Larry Felser agrees with me

[G. Host]

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060416/1012235.asp
I may sound like a conspiracy theorist, but when I consider that half of the Bills' home games in the 2006 NFL schedule will be played after Thanksgiving my suspicion is that it's payback for Ralph Wilson's failure to get in lock step with the majority of owners who suggest that departing Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is the greatest American leader since Abraham Lincoln.

The NFL schedule makers must think that global warming will present a generation of mild winters to Western New York. That schedule, on the heels of a sour season in 2005, could cut ticket sales by 25 percent.

I also think some of the teams scheduled for that period are typically slow sellers and would not be surprised if that was a factor as well.

Of course some moron who should be in a psycho ward will claim if Bills can not handle schedule they ought to fold or move. Oh and sell naming rights for $10 million a year too.

[Bill Brasky]

Why does he think it will cut sales?

I'd rather watch 2 crappy teams in a blizzard instead of a New England blowout in September

[The_Philster]

That's cause you're more of a die-hard...there's some who are too :limp: for cold-weather games

[G. Host]

And because a good portion of the fanbase comes from quite a distance and weather affects travel. I typically go to 3-4 games a year and I live 400 miles away during good weather. Winter adds 100 extra miles going around Pittsburgh and typically ads 3 or more hours each way. I usually fly in 2nd half of season but new NFL rules allow them to move games with 12 days or less notice and I can not always stay Sunday night.

Another thing is early games sell out a lot easier in season than late in season games - this is because people are excited and spend money on early games because they are anxious to see Bills in person after 6 months off but later games conflict with holidays and money needs to be dug deeper out of pockets.

And yes some people ARE more vunerable to cold than others, even people who were raised in Buffalo. I never liked the cold even when I lived there.

[ICE74129]

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060416/1012235.asp
I may sound like a conspiracy theorist, but when I consider that half of the Bills' home games in the 2006 NFL schedule will be played after Thanksgiving my suspicion is that it's payback for Ralph Wilson's failure to get in lock step with the majority of owners who suggest that departing Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is the greatest American leader since Abraham Lincoln.

The NFL schedule makers must think that global warming will present a generation of mild winters to Western New York. That schedule, on the heels of a sour season in 2005, could cut ticket sales by 25 percent.

I also think some of the teams scheduled for that period are typically slow sellers and would not be surprised if that was a factor as well.

Of course some moron who should be in a psycho ward will claim if Bills can not handle schedule they ought to fold or move. Oh and sell naming rights for $10 million a year too.

No but a man with any Intelligence at all understands there is revenue to be made that Ralph isn’t tapping into. I can tell you now he can ***** and whine about the CBA all he wants, but until teams start doing what they can I.e. Selling naming rights, he isn’t going to get much help from the NFL and other owners.
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Here is another fact, you cannot run an NFL team and expect it to last when your ticket prices are the lowest in the NFL. If WNY can’t afford an increase in ticket sales, increase in how much luxury boxes are going for and no companies can step up and pay for naming rights, the team will not survive. This IS the NFL of today. Reality has hit Ralph square in the grill.
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No one has said sell for 10 mill per year. But it isn’t that bad to say 10 mill over 5 years. Hell wasn’t the Rich family paying 1 mill per? I’m not sure but I think they were.
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And as for as Felser is concerned, its way beyond incredulous to think the NFL sat down and said, ‘Ok, lets try and screw the Bills, THEN fill in the rest of the schedule’. To say that any scheduling was intentional is implying exactly that. There are 12 teams schedules they would have had to hold up JUST to screw us. Sorry but for some reason I don’t think the Bills mean enough, nor is Ralph a pain in their sides enough, for the NFL Brass to go out of their way to do that.

[Spiderweb]

IIRC, the selling of naming rights is "shared" revenue and thus the Bills wouldn't generate more than a few hundred thou for theirs at best. Maybe the other owners are a bit pissed at Ralph for NOT getting this additional revenue into the mix, but it won't help the Bills situation very much at all.

[Historian]

The weather affects travel for sure, but what makes late season home games rough are the holidays. It's a tough time of year to come up with extra dough for that kind of stuff.

We used to get playoff vouchers right after Thanksgiving back in the glory days, and it's right at that time of year where everything's tight.

On the other hand...perhaps the schedule makers are trying to give the Bills the advantage by scheduling several games in what will obviously be cold weather.

[Dr. Lecter]

Game ticket prices are shared money (60/40). So increasing prices will not help the Bills situation very much, if at all.

[ICE74129]

Game ticket prices are shared money (60/40). So increasing prices will not help the Bills situation very much, if at all.

If you raise every ticket 20.00 per game, that is 12.00 per game x 75000 in new money for the Bills.

12 x 75000 = 900.000 x 8 = 7.2 million in more revenue. So how is it raising the ticket prices doesnt' help? As you know I'm not ripping on you Doc, but your comment is off base somewhat. it DOES help.

If you raise all season tickets 160.00 per season, all single tickets 20.00 per then you have made a decent increase in usable revenue without destroying the fanbase. And I don't want to hear some fan *****ing and whining they can't afford it. If you can't afford a 20.00 per ticket increase over the lowest ticket prices in the NFL...you dont need a team. I'm sorry but that's how it is.

Increase the Luxury boxes some as well ( I say 1k per game or 8K per season), tickets by 20.00, Sell naming rights for 2 mill per and you are looking at between 10-15 mill in extra revenue. it isn't blockbuster, but then ralph can honestly go to the league and say he has tapped the resources of the market. Until he does the above things, he has no leg to stand on.

[Dr. Lecter]

If you increase prices $20 a game, you will not have 75,000 people there each game. It is the reality of this market. Income and cost of living is lower than say in NYC.

[ICE74129]

If you increase prices $20 a game, you will not have 75,000 people there each game. It is the reality of this market. Income and cost of living is lower than say in NYC.

We have the lowest tickets in the league. I am sorry but here is reality, the Bills have to get up to speed or move. It isn't the NFL's job aka the richer franchises, job to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

If the economy can't support them then they need to move. This is a REALITY that has been sitting there for decades and is now coming to fruition.

Do I like it, hell no, but if you are saying they can't support a small raise (and that is VERY small compared to most other markets, in prices then they can't support the team and it has to move.