1000 times that over the years with the Bills.

so I guess as much as I don't get into the Ralph is cheap argument in regards to player contracts and FA's, this situation pretty much puts me in the Ralph can suck my balls category...
Absolutely. Ralph seems to forget that much of the Bills' value has come on the backs of Erie County's taxpayers and the Bills' loyal fans - fans who filled the stadium for all 8 regular season games last year, despite our not making the playoffs in 8 years.

I know Ralph can do whatever he wants with this team, but shame on him for abandoning those that have helped make him rich, in favor of the highest bidder approach. The business interests in Toronto - who are likely to win the auction for this team - have never contributed one red cent to the Bills,' or Ralph's, welfare.

Just as Ralph is free to do what he wants, so am I. Unless he reconsiders and agrees to sell to local interests, I'm giving up my 4 sideline club level seats when the last 2 years of my contract are up.

I know it's a small, meaningless gesture, but why should I have any loyalty to a man that has no loyalty to me and countless others who have supported him for all these years?

[ddaryl]

Absolutely. Ralph seems to forget that much of the Bills' value has come on the backs of Erie County's taxpayers and the Bills' loyal fans - fans who filled the stadium for all 8 regular season games last year, despite our not making the playoffs in 8 years.




I would say theloyalty extends for the majority of the life of the Bills... Even in the most of the years we did not sell out games we still had a stadium attendance at the top half of the league...


Ralph needs to take the hit and sell to a local interest at a modest hometown discount, and the local interest needs to guarentee the Bills stay put.