New stadium rumors

[justasportsfan]

For the Bills to remain viable, they have to be a regional team like the Pats* Batavia is a MUCH better place for the Stadium than the City of Buffalo for the entire region to get to it easily.

And Batavia is not as much a podunk outskirt as Foxborough Mass.

IMO even though I live in Rochacha I would rather travel to Niagara and see the sights and hang out there than go to batavia . I'm not talking about the canadian ballet either. I am guessing that out of state fans would rather go to Niagara with their families as well.

[justasportsfan]

I'd love to see a study regarding how many attendees at NFL games are there on day trips, vs how many stay overnight. My guess would be that it's upwards of 90%.

I would like to see the study too. If you were a bills fan that live in Chicago, would you rather watch a bills game in Miami or in Greenbay? I know it's not quite the same comparison as Batavia vs Niagara but still. Although cow tipping in Batavia could be fun.

[better days]

IMO even though I live in Rochacha I would rather travel to Niagara and see the sights and hang out there than go to batavia . I'm not talking about the canadian ballet either. I am guessing that out of state fans would rather go to Niagara with their families as well.

Have you ever gone to the American side of the Falls?

It is a CRAP HOLE & VERY DIFFICULT & time consuming to get to & that is without 70,000 other people going to the same place at the same time there.

I dated a girl from the Falls for about 6 Months. I broke up with her because I HATED the trip to her house & back.

I decided I did not love her more than I hated that trip.

[justasportsfan]

Have you ever gone to the American side of the Falls?

It is a CRAP HOLE & VERY DIFFICULT & time consuming to get to & that is without 70,000 other people going to the same place at the same time there.

I dated a girl from the Falls for about 6 Months. I broke up with her because I HATED the trip to her house & back.

I decided I did not love her more than I hated that trip.

I live in Rochester so batavia is closer but I would go overnight to watch a game in Niagara. It's a craphole now but if a stadium is built in the area could have more tourists which would improve the area . Less traffic in batavia but stinks like manure. It's like being in Amish country.

[CoolBreeze]

For some reason building a stadium in Niagara Falls to benefit Canadian fans sort of irks me. I'm sure they have some great loyal fans, and nothing against them. But just the thought of more than a 1/3 of the stadium wearing the other teams color and cheering whenever there's a TD for either team is enough to make one lose sleep. I could be very wrong though, thats just the impression I got from the Toronto games.

I like the idea of a downtown stadium. Though traffic, and crime problems will become more common. and as many have said tailgating will never be the same. But It will benefit the city itself, and not only for economic growth. Having a top notch stadium in a smaller working ciass city would be a huge morale boost for the region and it's people. A big F U to the likes of Dallas and New York. I really liked the high speed train idea that trapezeus had. That would be very cool.

Batavia would be a long shot IMO. Most of it is very rundown, and if you've been there on a busy day or during rush hour you already know its god awful traffic. And that is with no stadium, I can't imagine traffic with a stadium. Batavia is a nice enough place to be, and there is room for it. I just don't see it happening. Living south of Rochester it'd be nice to have the Bills so close.

My gut tells me I don't care, just put the new stadium wherever it is that keeps them in Buffalo the longest.

[swiper]

I haven't been to the area in awhile, but aren't those bridges to Canada a nightmare now even during so-called "off" hours?

[better days]

For some reason building a stadium in Niagara Falls to benefit Canadian fans sort of irks me. I'm sure they have some great loyal fans, and nothing against them. But just the thought of more than a 1/3 of the stadium wearing the other teams color and cheering whenever there's a TD for either team is enough to make one lose sleep. I could be very wrong though, thats just the impression I got from the Toronto games.

I like the idea of a downtown stadium. Though traffic, and crime problems will become more common. and as many have said tailgating will never be the same. But It will benefit the city itself, and not only for economic growth. Having a top notch stadium in a smaller working ciass city would be a huge morale boost for the region and it's people. A big F U to the likes of Dallas and New York. I really liked the high speed train idea that trapezeus had. That would be very cool.

Batavia would be a long shot IMO. Most of it is very rundown, and if you've been there on a busy day or during rush hour you already know its god awful traffic. And that is with no stadium, I can't imagine traffic with a stadium. Batavia is a nice enough place to be, and there is room for it. I just don't see it happening. Living south of Rochester it'd be nice to have the Bills so close.

My gut tells me I don't care, just put the new stadium wherever it is that keeps them in Buffalo the longest.

I think Batavia or where the Stadium is now are better locations than the Falls or Downtown for the Bills to survive long term.

Orchard Park is EASY to get to even for Canadians, so it takes them an extra 20 minutes.

It is still a shorter ride than to MANY Stadiums. Have any of you gone from Boston to Foxborough? Now that is a LONG BORING ride.

The Idea of mass transit to downtown is great, but it would cost a fortune. And that would be in addition to the cost of the Stadium.

[WagonCircler]

I would like to see the study too. If you were a bills fan that live in Chicago, would you rather watch a bills game in Miami or in Greenbay? I know it's not quite the same comparison as Batavia vs Niagara but still. Although cow tipping in Batavia could be fun.

I lived in Chicago for 8 years. I went to many Bears games, and even a couple Bills/Bears games. And a Bills Packers game in Milwaukee County Stadium.

In all cases, my biggest concern was not getting stuck in traffic. If the stadium had been in Schaumburg or Palatine or Rolling Meadows, where the Arlington Park racetrack was, I'd have been thrilled.

I get that some people are tourists who go to Bills games. I just think they're in the minority. I think 90% go to tailgate and to watch football, and the faster they can GTFO, the better.

It's one of the things I love about the Ralph. I have my same shortcuts, Brompton to McKinley Pkwy, to Lake Ave, to the Skyway. BOOM. Keep me movin'. Watch the police and the tax man miss me.

[YardRat]

Those of you clamoring for a downtown stadium: have you ever actually been to a sporting event at a downtown stadium before?

No, nobody from WNY that posts here has ever been to a Sabres or Bisons game. Ever.

[YardRat]

I'd put it in Niagara Falls just because it would give a nice, big middle finger to Erie County.

If a new stadium is ever actually built, it will either be downtown or in Niagara Falls, and the bigger sweetheart deal wins.

[better days]

No, nobody from WNY that posts here has ever been to a Sabres or Bisons game. Ever.

I have not been to the new Aud, but I went to the old aud MANY times for Sabres & Braves games. I have also been to some Bison games & love that Stadium.

But far less people go to watch the Sabres & Bisons than the Bills. Traffic would be totally different for the Bills than the Sabres or Bisons.

[better days]

I'd put it in Niagara Falls just because it would give a nice, big middle finger to Erie County.

If a new stadium is ever actually built, it will either be downtown or in Niagara Falls, and the bigger sweetheart deal wins.

Well, MANY more people, especially people with money live in Erie County than Niagara County so Erie County can much better help pay for the Stadium than Niagara County.

The Falls is just a TERRIBLE idea.

[DetDannyWilliams]

perfect spot for the stadium, Lancaster Gunville Rd and Genessee where Dunn Tire Raceway which used to be called Lancaster Speedway, I pass the raceway everyday when I go to work lots of land for tailgating and I know for a fact that Dunn Tire is losing money on the raceway and the Villiage of Lancaster doesn't want it. The NYS thruway runs right passed it and it's easy to get out of if you turn left you go to Genessee and then if you turn right you go to Transit Rd. If you stay on Genesee and cross transit you hit the airport. If you turn right you can either cross Wherle or go straight up to Main St. where Main hits Transit.


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[better days]

perfect spot for the stadium, Lancaster Gunville Rd and Genessee where Dunn Tire Raceway which used to be called Lancaster Speedway, I pass the raceway everyday when I go to work lots of land for tailgating and I know for a fact that Dunn Tire is losing money on the raceway and the Villiage of Lancaster doesn't want it. The NYS thruway runs right passed it and it's easy to get out of if you turn left you go to Genessee and then if you turn right you go to Transit Rd. If you stay on Genesee and cross transit you hit the airport. If you turn right you can either cross Wherle or go straight up to Main St. where Main hits Transit.


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I used to go to Lancaster Speedway all the time. GOOD access & if Batavia stinks, I think this would be a GOOD location for the new Stadium.

[YardRat]

I have not been to the new Aud, but I went to the old aud MANY times for Sabres & Braves games. I have also been to some Bison games & love that Stadium.

But far less people go to watch the Sabres & Bisons than the Bills. Traffic would be totally different for the Bills than the Sabres or Bisons.

Granted, but a hockey game in Buffalo is no different than a baseball game in Baltimore or DC.

[Scumbag College]

I'd love to see a study regarding how many attendees at NFL games are there on day trips, vs how many stay overnight. My guess would be that it's upwards of 90%.

That's why I'd like to see the Bills go after the Central NY market. I'm thinking of Syracuse, in particular. A stadium in Batavia or Pembroke would shave about 2 hours, round trip, off of a commute for Syracuse ticket buyers. And it would sell a lot more Rochester tickets, I think.

I get why people want to see it Downtown, and I agree, mostly. But I always go back to the fact that RWS is used, by and large, for less than ten days a year. I'm not sure it would offset the difference in comparative property values between downtown and a more outlying area to have it there. Sure, you get ten good days for restaurants and bars, etc. But there are 355 other days in the year that it just sits.

I just have visions of total gridlock in my head with a Nia Falls stadium, especially. But a Buffalo stadium, too.

I don't know. All I care about is that it's within 40 miles of here.

Being from Syracuse, I have been dissuaded to go to all but a few Bills games for the past decade or so due to the travel time. Leaving right after the game to Exit 50 on the Thruway is at least a two hour chore, and then it's another 2+ hours after traffic thins out around Rochester. I'm not saying that the stadium has to be as far east as Batavia, but moving the stadium to Niagara Falls would really alienate the Rochester/Syracuse fan base. And the idea of a downtown stadium in Buffalo is great in theory, but I would imagine it would be a huge undertaking.

I'm not an expert on the geography of Williamsville, Depew, and Pembrooke, but I think it would really go a long way to get people from Syracuse, Utica, and even Albany to come out to the games to build a stadium somewhere right off of Exit 48A to 50.

Other than SU's football team, which is only big to Syracuse students and anyone within city limits and the suburbs here, we don't really have much in the way of big time football in central NY. The Bills are still a pretty big deal around here, but making the games easier for us to get to and shaving at least two hours off of the ride home would get people really interested in buying up tickets and getting to the games live. I know there was the movement for the Bills to go "regional" with the move of TC to St. John's Fisher, but I don't think that went far enough.

[Turf]

perfect spot for the stadium, Lancaster Gunville Rd and Genessee where Dunn Tire Raceway which used to be called Lancaster Speedway, I pass the raceway everyday when I go to work lots of land for tailgating and I know for a fact that Dunn Tire is losing money on the raceway and the Villiage of Lancaster doesn't want it. The NYS thruway runs right passed it and it's easy to get out of if you turn left you go to Genessee and then if you turn right you go to Transit Rd. If you stay on Genesee and cross transit you hit the airport. If you turn right you can either cross Wherle or go straight up to Main St. where Main hits Transit.


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Close enough for me. Expand the thruway to 3 lanes in the vicinity. It draws all of the region, and is easier for Rochester and Syracuse. Easy access for everyone. Close to Transit Rd. Win win.

[TigerJ]

Personally, I would be very happy with Batavia, but I can certainly see the arguments against it. Conversely, I would be far less happy with Niagara Falls, but I can see the arguments for it. In any case, by the time it's built, my days of going to football games in person (I don't make many of them as it is) will probably be over.

[better days]

Personally, I would be very happy with Batavia, but I can certainly see the arguments against it. Conversely, I would be far less happy with Niagara Falls, but I can see the arguments for it. In any case, by the time it's built, my days of going to football games in person (I don't make many of them as it is) will probably be over.

I don't think any good argument can be made for the Falls.

With the Stadium in Orchard Park, Canadians cross at both the Peace Bridge & Rainbow Bridge.

If the Stadium were in the Falls, only the Rainbow Bridge would be used & traffic would back up.

It could take longer for Canadians to get to the Stadium in the Falls than it does the Ralph.

And for anyone living outside of Niagara County MUCH LONGER to get to the Stadium.

And as I said before, Erie County has many more taxpayers to help support the Stadium than Niagara County does.

[more cowbell]

Batavia would be a disaster. There's like 2 below average motels in that crap town and a Target...that's not going to bring people in to "Buffalo" to come for a game.

The point of building a new stadium is to maximize profits for the team and surrounding area. This is why downtown and the falls make sense.

Downtown: they're already making strides in revitalizing the city, and adding a professional football stadium/convention center would bring year round traffic to the downtown area...increasing property value and enticing more businesses to operate down there (hotels, restaurants, shops especially).

This method was used in Pittsburgh which was a complete $#it hole 20 years ago...and if anyone has been there recently, you've seen it's the complete opposite of that now. The same could be said for Cincinnati and hell, even Cleveland.

The Falls: All of the reasons I mentioned above apply here as well, but another interesting proposal would be hosting the Super Bowl (assuming there is a roof). The Falls are a great compromise/solution to the Canadian fan base as you literally cannot get any closer to Canada. Visitors would be able to view one of the "wonders of the world" and catch a game ...this would help the team but also BOTH sides of the Falls

Whatever keeps this team in WNY...get it done.