Bills in toronto extended

[Blame Canada]

5 years thru 2017

[Mindbender]

wow. Not a huge fan of the series but as long as it keeps the Bills in Buffalo I'm for it.

[OpIv37]

The good news: it's a contractual obligation that creates an additional hurdle to anyone who might want to move the team.

The bad news: the old coot is still selling away our ****ing home games.

[Dozerdog]

As long as they don't give away the division games.

[Buffalogic]

As long as they don't give away the division games.Why would they stop now?

[HAMMER]

I hate this crap.

[Ed]

At least it's still only 1 game a year and not 2 or more as has been rumored in the past.

[justasportsfan]

Can you blame Rogers Communications? The bills are winning the next 3 sb's.

[DraftBoy]

At least it's still only 1 game a year and not 2 or more as has been rumored in the past.

You sure?

I havent seen the new terms of the extension.

[Forward_Lateral]

It sucks, BUT, it does make keeping the Bills in Buffalo closer to a sure thing.

[Meathead]

it has to be so i support it

[Blame Canada]

http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants

[alnilla]

Better then being moved to LA

[BLeonard]

http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/sports/exclusive-bills-in-toronto-to-be-extended-5-years/



The source said the extension will be “significantly” less lucrative for the Bills. As a result, NFL fans in Ontario and Western New York can expect ticket prices to be “significantly” lower. Rogers has received immense criticism for the high prices of tickets to Bills-in-Toronto games.


So, lower ticket prices = lower amount of money being paid to the Bills for the deal... With SkyDome holding 20,000 less people than RWS is capable, there comes a point where the Bills would make more money by simply holding the game at RWS...

Also, keep in mind, the Bills are looking for about $200 million to renovate a stadium that they will vouluntarily be leaving empty for 5 regular season sundays where it could be put to use... Kinda surprised that they would officially agree to anything with Toronto until the RWS lease was extended.

That's the issue the Rams are having with playing in London... Their lease requires them to play all of their home games in the Edward Jones Dome.

-Bill

[THATHURMANATOR]

The good news: it's a contractual obligation that creates an additional hurdle to anyone who might want to move the team.

The bad news: the old coot is still selling away our ****ing home games.
I agree.

I can handle the 1 game.

[mikemac2001]

Makes sense they see the bills as an up and coming investment. If the bills take off they will make a killing

[THATHURMANATOR]

http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/sports/exclusive-bills-in-toronto-to-be-extended-5-years/



So, lower ticket prices = lower amount of money being paid to the Bills for the deal... With SkyDome holding 20,000 less people than RWS is capable, there comes a point where the Bills would make more money by simply holding the game at RWS...

Also, keep in mind, the Bills are looking for about $200 million to renovate a stadium that they will vouluntarily be leaving empty for 5 regular season sundays where it could be put to use... Kinda surprised that they would officially agree to anything with Toronto until the RWS lease was extended.

That's the issue the Rams are having with playing in London... Their lease requires them to play all of their home games in the Edward Jones Dome.

-Bill
Calm down.

[BLeonard]

Calm down.

Heh, I'm perfectly calm... It's not $200 million of my tax money that the Bills are asking for, only to peddle 1/8th of their product north of the border.

I'm just saying, it makes little to no sense to extend the Toronto deal at this point in time, when you don't currently have a lease agreement to play your other 7 games. It makes even less sense if the Bills aren't going to profit off of the deal.

-Bill

[OpIv37]

http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/sports/exclusive-bills-in-toronto-to-be-extended-5-years/



So, lower ticket prices = lower amount of money being paid to the Bills for the deal... With SkyDome holding 20,000 less people than RWS is capable, there comes a point where the Bills would make more money by simply holding the game at RWS...


Well, the article also said that the Bills made twice as much playing in Toronto as they would have playing a normal home game at RWS. That leaves a LOT of room for ticket prices to be lowered while still being more profitable than a regular home game.

In addition, the quotes from Brandon show a desire to exploit the Canadian market in the Toronto/Southern Ontario area. The article also says that 15% of season ticket sales are to Canadians (about 10,000 people for each game), and that doesn't even include single game ticket sales.

I suppose it's possible to market to Canada without actually playing games there, as most teams regionalize their fan bases without ever moving home games. But given the profits and the marketing opportunity, the Toronto series could conceivably be extended again once 2017 rolls around.

Long story short, the economics of the games have changed and Buffalo likely won't be able to remain an NFL city without help from the Canadian side of the border. And Russ Brandon realizes this. As bad as the Bills have been on the field over the last 12 years or so, their marketing department has been spectacular. After all, they do get us to continue to devote time and money to an inferior product year after year.

[ddaryl]

the only plus is it makes Buffalo a more viable franchise while in Buffalo.

However any chance of the Bills staying here long term requires a NEW STADIUM. Toronto sweetens the revenue pot, but any new owner WILL need a new stadium to stay

[BLeonard]

Well, the article also said that the Bills made twice as much playing in Toronto as they would have playing a normal home game at RWS. That leaves a LOT of room for ticket prices to be lowered while still being more profitable than a regular home game.

In addition, the quotes from Brandon show a desire to exploit the Canadian market in the Toronto/Southern Ontario area. The article also says that 15% of season ticket sales are to Canadians (about 10,000 people for each game), and that doesn't even include single game ticket sales.

I suppose it's possible to market to Canada without actually playing games there, as most teams regionalize their fan bases without ever moving home games. But given the profits and the marketing opportunity, the Toronto series could conceivably be extended again once 2017 rolls around.

Long story short, the economics of the games have changed and Buffalo likely won't be able to remain an NFL city without help from the Canadian side of the border. And Russ Brandon realizes this. As bad as the Bills have been on the field over the last 12 years or so, their marketing department has been spectacular. After all, they do get us to continue to devote time and money to an inferior product year after year.

Won't disagree with any of that... I'm just questioning the timing... I'm fairly confident that the Bills and Erie County will get a new lease done, but I'm also seeing how much trouble the Vikings went through recently to get an agreement between them and the state of Minnesota done.

By agreeing to the Toronto Series extension before a new lease with Erie County, IMO, it gives Erie County and NYS some leverage in the negotiations. Erie County and NYS could very well ask more from the Bills in return now, since the commitment to Toronto means that they'll basically be paying to renovate a stadium that will sit empty on 5 Sundays, where without the Toronto deal, it would be used.

I know if I were negotiating it, that point would certainly be brought up. I have to assume the reps of NYS and Erie County would as well.

-Bill

[SABURZFAN]

5 years thru 2017


how much did the NFL let The Old Fart pocket?

[PromoTheRobot]

People complain about one game in Toronto but won't buy tickets to home games in December. Bills fans.

PTR

[Ed]

You sure?

I havent seen the new terms of the extension.
No, actually I'm not sure. I don't know why I assumed that. I guess since I saw 5 years again that the terms would be the same or similar. I'm guessing it's for less money, but the framework will remain the same. If this Toronto experiment has been a lot less profitable than they anticipated, I don't know how anyone could justify increasing the amount of games in Toronto.

[Skooby]

The NFL wants to expand their bounds, we're drawing in an entire new group of fans to our area. I hate losing the home game but I love the justification for keeping our team in place.

Major cities = major money / fanbase.

I actually believe this isn't a theft of the Bills of a Bills hone game, just an attempt to shift split sports loyalty to the NFL. We have a strategic advantage of most places, taking that into control puts our area in a better spot.

[Slim]

As long as this helps solidify the Bills staying in Buffalo long term, I'm okay with giving up one game a year.

[BertSquirtgum]

But but but, but wait, I thought they were moving to LA. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[Skooby]

But but but, but wait, I thought they were moving to LA. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

La la land, not happening.

[BertSquirtgum]

I hate losing a home game but it hurts less if it's not a division opponent. I hope the NFL stops doing that. If this helps keep the Bills viable in Western NY then I'm all for it.

[BLeonard]

People complain about one game in Toronto but won't buy tickets to home games in December. Bills fans.

PTR

From what I've read, the tickets haven't exactly been selling like hotcakes in Toronto, either.

The best way to "regionalize" is for the team to win football games. Thankfully, for the first time in over a decade, the Bills Front Office seems to be committed to improve the on-field product.

But, the end result still boils down to winning football games. If the Bills aren't in the playoff discussion in December, the game won't sell out, whether it's in Buffalo, Toronto, or Timbuktu.

-Bill

[Raptor]

Couple things

1.Buffalo as a singular city/market would likely not be able to keep the Bills in Buffalo much longer after Ralph passes, bottom line the market just isn't big enough by itself. The Bills figured this out and about 10 years ago decided to become very proactive in regionalizing the team outside of Buffalo into Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto. By doing so they have created one of if not the biggest market in the NFL. The NFL would be absolutely stupid to pull out of a market that massive and its why are name keeps getting moved farther and farther down the L.A. list because the media is finally catching onto this. The Bills have firmly planted there flag in a huge area. Thats why its so easy for Goodell to say he wants the Bills to stay where they are because he is smart enough to see leaving a market this big would be stupid. Put simply...Pulling a team out of a Buffalo Market=Easy ...Pulling a team out of a Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto market=Not so easy, and borderline stupid

2.The next move is to move this game in a Global direction. This is and always has been one of RG's main directives from day one and he wants it to be a part of his legacy to have made this game a global game. Whether fans like it or not more and more games are going to be started playing overseas until at least half the teams lose one home game to another country one year and the other half the next year. So you can either try and plant your flag now and claim an area like the Bills, St.Louis, and Dallas are doing or you can wait for the NFL to pick it for you. The Bills planted their flag just over the boarder which is WAY better than getting it planted in Europe

[better days]

the only plus is it makes Buffalo a more viable franchise while in Buffalo.

However any chance of the Bills staying here long term requires a NEW STADIUM. Toronto sweetens the revenue pot, but any new owner WILL need a new stadium to stay

Why is that? Any new Stadium will require the owner to invest alarge sum of money as the owner of the Vikings did.

The Ralph has plenty of suites & a few more can be added. I think it would be a better financial deal for the owner to keep the Bills in the Ralph than to build a new stadium for them myself.

[OpIv37]

Why is that? Any new Stadium will require the owner to invest alarge sum of money as the owner of the Vikings did.

The Ralph has plenty of suites & a few more can be added. I think it would be a better financial deal for the owner to keep the Bills in the Ralph than to build a new stadium for them myself.
This.

One of the reasons why the Bills remain profitable for Ralph despite lower revenue than other teams is because he doesn't have stadium debt like Jones, Kraft, Snyder, etc.

[BLeonard]

Couple things

1.Buffalo as a singular city/market would likely not be able to keep the Bills in Buffalo much longer after Ralph passes, bottom line the market just isn't big enough by itself. The Bills figured this out and about 10 years ago decided to become very proactive in regionalizing the team outside of Buffalo into Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto. By doing so they have created one of if not the biggest market in the NFL. The NFL would be absolutely stupid to pull out of a market that massive and its why are name keeps getting moved farther and farther down the L.A. list because the media is finally catching onto this. The Bills have firmly planted there flag in a huge area. Thats why its so easy for Goodell to say he wants the Bills to stay where they are because he is smart enough to see leaving a market this big would be stupid. Put simply...Pulling a team out of a Buffalo Market=Easy ...Pulling a team out of a Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto market=Not so easy, and borderline stupid


I disagree with a big chunk of the bolded...

First off, the TV contracts more than pay for the players' salaries. It's not like Ralph Wilson, or any owner, literally has to pull money out of their pocket to pay the players. On top of that, the current lease is more than a sweetheart deal for the Bills, as Erie County and NYS pay for damn near everything, while the Bills pay no rent and pocket all of the revenue. In fact, as recent as last year, Forbes ranked the Bills in the top 10 of the league when it comes to profits (9th): http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/134157/4/Forbes-Bills-Among-NFLs-Most-Profitable-Teams

What a lot of people fail to realize is the fact that the owners get their portion of the TV contract money and can choose to simply stay below the salary cap and pocket the rest.

While Russ Brandon might point to the increased amount of Canadian ticket sales, there's no way to determine how much of that was solely due to the Toronto Series. Say a Bills fan living in Seattle moved to Toronto for a job, family, etc and now that he's closer to his beloved Bills, decided that it's now realistic to buy season tickets, where it really wasn't before. That would be a Canadian ticket sale based on a person's life situation changing, not because the Bills play a game in Toronto every year. I won't argue that some of the sales are because of the Toronto Series, but it's foolish to believe that all of the increased sales are due to the Series.

Also, if the "regionalization" is as successful as they'd like everyone to believe, why are there more fans for the opposing team in the stands than there are for the "home" team?

While I agree that Buffalo alone is a small market as far a NFL teams is concerned, people have been coming from the "region" for many years. It's not like fans from Rochester, Syracuse and even Toronto just started coming to the games when the Toronto Series started... So, the "region" has always been there and contributing.

While, again, I won't argue that things like the Toronto Series and moving the Training Camp have likely helped in "regionalizing," factors such as life situations changing and the increased polularity of the NFL have, in my opinion, likely played a larger role in the increased fan support from those areas than the Bills' "regionalization" efforts have.

-Bill

[BertSquirtgum]

I don't understand all the bull**** about a new stadium. I love the Ralph and think it's just fine.

[more cowbell]

If one game a year 80 miles away in Toronto keeps them from moving 3000 miles to L Gay...I'm all for it.

[jamze132]

You sure?

I havent seen the new terms of the extension.
I saw it on ESPN, one regular season game through 2017.

[OpIv37]

I don't understand all the bull**** about a new stadium. I love the Ralph and think it's just fine.
I agree with you and so do many- probably most- others on this board.

Here's the problem: we're the diehards. We're people that love football and love the team. Give me a good view of the field, a video board for replays, and a score board that shows the score, time remaining and down/distance, and I'm happy. I don't want a lot of glitz and glamor- I just want to watch the game and be able to get back to my seat quickly if I need to buy a beer or take a leak. The Ralph is fine in that sense.

But not every NFL/Bills fan thinks the same way. Modern stadiums have a lot of amenities that the Ralph lacks, and those things help draw in the more casual fans (or keep the diehards coming when the product on the field isn't really worth watching).

More importantly from an ownership standpoint, most of the gate revenue comes from corporate luxury boxes. The last renovation of the Ralph definitely upgraded these facilities, but it's still not on par with the newer stadiums around the league. That alone would make most potential new owners want a new stadium.

If everybody thought like us, the Ralph would be fine for another 10 years, maybe 20. But most people don't.

[DraftBoy]

I saw it on ESPN, one regular season game through 2017.

I just hadn't seen terms so I just wanted to be sure before we assumed it was still only one game.

[OpIv37]

2.The next move is to move this game in a Global direction. This is and always has been one of RG's main directives from day one and he wants it to be a part of his legacy to have made this game a global game. Whether fans like it or not more and more games are going to be started playing overseas until at least half the teams lose one home game to another country one year and the other half the next year. So you can either try and plant your flag now and claim an area like the Bills, St.Louis, and Dallas are doing or you can wait for the NFL to pick it for you. The Bills planted their flag just over the boarder which is WAY better than getting it planted in Europe

The next move is global because it has to be. Americans are obsessed with football. With the possible exception of the Hispanic/Latino market, the US is tapped in terms of new markets for the NFL (and, speaking solely from personal experience, most Hispanics in the US are already football fans).

Meanwhile, with the exception of Canada and troops stationed overseas, the rest of the world doesn't really care about American-style football. It might be a tough sell to get people in other countries to watch a sport that's considered uniquely American (in the same manner that Americans are slow to adopt soccer because it's seen as a "foreign" sport), but there are huge untapped markets anywhere that the NFL can overcome that hurdle.

[justasportsfan]

I'm not gonna argue with Russ when it comes to marketing. The guy is awesome when it comes to that.

[Raptor]

and what gives the TV contracts value?

The Market, the bigger the markets the more valuable the contract which leads to bigger and bigger TV contracts. Its the reason why the NFL wants a team in LA even though it has failed their twice, they want that market

The city of Buffalo by itself does not add enough market value to that TV contract to justify keeping it there

But like I said before add in the other cities that Buffalo has expanded to and now its extremely valuable to Keep the Bills where they are


I disagree with a big chunk of the bolded...

First off, the TV contracts more than pay for the players' salaries. It's not like Ralph Wilson, or any owner, literally has to pull money out of their pocket to pay the players. On top of that, the current lease is more than a sweetheart deal for the Bills, as Erie County and NYS pay for damn near everything, while the Bills pay no rent and pocket all of the revenue. In fact, as recent as last year, Forbes ranked the Bills in the top 10 of the league when it comes to profits (9th): http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/134157/4/Forbes-Bills-Among-NFLs-Most-Profitable-Teams

What a lot of people fail to realize is the fact that the owners get their portion of the TV contract money and can choose to simply stay below the salary cap and pocket the rest.

While Russ Brandon might point to the increased amount of Canadian ticket sales, there's no way to determine how much of that was solely due to the Toronto Series. Say a Bills fan living in Seattle moved to Toronto for a job, family, etc and now that he's closer to his beloved Bills, decided that it's now realistic to buy season tickets, where it really wasn't before. That would be a Canadian ticket sale based on a person's life situation changing, not because the Bills play a game in Toronto every year. I won't argue that some of the sales are because of the Toronto Series, but it's foolish to believe that all of the increased sales are due to the Series.

Also, if the "regionalization" is as successful as they'd like everyone to believe, why are there more fans for the opposing team in the stands than there are for the "home" team?

While I agree that Buffalo alone is a small market as far a NFL teams is concerned, people have been coming from the "region" for many years. It's not like fans from Rochester, Syracuse and even Toronto just started coming to the games when the Toronto Series started... So, the "region" has always been there and contributing.

While, again, I won't argue that things like the Toronto Series and moving the Training Camp have likely helped in "regionalizing," factors such as life situations changing and the increased polularity of the NFL have, in my opinion, likely played a larger role in the increased fan support from those areas than the Bills' "regionalization" efforts have.

-Bill

[BLeonard]

and what gives the TV contracts value?

The Market, the bigger the markets the more valuable the contract which leads to bigger and bigger TV contracts. Its the reason why the NFL wants a team in LA even though it has failed their twice, they want that market

The city of Buffalo by itself does not add enough market value to that TV contract to justify keeping it there

But like I said before add in the other cities that Buffalo has expanded to and now its extremely valuable to Keep the Bills where they are

Fair enough, all's I'm saying is that there were fans coming from the Toronto, Rochester and Syracuse markets before the Toronto Series... It's not like these just became secondary markets for the Bills 5 years ago.

While I'm sure the Toronto Series and moving the Training Camp has helped increase sales in the secondary markets, I doubt that they have increased the sales as much as Russ Brandon would like us all to believe. Other factors, as I described before, have almost certainly accounted for a portion of the the increase.

I don't know that I've seen, heard or read about one fan that unconditionally likes the Toronto Series. Even all the Canadian fans would rather have the game at RWS, because of the tailgating situation. Most people say something to the effect of, "I don't like it, but if it keeps the team in Buffalo..."

If they really want to have the Toronto series benefit the Bills staying in Buffalo, tie some sort of clause to corporations buying tickets to the Toronto game to having to buy X amount of tickets at RWS. Meaning, in order for a corporation to get a suite for the Toronto games, they also have to get a suite for 4 of the Bills games in Buffalo. Something like that would better show you who's interested in keeping the Bills in Buffalo and who just wants to go to a NFL game in Toronto once a year.

-Bill

[PromoTheRobot]

Fair enough, all's I'm saying is that there were fans coming from the Toronto, Rochester and Syracuse markets before the Toronto Series... It's not like these just became secondary markets for the Bills 5 years ago.

While I'm sure the Toronto Series and moving the Training Camp has helped increase sales in the secondary markets, I doubt that they have increased the sales as much as Russ Brandon would like us all to believe. Other factors, as I described before, have almost certainly accounted for a portion of the the increase.

I don't know that I've seen, heard or read about one fan that unconditionally likes the Toronto Series. Even all the Canadian fans would rather have the game at RWS, because of the tailgating situation. Most people say something to the effect of, "I don't like it, but if it keeps the team in Buffalo..."

If they really want to have the Toronto series benefit the Bills staying in Buffalo, tie some sort of clause to corporations buying tickets to the Toronto game to having to buy X amount of tickets at RWS. Meaning, in order for a corporation to get a suite for the Toronto games, they also have to get a suite for 4 of the Bills games in Buffalo. Something like that would better show you who's interested in keeping the Bills in Buffalo and who just wants to go to a NFL game in Toronto once a year.

-Bill

Compare it to 32 guys having dinner and when the huge check comes, Ralph chips in $2. That' what Buffalo as a stand-alone media market contributes to the NFL. That's why we need Toronto. Cry all you want but that's reality.

PTR

[BLeonard]

Compare it to 32 guys having dinner and when the huge check comes, Ralph chips in $2. That' what Buffalo as a stand-alone media market contributes to the NFL. That's why we need Toronto. Cry all you want but that's reality.

PTR

The point is, the Bills had Toronto as a secondary market BEFORE the Toronto Series. It's not like when the Series started 5 years ago, people in Toronto magically started coming to Bills games... There has ALWAYS been fans from Toronto, Syracuse and Rochester commuting to Bills games.

If the Series wasn't extended and the Bills went back to playing 8 games in Buffalo, do you honestly think all of the Canadians would cancel their Season Tickets becasue of it? They obviously wouldn't, because they were buying tickets BEFORE the Series.

Does having the Series help ticket sales in secondary markets? Probably a little... But not nearly as much as Russ Brandon or the Bills would like you to believe. For most fans, they don't base their decision on going to RWS on whether or not there is a game in Toronto... And for the fans that DO base their decision on it, my guess would be, they aren't interested in keeping the Bills in Buffalo. Because, if having one game in Toronto makes them decide to go to more games, wouldn't they think it would be even better to have ALL of the games in Toronto?

-Bill

[justasportsfan]

Part of regionalizing the fanbase was moving camp to Rochester which IMO was a great move. Making an appearance once a year to the fans of that part of region IMO does not bother me especially if it helps keep the team in Buffalo.

Lets face it, we can't compete vs. teams like Dallas by simply being passive in terms of marketing the team. We have to reach out to the entire region.

[PromoTheRobot]

The point is, the Bills had Toronto as a secondary market BEFORE the Toronto Series. It's not like when the Series started 5 years ago, people in Toronto magically started coming to Bills games... There has ALWAYS been fans from Toronto, Syracuse and Rochester commuting to Bills games.

If the Series wasn't extended and the Bills went back to playing 8 games in Buffalo, do you honestly think all of the Canadians would cancel their Season Tickets becasue of it? They obviously wouldn't, because they were buying tickets BEFORE the Series.

Does having the Series help ticket sales in secondary markets? Probably a little... But not nearly as much as Russ Brandon or the Bills would like you to believe. For most fans, they don't base their decision on going to RWS on whether or not there is a game in Toronto... And for the fans that DO base their decision on it, my guess would be, they aren't interested in keeping the Bills in Buffalo. Because, if having one game in Toronto makes them decide to go to more games, wouldn't they think it would be even better to have ALL of the games in Toronto?

-Bill
That's your opinion. That doesn't make it fact. I do believe having the Bills play in Toronto ties them to that market more than if we didn't. Did you know that every Bills game home and road gets aired on Roger's TSN Network (their ESPN)? That's part of what this series brings. The Bills are becoming Canada's team. As long as they play most off their games in WNY I'm fine with it.

PTR

[DrGraves]

this is bull****. the bills are buffalo and WNY's team. **** YOU RALPH

[DrGraves]

giving away a home game every year when we are trying to get over the hump and finally make the playoffs? punishing the best fans in the NFL? WTF. how stupid can the decision makers of this franchise be?

[BLeonard]

That's your opinion. That doesn't make it fact. I do believe having the Bills play in Toronto ties them to that market more than if we didn't. Did you know that every Bills game home and road gets aired on Roger's TSN Network (their ESPN)? That's part of what this series brings. The Bills are becoming Canada's team. As long as they play most off their games in WNY I'm fine with it.

PTR

So, how long is it going to be before they want "Canada's Team" playing ALL of their games in Canada...?

When Rogers has to paper a 50,000 seat stadium in order to fill it and a majority of the fans that are in attendance are wearing NFL gear supporting teams not involved in the game, or worse, the team the Bills are opposing, that tells me that those fans are simply there for the "NFL experience" or that they are fans of the opposing team... Either way, it's not a positive for the Bills gaining ticket sales for the games played in Orchard Park, which is the ultimate goal...

I wasn't aware of all of the games being televised... That's a positive and, in all honesty, probably does more for "regionalizing" than the game in Toronto does. But, they could have struck a deal to broadcast the games without physically moving a game.

Living in Indiana, my local CBS affiliate has a contract with the Colts to air all of their games, home and away. That doesn't mean I'm going to become a Colts fan nor does it mean that the Colts are going to be playing a home game closer to my house in an attempt to "regionalize."

I will say that, with the lowering of ticket prices, it'll be interesting to see if the high prices were indeed the primary deterrent of getting Bills fans in the seats. It'll also be interesting to see how much the Bills make off of the deal and how it compares to what they could have made at RWS.

-Bill

[better days]

and what gives the TV contracts value?

The Market, the bigger the markets the more valuable the contract which leads to bigger and bigger TV contracts. Its the reason why the NFL wants a team in LA even though it has failed their twice, they want that market

The city of Buffalo by itself does not add enough market value to that TV contract to justify keeping it there

But like I said before add in the other cities that Buffalo has expanded to and now its extremely valuable to Keep the Bills where they are

NONSENSE. Half the people that live in LA are from somewhere else. The TV ratings for LA are good & I doubt they would be any better if LA had a team.

Aside from the Buffalo market, the Bills have fans like myself that live all over the Country who spend money on the Sunday ticket that would no longer watch the NFL if the Bills ever move from Buffalo.

[BertSquirtgum]

this is bull****. the bills are buffalo and WNY's team. **** YOU RALPH

Take it down a notch hoss.

[Skooby]

This also tells me that there's a long-term deal in place to keep the Bills in town because no one is dropping ~$55 M for a team that's not in town.

[Extremebillsfan247]

this is bull****. the bills are buffalo and WNY's team. **** YOU RALPH
Not anymore. They've become a regional team now. I didn't like it at first until the realization hit me that it must be done to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Times are rapidly changing. It's actually a good thing to see the Bills evolve with it. The alternative could be far worse than losing a few games to Toronto. JMO

[kishoph]

Not anymore. They've become a regional team now. I didn't like it at first until the realization hit me that it must be done to keep the Bills in Buffalo. Times are rapidly changing. It's actually a good thing to see the Bills evolve with it. The alternative could be far worse than losing a few games to Toronto. JMO

Good post, I couldn't agree with you more, the Packers did this for years , having games in Green Bay and Milwaukee (about the same distance of Buffalo to Toronto), and it didn't hurt them. It's also more about just the fans in the stands, think of all the merchandise that will be sold in the Toronto area. I also think that last years game was a success and had much more of a home game feeling than in the past. Also, if it can help the team afford players like Mario Williams, I'm all for it. WGR posted a hypothetical question, which was would you rather have Mario Williams or that 1 home game back at the Ralph, the answer is pretty easy for me.

[Historian]

I think its much ado about nothing, and would offer them one preseason game to boot.