NFL Message to Ralph Wilson: Issue of Small Market Teams on the Front Burner

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

League spokesman Greg Aiello says the financial concerns of small market teams - like the Bills -are a front burner issue for the NFL.

"This is a real important issue. We want to ensure that the NFL continues as we know it, and that means that every team has a chance to compete for the Super Bowl," said Aiello.

Aiello says in the near future, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will name a committee of both small and big market team owners to address the issue.

"A committee will be appointed which will include a cross-section of owners to ensure the new system works for all teams."

Aiello adds that the league is putting together a 'best practices' model that will give guideance to small market teams on ways to maximize the money they can make.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=37065

[Mr. Miyagi]

There you go. Ralph's effort has not gone to waste afterall. :up:

[ICE74129]

There you go. Ralph's effort has not gone to waste afterall. :up:

Sounds like lip service. Not only that is ralph going to follow 'best practices' and up the ticket prices, sell naming rights etc? Or sit there and say FU like he has been?

[FlyingDutchman]

For all the people complaining about Ralph being crazy and whining, doyou still think that now? The old man wasnt going down without a fight and now he has put OUR situation in the spotlight. If he shut his mouth like so many people in the media and here suggested this issue would have never been brought up and dealt with so quickly. Bravo Ralphy...

[FlyingDutchman]

Sounds like lip service. Not only that is ralph going to follow 'best practices' and up the ticket prices, sell naming rights etc? Or sit there and say FU like he has been?

dude.....give it a rest...

[Michael82]

For all the people complaining about Ralph being crazy and whining, doyou still think that now? The old man wasnt going down without a fight and now he has put OUR situation in the spotlight. If he shut his mouth like so many people in the media and here suggested this issue would have never been brought up and dealt with so quickly. Bravo Ralphy...
Good post! :bf1:

[The_Philster]

Ralph's mouth did the work it needed to :bf1:
knock it off with the raising the ticket prices BS, ICE WNYers can't afford the prices that DC people pay :down:

[ICE74129]

For all the people complaining about Ralph being crazy and whining, doyou still think that now? The old man wasnt going down without a fight and now he has put OUR situation in the spotlight. If he shut his mouth like so many people in the media and here suggested this issue would have never been brought up and dealt with so quickly. Bravo Ralphy...

Oh bull crap. that man has *****ed, whined and threatened the city, county and fans every time he hasn't gotten his way and this is no exception.

There is NO FRIGGIN WAY the Bills only had single digit profits last year. I can't wait until someone forces him and that inbred litman to open up the books.

[ICE74129]

Ralph's mouth did the work it needed to :bf1:
knock it off with the raising the ticket prices BS, ICE WNYers can't afford the prices that DC people pay :down:

No one said raise them that far. and If WNY folks can't afford a raise in ticket prices then the Bills need to move. Sorry that is how it is. You can't be successful in buiness charging the lowest rates in the business you are in. The Bills can't keep sitting there year in, year out with the lowest ticket prices in the NFL, sorry it doesn't work that way.

And now WNY'ers are starting to see it. Whomever the owner is, CBA or no CBA changes, WILL have to sell naming rights, Increase ticket prices and God knows what else to make it work.

If Buffalo can't support the Bills, then it's time to move. That is Business.

[Mr B]

For all the people complaining about Ralph being crazy and whining, doyou still think that now? The old man wasnt going down without a fight and now he has put OUR situation in the spotlight. If he shut his mouth like so many people in the media and here suggested this issue would have never been brought up and dealt with so quickly. Bravo Ralphy...

Great post...

[FlyingDutchman]

Oh bull crap. that man has *****ed, whined and threatened the city, county and fans every time he hasn't gotten his way and this is no exception.

There is NO FRIGGIN WAY the Bills only had single digit profits last year. I can't wait until someone forces him and that inbred litman to open up the books.

So what exactly is it that bothers you? The whining? Or your conspiracy theories that Ralph is pulling an Enron or somthing? Call his whining what you will, it did the job of getting the leagues attention. What other means does he have to protest by? He was all alone in this matter. Nobody except New York State politicians caught his back. He did what he had to do for the benefit of the Buffalo Bills. I guess you see it a different way.

[G. Host]

Ralph's mouth did the work it needed to :bf1:
knock it off with the raising the ticket prices BS, ICE WNYers can't afford the prices that DC people pay :down:
They can afford the price Oklahomans pay (none) but not what North Texans pay either!

And until you can show that there is someone willing to pay for stadium naming rights more than chump change, this is a moot point. What some other teams got is not a factor. Bills can not even sell all their in-stadium signs.

I have been watching Buffalo Business Journal and other sources. Not a lot of potential buyers at 10 games a year, very few nationally televised.

http://members.cox.net/billswatch/nflnamingrights.html

[ddaryl]

Aiello says in the near future, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will name a committee of both small and big market team owners to address the issue.

"A committee will be appointed which will include a cross-section of owners to ensure the new system works for all teams."

Aiello adds that the league is putting together a 'best practices' model that will give guideance to small market teams on ways to maximize the money they can make.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=37065



LMAO, when the big markets are involved nothing can be solved... IMO.


I forsee the big markets forcing small markets to do what they say if they want to survive, and of course large markets are only goin gback ideas that grease their bottom end.

Someone has to step in and tell the Big Markets... its your fault you over spent on your franchise and now you're going to have adjust your bottom end some.... too.

[Jan Reimers]

I criticized Ralph at first for his whining and complaining, but it's now very clear that by getting the attention of the public, the press and, most importantly, some very influential politicians, he has gotten the attention of the NFL.

The league doesn't need a public relations black eye, a Congressional anti-trust investigation, or the loss of a storied franchise like the Bills.

Due mainly to Ralph's efforts, I believe that the NFL will adopt a revenue sharing plan that will allow the small market teams to survive, and even be somewhat profitable.

Go Ralph!

[G. Host]

The problem comes with all of the single team deals. In certain markets like Washington they have lobbyiests, lawyer firms, etc who do not mind spending a fortune to have perks like tickets that can give to clients as part of wooing them but such opprotunities do not exist in every market. Even the name of a stadium is vastly different in Washington and other major markets and there is no way smaller market teams can match it.

Some are so clueless that they think it is just local prudence and poor marketing why they do not have those sweetheart deals.

Some CLAIM to be Bills fans and they just tell Bills to deal with it or move!
Will they be a "Bills" fan afterwards? No. They will just move on to another team.

[ICE74129]

They can afford the price Oklahomans pay (none) but not what North Texans pay either!

And until you can show that there is someone willing to pay for stadium naming rights more than chump change, this is a moot point. What some other teams got is not a factor. Bills can not even sell all their in-stadium signs.

I have been watching Buffalo Business Journal and other sources. Not a lot of potential buyers at 10 games a year, very few nationally televised.

http://members.cox.net/billswatch/nflnamingrights.html


It's not a moot deal. Ralph needs to get off of his arse and get it done. The 'Best practices' the NFL mentioned in an article someone posted yesterday is going to make sure that teams get SOMETHING for naming rights. Ticket prices have to be increased and that's all there is to it.

If the Buffalo market can't support them, then they have to move. That is just business. There is a cost to running an NFL Franchise that has massively increased in the last 13 years. Its simple evolution in these times.

That is a cool page you put up there btw.

[The_Philster]

Ticket prices have to be increased and that's all there is to it.

If the Buffalo market can't support them, then they have to move.maybe you should change that helmet in your sig to a Panthers one since since it's obvious you don't give a damn about the Bills :down:

[THATHURMANATOR]

Ralph's mouth did the work it needed to :bf1:
knock it off with the raising the ticket prices BS, ICE WNYers can't afford the prices that DC people pay :down:
It isn't BS. They do need to raise tickets. I could afford 10 to 15 dollars per game no problem whatsoever.

[don137]

Its all supply and demand. If RW could charge even the NFL average for tickets and still fill the seats he would. However, that is not the case. In Carolina,which is right in the middle of the pack as far as prices charge $740 for a season ticket seat in the endzone (not to mention the PSL cost). That is not going to fly in western NY. Mikey, who is as die hard as they come, admitted he wouldn't pay $600 for an endzone seat.
There is a lot of revenue generated from having the game on local TV that you are forgetting about that would be lost if the game does not sell out. I am sure the finance boys factor in that additional income. Raising the tickets to even close to the NFL average will cause a lot more games to sell out and lose the revenue from being on TV locally.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I would easily pay 600 for endzone seats. How could Mike not afford it? He lives at home.

[Dr. Lecter]

Raising ticket prices will only help a little bit, since those revenues are split 60/40.

What I find interesting is that some of the people who said the NFL would ignore Ralph are now saying that this is not a real response.

Give the old guy some credit people.

[ICE74129]

Raising ticket prices will only help a little bit, since those revenues are split 60/40.

What I find interesting is that some of the people who said the NFL would ignore Ralph are now saying that this is not a real response.

Give the old guy some credit people.

The problem is doc it's all lip service. Look Ralph is pissed the players are getting 60%. Try and change that now and see how fast the 06 season is on strike.

Ralph says he isn't worried about a strike, well I bet most other owners are and don't want it. Now I agree that there should have been NO CBA and told the players 56% or get bent. Why? The NFLPA would come to it's senses at some point. 56% of THIS CBA is much more money in thier pockets than 56% of the old CBA. But what's done is done. Ralph can't change that number now.

I think ralph needs to see if he can set it up where a NEW OWNER could take over, get the CBA revenue sharing, be competitive while in Buffalo then SELL THE TEAM!

[Michael82]

Its all supply and demand. If RW could charge even the NFL average for tickets and still fill the seats he would. However, that is not the case. In Carolina,which is right in the middle of the pack as far as prices charge $740 for a season ticket seat in the endzone (not to mention the PSL cost). That is not going to fly in western NY. Mikey, who is as die hard as they come, admitted he wouldn't pay $600 for an endzone seat.
There is a lot of revenue generated from having the game on local TV that you are forgetting about that would be lost if the game does not sell out. I am sure the finance boys factor in that additional income. Raising the tickets to even close to the NFL average will cause a lot more games to sell out and lose the revenue from being on TV locally.
Okay, let me change that a little bit. I would save up the money if it's under $750 a piece, but I would ONLY be able to buy 1 instead of the 2 I got now.

[The_Philster]

Okay, let me change that a little bit. I would save up the money if it's under $750 a piece, but I would ONLY be able to buy 1 instead of the 2 I got now.
I could only afford 1 myself as opposed to the 2 I pay for now

[Northern Stampede]

maybe you should change that helmet in your sig to a Panthers one since since it's obvious you don't give a damn about the Bills :down:


HAHA!!! Yeah, Phil, I had mentioned before how he sounded more like a Panther's fan once before.... lol... Almost ready to come out I guess eh!...



:bullseye: lol :gobills:

[Michael82]

HAHA!!! Yeah, Phil, I had mentioned before how he sounded more like a Panther's fan once before.... lol... Almost ready to come out I guess eh!...



:bullseye: lol :gobills:
He cares more about his Sooners than he does the Bills. :ill: