Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

[YardRat]

Breaking news, on local TV

[swiper]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Golisana masturbating alone, will be aggressive

Breaking news, on cable TV

[Night Train]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/07/13/tom-golisano-to-bid-for-bills-alone-and-is-in-it-now-to-win-it-source

It's a reaction to this report.

Take it at face value. How true is a whole other story.

[Mace]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Pegula can take him, and Larry Quinn will not be an NFL face.

[DraftBoy]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

The more bidders the better for the Wilson family.

[better days]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

The more bidders the better for the Wilson family.

And someone called me Captain Obvious.

[trapezeus]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

sounds like congel and golisano had a bit of a falling out and are outdueling each other in the press.

[Fletch]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

The more bidders the better for the Wilson family.

Who cares about the Wilson family in this scenario?

Did Wilson care about you? Please.

All they wanted was money and that's what they got, even before the sale they all have more than enough.

If it sells for cheap but gets a good owner that keeps the team here and puts a competitive team on the field, that's what most of us care about.

[DraftBoy]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Who cares about the Wilson family in this scenario?

Did Wilson care about you? Please.

All they wanted was money and that's what they got, even before the sale they all have more than enough.

If it sells for cheap but gets a good owner that keeps the team here and puts a competitive team on the field, that's what most of us care about.

Did I say I either cared about the Wilson family or that they care about me?

I want the Bills to increase their value as much as possible.

[Fletch]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

sounds like congel and golisano had a bit of a falling out and are outdueling each other in the press.

Doesn't sound like there was much to fall out of according to the piece.

[Fletch]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Did I say I either cared about the Wilson family or that they care about me?

I want the Bills to increase their value as much as possible.

Sounds like the Wilson family is irrelevant then. Why did you mention it?

Also, why do you want the Bills to increase their value as much as possible? Is there something in it for us?

It seems to me that the more "valuable" this franchise becomes, since the value would largely be determined by what is paid for it, the greater the odds of it moving out of the region at some point. The more that someone pays, the more they'll have to make to justify their investment, unless of course it comes down to a philanthropic effort like Golisano mentioned. Even then I don't see how the value of the team benefits us as fans. All I see is prices going up for everything the greater the sale price is. They're definitely not going down if the price tag goes up.

[DraftBoy]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Sounds like the Wilson family is irrelevant then. Why did you mention it?

You seem to operate in extremes only. How did what I say make them irrelevant either? It was simply commentary on the situation.

Also, why do you want the Bills to increase their value as much as possible? Is there something in it for us?

The higher valuation of the team significantly thins the potential owner pool beyond the next owner which I'm as interested in as who the immediate owner will be because I believe its a foregone conclusion the team is staying in Buffalo under the next owner.

It seems to me that the more "valuable" this franchise becomes, since the value would largely be determined by what is paid for it, the greater the odds of it moving out of the region at some point. The more that someone pays, the more they'll have to make to justify their investment, unless of course it comes down to a philanthropic effort like Golisano mentioned. Even then I don't see how the value of the team benefits us as fans. All I see is prices going up for everything the greater the sale price is. They're definitely not going down if the price tag goes up.

I'd disagree with this, the reason we hear some owners and pundits saying the Bills should move is because they can't be as valuable franchise in Buffalo as it could elsewhere. A higher valuation and cost proves that wrong and disincentives the reason for the team to move and for the other owners to approve it. Its pretty clear that nobody out there wants the Bills to move just for the hell of it. They are worried about dollars and a higher sale (along with increased prices for more revenue) means those worries aren't as great as they were previously stated to be.

Yes prices are going to go up and they should. The Bills are going to charge PSL's, they are likely going to have less tailgating with a new stadium, ticket prices are going to increase by a good deal and before all that happens local residents are going to have to come out of their pocket for tax breaks and money to help finance a new stadium. That's today's NFL though. Does it suck for the locals who are used to the prices? Sure but many of the season ticket holders here have expressed no issue with the increased prices so I wouldn't worry about that so much.

[Fletch]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

I'd disagree with this, the reason we hear some owners and pundits saying the Bills should move is because they can't be as valuable franchise in Buffalo as it could elsewhere. A higher valuation and cost proves that wrong and disincentives the reason for the team to move and for the other owners to approve it. Its pretty clear that nobody out there wants the Bills to move just for the hell of it. They are worried about dollars and a higher sale (along with increased prices for more revenue) means those worries aren't as great as they were previously stated to be.

That's not sound logic at all. First of all "value" has different meanings to different people. In this case it seems that, as reported now, both Golisano and Pegula are both willing to eat a whole bunch just to keep the team around, which we appreciate, but looking at it from the outside in is hardly purely a business decision. If it were, it would be considered a bad one. So there's sentimental value, which doesn't come into play in terms of future valuation of the team insofar as it is a business.

Just because something sells for x amount of dollars now doesn't mean that it retains that value going forward.

Yes prices are going to go up and they should. The Bills are going to charge PSL's, they are likely going to have less tailgating with a new stadium, ticket prices are going to increase by a good deal and before all that happens local residents are going to have to come out of their pocket for tax breaks and money to help finance a new stadium. That's today's NFL though. Does it suck for the locals who are used to the prices? Sure but many of the season ticket holders here have expressed no issue with the increased prices so I wouldn't worry about that so much.

The more they charge the less likely they are to sell those seats. You say that many season ticket holders have expressed no issue with increased prices, but some do and will. We've struggled with sellouts at the current prices, usually about half of our home games, last season five of them. To dismiss this as irrelevant is not wise. Ultimately, if they're no better than they've been since Polian left it's going to become a tougher and tougher sell the higher that ticket prices go.

They're already struggling in numerous home games every season now as it is. It's also been proven, by team statements in the past, that they have difficulty selling premium seats. So while we or you can sit here and talk about higher prices and premium seats, and make the assumption that attendance won't suffer, there's no basis for making such an assumption.

As to the tax "breaks" for funding a new stadium, Cuomo has already more or less said that it isn't going to happen. I realize that these things often change, but let's face it, Erie County, nor any other UNY counties, are in the position to be able to do much in that way, and I really don't see the state pouring in that kind of money, given what it just gave for a renovation of the Ralph, to pick up the financing on the stadium. Besides, it sounds to me like both Pegula and Golisano are fully prepared to pick it up themselves and do this not so much as a business decision, rather than purely for sentimental/phlanthropic reasons despite the likely fact that it will result in losses. I'm not wealthy enough to understand to what extent that these ultra wealthy often don't mind huge losses like that to offset other investment gains, but I know that it can work in their favor.

Anyway, the things that you assume to be true have already been formally expressed by the team as issues, so I don't know why that all of a sudden won't be the case any longer.

I'm also not sure that I see less tailgating. If they want to keep attendance at where it is much more not lose any, then they'd better plan on keeping tailgating alive. I think they'd see a dive in attendance if they discouraged tailgating either via not enough or the right kind of parking to accommodate it, or for any other reasons.

In bigger cities you have a large chunk of wealthy fanbase that just buys tickets and goes to games, but in Buffalo we're a different crowd, you know that. That's what a good chunk of this is all about.

[kishoph]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

Who cares about the Wilson family in this scenario?

Did Wilson care about you? Please.

All they wanted was money and that's what they got, even before the sale they all have more than enough.

If it sells for cheap but gets a good owner that keeps the team here and puts a competitive team on the field, that's what most of us care about.

You don't think that the stipulations in the lease that basically guarantee the Bills will be in Buffalo till the very least 2020 is not Ralph Wilson looking out for Buffalo Bills fans ? You're hatred for the Bills blinds you to any thing that is positive about the team. I can't stand people like you that claim to be "fans" of the team and do nothing but bash them.

[stuckincincy]

Re: Golisana bidding alone, will be aggressive

The higher valuation of the team significantly thins the potential owner pool beyond the next owner which I'm as interested in as who the immediate owner will be because I believe its a foregone conclusion the team is staying in Buffalo under the next owner.

I'd disagree with this, the reason we hear some owners and pundits saying the Bills should move is because they can't be as valuable franchise in Buffalo as it could elsewhere. A higher valuation and cost proves that wrong and disincentives the reason for the team to move and for the other owners to approve it. Its pretty clear that nobody out there wants the Bills to move just for the hell of it. They are worried about dollars and a higher sale (along with increased prices for more revenue) means those worries aren't as great as they were previously stated to be.

Yes prices are going to go up and they should. The Bills are going to charge PSL's, they are likely going to have less tailgating with a new stadium, ticket prices are going to increase by a good deal and before all that happens local residents are going to have to come out of their pocket for tax breaks and money to help finance a new stadium. That's today's NFL though. Does it suck for the locals who are used to the prices? Sure but many of the season ticket holders here have expressed no issue with the increased prices so I wouldn't worry about that so much.

If all we've heard about the lease terms is true, they are going to be here to satisfy that.

I'm not at all sure that public funding for a new stadium is going to happen. I see little in the current economic climate, but it is surely true that folks who pay little or no property taxes, or those masses in big cities who are effectively wards of the government do vote for increases - no skin in the game, so to speak.

At some point, though, the viability of football itself has to be raised. The things swirling around the NCAA - the O'Bannon case, the college player unionization thing, the concussions lawsuit, the NFL rule changes that in the view of some (many?) that are changing the quality of the game for the worse. HOF'r Lem Barney mads a comment a few months ago:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/06/14/lem-barney-football-will-be-gone-in-20-years/2424499/

He subsequently retracted a bit of that, saying that it was the wrong venue to voice his opinions.