Buffalo Could End Up In The CFL

[ticatfan]

Ladies, and gentleman, I would like to present the winner of the Grey Cup, this year... Buffalo!"

Although the idea of a CFL commissioner making such a statement in the future seems far fetched, if not impossible to imagine, the ground work is now being laid for such a thing to actually happen. Here's the scenario that could lead to such an event.

Currently, Los Angeles (if it survives the court challenges) wants to build an ultra-luxurious 75,000 seat stadium like the new Yankee Stadium or the one opening in Dallas.

The builders have publicly stated they don't want an expansion franchise but want to steal an established team.

Many potential franchises have already been targeted: Jacksonville, San Diego, Minnesota, San Francisco, Oakland, and...Buffalo.

The NFL has been dying to get back into Los Angeles ever since it was ignominiously sent packing fifteen years ago; the league would prefer two teams, like all the other "big four" American sports.

There has been no talk of expansion and many readers on Bleacher Report have pointed out that the NFL would prefer to keep its symmetrical quota of 32 teams.

(I think it will move inevitably to another symmetrical point of 40.)

Assuming that the NFL doesn't want to expand and wants to get back into Los Angeles at almost any cost, it is prepared to let one of its franchises move from its existing city, preferably the least glamorous one.

Which franchise is that? You got it, the Buffalo Bills.

The NFL has already shown that they don't care much for Buffalo by allowing its owner, Ralph Wilson to play games in Toronto.

"But," say the mindless, NFL-worshiping, Toronto fans, "That means that it is only a matter of time before the Bills come here!"

Sorry, chumps. The NFL won't be coming any time in the near future, certainly not the Bills.

The NFL has consistently shown how it regards foreigners everywhere it plays outside the United States:

Price gouging (particularly in the current Toronto deal), minor league status (NFL Europe), and unglamorous games (San Francisco vs Arizona in Mexico when both teams were bad, the previously cellar dwelling Miami Dolphins last year in Toronto, and the New York Jets this year instead of Indianapolis).

The NFL despises foreigners. It considers it a "privilege" for them to watch NFL games in their own cities.

All the NFL wants in Toronto is to play exhibitions and one or two regular season games with monopolistic ticket prices, and to peddle merchandise.

The last thing the NFL wants is another Blue Jays, a "foreign" team whose TV audience can't be counted by American networks in the ratings and who are the worst draw in baseball because they are not an American city.

On the other hand, if the NFL is prepared to allow Los Angeles to "steal" one of its existing franchises, Buffalo is that city.

If I was betting on who would be the first to offer themselves to Los Angeles, once all the hurdles to building that new stadium are cleared, I'd bet on either Ralph Wilson or Al Davis.

Unlike Houston and Cleveland, whose public tears persuaded the NFL to grant a consoling expansion franchise, Buffalo and Oakland are likely to be treated like St. Louis and Baltimore—who got nothing when the Cardinals and Colts left. The NFL won't shed any tears for Buffalo and Oakland's fans.

Let's assume the worst happens and Buffalo is left without a franchise. That leaves the entire north of New York State without a team.

Enter the CFL. There has already been talk by ex-NFL players about returning to the United States now that NFL Europe is no more. Rochester and Detroit were specifically mentioned.

But a better scenario is for the CFL to start a northern New York State division. Buffalo and Rochester have populations of over one million. The Syracuse area has over 700,000 and the Albany area has 850,000.

Unlike the CFL's previous American invasion, all these cities are close to the Canadian border, which makes travel easy to do and being close to the border; thus, they have more natural ties to Canada.

They would also be natural rivals for each other and draw fans on that basis. These four cities, plus potential expansion into New England in Hartford and Providence, could be a possible future path for the CFL.

The NFL doesn't want such unglamourous cities. The CFL might as well have them.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/228854-buffalo-could-end-up-in-the-cfl

[X-Era]

Ladies, and gentleman, I would like to present the winner of the Grey Cup, this year... Buffalo!"

Although the idea of a CFL commissioner making such a statement in the future seems far fetched, if not impossible to imagine, the ground work is now being laid for such a thing to actually happen. Here's the scenario that could lead to such an event.

Currently, Los Angeles (if it survives the court challenges) wants to build an ultra-luxurious 75,000 seat stadium like the new Yankee Stadium or the one opening in Dallas.

The builders have publicly stated they don't want an expansion franchise but want to steal an established team.

Many potential franchises have already been targeted: Jacksonville, San Diego, Minnesota, San Francisco, Oakland, and...Buffalo.

The NFL has been dying to get back into Los Angeles ever since it was ignominiously sent packing fifteen years ago; the league would prefer two teams, like all the other "big four" American sports.

There has been no talk of expansion and many readers on Bleacher Report have pointed out that the NFL would prefer to keep its symmetrical quota of 32 teams.

(I think it will move inevitably to another symmetrical point of 40.)

Assuming that the NFL doesn't want to expand and wants to get back into Los Angeles at almost any cost, it is prepared to let one of its franchises move from its existing city, preferably the least glamorous one.

Which franchise is that? You got it, the Buffalo Bills.

The NFL has already shown that they don't care much for Buffalo by allowing its owner, Ralph Wilson to play games in Toronto.

"But," say the mindless, NFL-worshiping, Toronto fans, "That means that it is only a matter of time before the Bills come here!"

Sorry, chumps. The NFL won't be coming any time in the near future, certainly not the Bills.

The NFL has consistently shown how it regards foreigners everywhere it plays outside the United States:

Price gouging (particularly in the current Toronto deal), minor league status (NFL Europe), and unglamorous games (San Francisco vs Arizona in Mexico when both teams were bad, the previously cellar dwelling Miami Dolphins last year in Toronto, and the New York Jets this year instead of Indianapolis).

The NFL despises foreigners. It considers it a "privilege" for them to watch NFL games in their own cities.

All the NFL wants in Toronto is to play exhibitions and one or two regular season games with monopolistic ticket prices, and to peddle merchandise.

The last thing the NFL wants is another Blue Jays, a "foreign" team whose TV audience can't be counted by American networks in the ratings and who are the worst draw in baseball because they are not an American city.

On the other hand, if the NFL is prepared to allow Los Angeles to "steal" one of its existing franchises, Buffalo is that city.

If I was betting on who would be the first to offer themselves to Los Angeles, once all the hurdles to building that new stadium are cleared, I'd bet on either Ralph Wilson or Al Davis.

Unlike Houston and Cleveland, whose public tears persuaded the NFL to grant a consoling expansion franchise, Buffalo and Oakland are likely to be treated like St. Louis and Baltimore—who got nothing when the Cardinals and Colts left. The NFL won't shed any tears for Buffalo and Oakland's fans.

Let's assume the worst happens and Buffalo is left without a franchise. That leaves the entire north of New York State without a team.

Enter the CFL. There has already been talk by ex-NFL players about returning to the United States now that NFL Europe is no more. Rochester and Detroit were specifically mentioned.

But a better scenario is for the CFL to start a northern New York State division. Buffalo and Rochester have populations of over one million. The Syracuse area has over 700,000 and the Albany area has 850,000.

Unlike the CFL's previous American invasion, all these cities are close to the Canadian border, which makes travel easy to do and being close to the border; thus, they have more natural ties to Canada.

They would also be natural rivals for each other and draw fans on that basis. These four cities, plus potential expansion into New England in Hartford and Providence, could be a possible future path for the CFL.

The NFL doesn't want such unglamourous cities. The CFL might as well have them.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/228854-buffalo-could-end-up-in-the-cfl

Jacksonville cant sell out ANY games, we sell out EVERY game...

case closed.

[Goobylal]

Jacksonville cant sell out ANY games, we sell out EVERY game...

case closed.
Yep, and Jacksonville isn't "glamorous" either.

BTW, the OP has to be one of the stupidest posts I've ever read.

[SquishDaFish]

One of the dumbest crappiest writtin articles Ive read in a while. I want my minute I waisted back please

[realdealryan]

Just when you needed something to take your mind off of our offensive woes, you get this piece of literary baby****.

Thanks!

[Scumbag College]

This is proof that there are too many websites and too many "authors" out there. The article was rambling nonsense about nothing.

[trapezeus]

good luck to the state of california pitching yet another stadium project funded by taxpayer money that rarely if ever breaks even. I'm sure the 100's and 1,000's of taxpayers who are having their benefits cut, their schools downsized and potentially getting IOUs as payments are real excited to bring a football team that already proved they don't really care about football.

The thing about houston and cleveland is that the people came out en masse for their team. Buffalo will follow suit.

Also the guy's case about how baltimore and st louis were left NFL-less is pathetic. They didn't get teams immediately, but they got teams back. Last i checked Baltimore isn't considered one of the better cities in North America.


One last point, why is it so bad when the bills chose to regionalize the team, but when the giants and jets who don't even play in new york and boston who has changed their name to New England to cover more ground and play a ways away from boston and washington in maryland get to regionalize, they get all this power. Please.

No city can keep up with the NFL profit desires. Buffalo is a cheaply run unit with profit each year. Sure, they don't getting sharing money, but it's ******ed to think that the LA organization will make money over a 10 year period.

If the nfl's desire is to keep moving the game away from the average fan, then they are on a crash course to become the next NBA. An incredibly run league that took itself way too seriously and lost a ton of clout.

[X-Era]

good luck to the state of california pitching yet another stadium project funded by taxpayer money that rarely if ever breaks even. I'm sure the 100's and 1,000's of taxpayers who are having their benefits cut, their schools downsized and potentially getting IOUs as payments are real excited to bring a football team that already proved they don't really care about football.

The thing about houston and cleveland is that the people came out en masse for their team. Buffalo will follow suit.

Also the guy's case about how baltimore and st louis were left NFL-less is pathetic. They didn't get teams immediately, but they got teams back. Last i checked Baltimore isn't considered one of the better cities in North America.


One last point, why is it so bad when the bills chose to regionalize the team, but when the giants and jets who don't even play in new york and boston who has changed their name to New England to cover more ground and play a ways away from boston and washington in maryland get to regionalize, they get all this power. Please.

No city can keep up with the NFL profit desires. Buffalo is a cheaply run unit with profit each year. Sure, they don't getting sharing money, but it's ******ed to think that the LA organization will make money over a 10 year period.

If the nfl's desire is to keep moving the game away from the average fan, then they are on a crash course to become the next NBA. An incredibly run league that took itself way too seriously and lost a ton of clout.

You also didnt mention that they already have three other NFL franchises in CA, and one in Ariz, less than 6 hours away.

[Night Train]

The UFL is more likely.

The CFL has the wider, longer field with different rules.

Regardless, I'll worry about that when I see the Mayflower trucks pull up.

[Mudflap1]

I am going to chime in about L.A.

For the 5,000th time, L.A. did not lose its teams because of a lack of interest in football. They lost the Raiders because Al Davis is a pirate, and played Oakland and L.A. off each other for a stadium deal. They lost the Rams because Georgia Frontiere cut a deal for a stadium in St. Louis.

However, yes, there are major budget problems out here. So a publicly funded stadium is not going to happen. The only choices are a privately funded stadium, or going back to the well with the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl, and maybe renovating either of them for luxury boxes with private money.

Lastly, I think the Jags are definitely the most likely team to move. The Bills are on the list, but the Jags can't sell tickets, period.

[BillsWin]

FAIL.

[Dr. Pepper]

wow is this someone's 7th grade language arts assignment?

[Forward_Lateral]

:rofl: @ LA wanting 2 NFL teams. What a joke.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Don't be too critical... That may be the only legitimate shot for Buffalo to have any type of quality football.

[Hemlepp53]

The title alone pissed me off enough not to read beyond the first paragraph. Screw that ****.... There are several teams who cant sell a seat let alone a jersey. Buffalo has a MONSTER DIE HARD FAN BASE... We Ain't Going No Where But To A Super Bowl...

[OpIv37]

I'd rather stay in the NFL. Losing in the NFL is embarrassing, but much less so than losing in the CFL.

[Pinkerton Security]

I'd rather stay in the NFL. Losing in the NFL is embarrassing, but much less so than losing in the CFL.

:lol:

[more cowbell]

The title alone pissed me off enough not to read beyond the first paragraph. Screw that ****.... There are several teams who cant sell a seat let alone a jersey. Buffalo has a MONSTER DIE HARD FAN BASE... We Ain't Going No Where But To A Super Bowl...



lol you made me laugh when you said were going to a superbowl

[SeatownBillsFan21]

Wow this is bad please remove from the board thank you

[OpIv37]

The title alone pissed me off enough not to read beyond the first paragraph. Screw that ****.... There are several teams who cant sell a seat let alone a jersey. Buffalo has a MONSTER DIE HARD FAN BASE... We Ain't Going No Where But To A Super Bowl...

that "hemp" thing isn't just a nickname, is it?

[jamze132]

I'm at a loss for words right now...

[Michael82]

What a load of ****! I could see Jacksonville, San Diego, Oakland or even Minnesota moving to L.A. before the Bills did. But then again, I don't think LA deserves a team and the NFL loves having them as a way to threaten the other cities for more money. :ill:

[Buffalogic]

This thread is dumb, sorry.

[SabreEleven]

I'd rather stay in the NFL. Losing in the NFL is embarrassing, but much less so than losing in the CFL.

I'd rather lose in the NFL than win in the CFL

[ticatfan]

It will never happen ,all in fun lads.

[ddaryl]

unfortunately it was insulting to us.. not fun at all

[ticatfan]

You need to loosen up.lol

[trapezeus]

i think LA has proved its not an NFL city. They didn't really make that much of a stink when the teams left. Houston and Cleveland had campouts and were extremely bitter.

One thing about financing a stadium publically is that banks are willing to make loans to crappy municipalities because in the end they justify that counties and states can tax their people to raise money on any shortages. That's why the public stadium fundings are pretty much all underwater.

IF a private person comes to the table and says, "i need the money." The banks will probably look at it really carefully. Because the stadium deals rarely break even, the NFL will probably have to step in to guarantee parts of it.

The did that for the NY stadium and got burned by it...and i'm not sure how the dallas thing turned out. So if a multibillionaire who is willing to take on the personal debt to build a stadium, put up the guarantee, and then assume he'll make money through box sales, and future events at his stadium (that most likely won't get the subsidiaries that he needs from state and local levels) feels its a prudent investment, then good for him.

Even if this is all done....i'll see the NFL kicking themselves for walking from a perfectly suitable stadium, a large regionalized fan base that shows up regardless of how poor the team is, is rabidly excited with jersey purchses, directv purchases, etc, a team with no debt, and still turns a sizeable profit. Especially when they are looking at a very potential 2011 lockout.

And i'll give up on the NFL in a heart beat if they move this team.

Also to criticize the article one more time, the NFL isn't worried about currency risk with Canada at this point. That point that the bluejays and NHL teams hurt their respective leagues was more true when the CAD and USD were off by like 20-40% from one another. Now that the CAD is pretty much equal to the USD and most likely get stronger from our sitaution, the NFL doesn't need to worry about currency risk. Look at the britian games. They got almost 2x the price of what they got here.

[ddaryl]

You need to loosen up.lol

10 years of pathetic football. losing 1 game a year ot Toronto, numerous fearful articles declaring that the Bills will move from Buffalo when Ralph kicks it, and now some Canuck posting about the Bills being in the CFL


Naw..

I've been watching the BIlls for well over 30 years, it's in my blood, and a big part of my family. there is no loosening up... The mere thought of the Bills playing in the CFL winds me up tighter...

you can't understand you're not affiliated with the Bills like the rest of us... I found the attmept at being funny a bit insulting. That's not going to change. We have way too many worries about the team as it is. You should have done this on the Cowboys forums if you wanted a laugh in response, ut in Buffalo we know we are damn close to losing our club.

if the Bills did end up in the CFL that stadium would be empty and the franchise would colapse quickly... and I for one would never watch a single game if it did happen. So even the thought of it triggers my gag reflex

[THATHURMANATOR]

This thread makes me want to **** my pants and wipe it all over the monitor.

[ticatfan]

10 years of pathetic football. losing 1 game a year ot Toronto, numerous fearful articles declaring that the Bills will move from Buffalo when Ralph kicks it, and now some Canuck posting about the Bills being in the CFL


Naw..

I've been watching the BIlls for well over 30 years, it's in my blood, and a big part of my family. there is no loosening up... The mere thought of the Bills playing in the CFL winds me up tighter...

you can't understand you're not affiliated with the Bills like the rest of us... I found the attmept at being funny a bit insulting. That's not going to change. We have way too many worries about the team as it is. You should have done this on the Cowboys forums if you wanted a laugh in response, ut in Buffalo we know we are damn close to losing our club.

if the Bills did end up in the CFL that stadium would be empty and the franchise would colapse quickly... and I for one would never watch a single game if it did happen. So even the thought of it triggers my gag reflexLike I said you need to loosen up or deal with whatever issues are screwing with your mind.

[THATHURMANATOR]

The man said he DIDN'T need to loosen up.

[SabreEleven]

Like I said you need to loosen up or deal with whatever issues are screwing with your mind.

10 years of losing and another one on the horizon is screwing with all our minds.

[PromoTheRobot]

CFL? Why can't UB football fill the void? Especially if they get into a BCS conference.

PTR

[SABURZFAN]

Ladies, and gentleman, I would like to present the winner of the Grey Cup, this year... Buffalo!"

Although the idea of a CFL commissioner making such a statement in the future seems far fetched, if not impossible to imagine, the ground work is now being laid for such a thing to actually happen. Here's the scenario that could lead to such an event.

Currently, Los Angeles (if it survives the court challenges) wants to build an ultra-luxurious 75,000 seat stadium like the new Yankee Stadium or the one opening in Dallas.

The builders have publicly stated they don't want an expansion franchise but want to steal an established team.

Many potential franchises have already been targeted: Jacksonville, San Diego, Minnesota, San Francisco, Oakland, and...Buffalo.

The NFL has been dying to get back into Los Angeles ever since it was ignominiously sent packing fifteen years ago; the league would prefer two teams, like all the other "big four" American sports.

There has been no talk of expansion and many readers on Bleacher Report have pointed out that the NFL would prefer to keep its symmetrical quota of 32 teams.

(I think it will move inevitably to another symmetrical point of 40.)

Assuming that the NFL doesn't want to expand and wants to get back into Los Angeles at almost any cost, it is prepared to let one of its franchises move from its existing city, preferably the least glamorous one.

Which franchise is that? You got it, the Buffalo Bills.

The NFL has already shown that they don't care much for Buffalo by allowing its owner, Ralph Wilson to play games in Toronto.

"But," say the mindless, NFL-worshiping, Toronto fans, "That means that it is only a matter of time before the Bills come here!"

Sorry, chumps. The NFL won't be coming any time in the near future, certainly not the Bills.

The NFL has consistently shown how it regards foreigners everywhere it plays outside the United States:

Price gouging (particularly in the current Toronto deal), minor league status (NFL Europe), and unglamorous games (San Francisco vs Arizona in Mexico when both teams were bad, the previously cellar dwelling Miami Dolphins last year in Toronto, and the New York Jets this year instead of Indianapolis).

The NFL despises foreigners. It considers it a "privilege" for them to watch NFL games in their own cities.

All the NFL wants in Toronto is to play exhibitions and one or two regular season games with monopolistic ticket prices, and to peddle merchandise.

The last thing the NFL wants is another Blue Jays, a "foreign" team whose TV audience can't be counted by American networks in the ratings and who are the worst draw in baseball because they are not an American city.

On the other hand, if the NFL is prepared to allow Los Angeles to "steal" one of its existing franchises, Buffalo is that city.

If I was betting on who would be the first to offer themselves to Los Angeles, once all the hurdles to building that new stadium are cleared, I'd bet on either Ralph Wilson or Al Davis.

Unlike Houston and Cleveland, whose public tears persuaded the NFL to grant a consoling expansion franchise, Buffalo and Oakland are likely to be treated like St. Louis and Baltimore—who got nothing when the Cardinals and Colts left. The NFL won't shed any tears for Buffalo and Oakland's fans.

Let's assume the worst happens and Buffalo is left without a franchise. That leaves the entire north of New York State without a team.

Enter the CFL. There has already been talk by ex-NFL players about returning to the United States now that NFL Europe is no more. Rochester and Detroit were specifically mentioned.

But a better scenario is for the CFL to start a northern New York State division. Buffalo and Rochester have populations of over one million. The Syracuse area has over 700,000 and the Albany area has 850,000.

Unlike the CFL's previous American invasion, all these cities are close to the Canadian border, which makes travel easy to do and being close to the border; thus, they have more natural ties to Canada.

They would also be natural rivals for each other and draw fans on that basis. These four cities, plus potential expansion into New England in Hartford and Providence, could be a possible future path for the CFL.

The NFL doesn't want such unglamourous cities. The CFL might as well have them.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/228854-buffalo-could-end-up-in-the-cfl


does this mean that Hamilton is moving to Buffalo?