Ticket demand outweighs availability for Bills-Steelers

[YardRat]

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Football/article/410093

Top ducat could go as high as $300 for Aug. 14 exhibition tilt between AFC rivals at Rogers Centre...

With more requests for tickets than actual seats available, and prices rumoured to hit $300 for the top ducat, Toronto may indeed prove to be Bills Country North.

Fans can register at www.billsintoronto.com (http://www.billsintoronto.com/) for their chance to win the lottery for the opportunity to purchase tickets for the exhibition game and this year's regular-season game, expected to be played in December. No date or opponent has been set as yet.

Registration for tickets closes April 24. There are only 53,000 seats at the Rogers Centre and requests for more than that have already been registered, with 3,500 signing up per day in the last week. Bills season-ticket holders (there were 48,000 last year), sponsors and Argo season-ticket holders have priority.

Only after registration closes will the team announce ticket prices, not caring to comment on rumours that the price range had been determined – $75 to $300.

[Dujek]

The Chargers - Saints game in London has received almost 500,000 applications for the 90,000 tickets.

I've got two sitting in the house.

[HHURRICANE]

Toronto Bills.

[THATHURMANATOR]

No they would be the Toronto scumbags.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Why would someone want to pay so much for a preseason game?

[ddaryl]

Well if sharing the Bills with Toronto actually keeps the Bills in buffalo some then let it be done...

but face facts ... the mere reality that Torontonians are willing to shell out buku bucks for a preseason NFL game pretty much demonstrates the reality of the Bills situation. Toronto has the money to compete agianst the big markets, and we need that revenue to compete with the NYC, Dallas, NE, and other big markets.... otherwise we will lose the Bills for sure.

I don't care who steps up to the plate when the Bills are for sale, no owner can pay over 1 billion for the Bills and expect to be able to operate them in Buffalo alone...

[Mr. Miyagi]

I would have no problem with playing up to 2 regular season home games in Toronto after the 5 year deal, as long as the Bills are still the Buffalo Bills and the big Toronto market adopts and embraces us as a "home" team. We need as many fans as we can.

[RockStar36]

Assuming the Bills stay in Buffalo I'm perfectly OK with them playing a game in Toronto. If a pre-season game can generate so much interest and make so much money then it's definitely good for the franchise.

[Michael82]

Assuming the Bills stay in Buffalo I'm perfectly OK with them playing a game in Toronto. If a pre-season game can generate so much interest and make so much money then it's definitely good for the franchise.
I hope so. :pray:

[THATHURMANATOR]

Hell they can have all our preseason games for all I care.

[im4bflo]

There's also the huge hype about this game, this will not be a normal all season thing. Those hosers couldn't compete with the fans of WNY continuously.

[jamze132]

Toronto is better than L.A.

[yordad]

Well, hopefully they go to a preseason game and go "this sucks, I thought the NFL was more intense".

[YardRat]

Well if sharing the Bills with Toronto actually keeps the Bills in buffalo some then let it be done...

but face facts ... the mere reality that Torontonians are willing to shell out buku bucks for a preseason NFL game pretty much demonstrates the reality of the Bills situation. Toronto has the money to compete agianst the big markets, and we need that revenue to compete with the NYC, Dallas, NE, and other big markets.... otherwise we will lose the Bills for sure.

I don't care who steps up to the plate when the Bills are for sale, no owner can pay over 1 billion for the Bills and expect to be able to operate them in Buffalo alone...

I don't know how anybody could afford to buy the team and pay the relocation fee. Unimaginable.

[Night Train]

Why would someone want to pay so much for a preseason game?

Free Moosehead drafts.

[im4bflo]

Toronto is better than L.A.

A move to ANYWHERE would be the end of the BUFFALO BILLS as we know it.

[jamze132]

A move to ANYWHERE would be the end of the BUFFALO BILLS as we know it.
Well of course it would because they wouldn't be from Buffalo...

[djjimkelly]

yeah lol toronto couldnt support an nfl franchise lol

thats what flutie said LMAO

[mikemac2001]

Toronto is better than L.A.

Your right but its comparing getting burned to death

Or getting beat to death

Both hurt to much

to be honest id rather it be die of old age
(which is we just keep losing forever but stay in buffalo)

[Historian]

Why would someone want to pay so much for a preseason game?

Because they have no life?

:idunno:

[jamze132]

Your right but its comparing getting burned to death

Or getting beat to death

Both hurt to much

to be honest id rather it be die of old age
(which is we just keep losing forever but stay in buffalo)
I agree that I would much rather have a continuously ****ty team than to not have one at all.

[HughC]

I feel as if we're walking a fine line, like playing with fire here. On one hand, building up the fan base and increasing revenues for the team is a very good thing, allowing us to spend more actual (not salary cap) dollars on free agents, and to spend more on the front office personnel. On the other hand, if there is this much interest in a game where the starters play less than half the game, the NFL is seriously going to consider that it may be in there best interest to move the team to Toronto. Then we'll be in Toronto's current shoes, looking for one or two games per year here like a dog begging for a bone.

[Jan Reimers]

I feel as if we're walking a fine line, like playing with fire here. On one hand, building up the fan base and increasing revenues for the team is a very good thing, allowing us to spend more actual (not salary cap) dollars on free agents, and to spend more on the front office personnel. On the other hand, if there is this much interest in a game where the starters play less than half the game, the NFL is seriously going to consider that it may be in there best interest to move the team to Toronto. Then we'll be in Toronto's current shoes, looking for one or two games per year here like a dog begging for a bone.
As far as the Bills moving, I don't think these eight games matter at all. Toronto already supports 3 top level professional teams - the Blue Jays, Leafs, and Raptors, as well as the Argos. They will certainly sell out the 54,000 seat Rogers Center everytime for NFL football.

Toronto, with its corporate wealth and 5 million or so people, does not have to "audition" for our franchise.

If Ralph continues his "sale to the highest bidder" approach, we will in all probability lose the team to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio or Toronto. And if it's Toronto, it will be because they've outbid the other cities and our local interests, not because we've played a few games there.