I have no doubts Bills will stay a long time

[Guest]

http://espn.go.com/chrismortensen/s/2002/0912/1430810.html

[Ebenezer]

good...I have my doubts the sabres though

[northernbillfan]

It would nice to be optimistic about the Bills staying in B-lo, especially with the history of the team and all. But they were fairly certain the Browns would never move either, and they are the home of American football. Anything can happen.

[lordofgun]

As one high-ranking league official said, "We never wanted, and we never approved, a team in Indianapolis ... but we also have worked very hard at stabilizing all our markets. So we're working with them right now, not against them."

That hurts.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Told you Indy was a cow town.

[lordofgun]

You never told me that.

[SABURZFAN]

Originally posted by Ebenezer
good...I have my doubts the sabres though

me too.giambra opening his mouth didn't help matters either.

[Shiny Chicken]

if you had to lose one of the two though, would it be the Bills or the Sabres? I definitely think it's more important to hold on to the Bills...

[TigerJ]

Risks to Buffalo Bills residency in Buffalo:

Ralph Wilson's eventual death. The family does not have the cash to pay the death tax. They will have to sell. Who will the buyer be and where will his/her loyalties lie?

Buffalo is a small market area. The fan base is not solid enough to keep season ticket sales strong no matter what happens. The New York Giants by comparison can lose consistently and still have a waiting list for season tickets. When Buffalo loses, ticket sales drop unless management pulls of a spectacular off-season move (acquiring DB).

There is not a lot of local corporate sponsorship.

The lease gets progressively easier to break with each passing year.

In favor of Bills staying in Buffalo:

The Bills are money makers. Not every team in the NFL is. Why would a new owner move a team from a city where they make money to a city where the future is unknown?

Ralph Wilson Stadium is now one of the older stadiums, but with recent renovations, it is still very serviceable. It has excellent capacity and if the Bills are at least competitive is always in the top half of the league in attendance.

I think Ralph Wilson feels some loyalty to Buffalo even though he's is a Detroit native. Buffalo has been very good to him. If he gets multiple offers for the team if and when he decides to sell, I think he might take less money from a purchaser who promises to keep the team in Buffalo if the offers are at least close.