‘Buffalo Bills superfan Kathy Hochul, now governor of New York, got her priorities wrong when listing her goals for a new stadium deal for the profitable football franchise. She says she wanted to keep the team in town (actually, in the suburbs), wanted construction jobs created and wanted to protect taxpayers. Sorry, ma’am, as governor, your first obligation is always to the taxpayers, and this deal hit them deep in the wallet.’
Archives for March 2022
Buffalo Bills secure deal for $1.4B stadium thanks to record $850M from taxpayers
‘The agreement followed weeks of closed-door negotiations between Hochul, Erie County officials and Bills owner Terry and Kim Pegula – who had threatened to relocate the franchise unless the state provided public funding toward a new stadium.’
Hochul offers massive taxpayer-funded deal to keep Bills in N.Y.
‘Hochul, an avid Buffalo Bills fan who is from Erie County, emphasized her central goals during private negotiations — which the public were not privy to and that the governor would rarely give any indication about where things stood — was to keep the Bills in Buffalo, ensure jobs for western New York and “get the best deal for taxpayers.”‘
Churchill: With Bills giveaway, Hochul (and taxpayers) got fleeced
‘Hochul either got snookered or simply doesn’t care about doing right by taxpayers. Because by the standards of other recent stadia for NFL franchises, the agreement she announced Monday is absurdly generous.’
Editorial: Taxpayers paying a heavy price to keep the Bills
‘The deal is not only out of line with the comparatively low economic benefits the state can realistically expect, it’s out of line with what other governments have paid to retain sports teams and the largest public subsidy ever paid for an NFL stadium.’
Tuesday’s Chicago Coverage
Column: Ryan Poles has more work ahead to upgrade the Chicago Bears offensive line after missing out on Ryan Bates (Chicago Tribune)
Bears lose out on OL Ryan Bates as Bills match offer sheet (Chicago Sun Times)
Bills to retain Ryan Bates by matching Bears offer (NBC Sports Chicago)
Buffalo Bills, New York State Strike $1.4 Billion Stadium Deal
‘The new facility will have space for at least 60,000 fans and will be located adjacent to the team’s current stadium in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, officials said. The state will own the facility, which could also be used for concerts or soccer matches, and its outlay represents the largest public subsidy for a sports stadium in U.S. history.’
Bills To Retain OL Ryan Bates By Matching Bears’ Offer Sheet
‘He’s a third-year player who went undrafted out of Penn State and was acquired by Buffalo in a trade that sent defensive end Eli Harold to the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2019. Noted for his versatility for being able to play each position on the line, Bates appeared in 41 games, including four starts last season with the Bills.’
Bills’ New Stadium Deal Carries $850M Taxpayer Tab, Gov Says
‘New York will commit $600 million in funds in a deal reached in time for Hochul to include it in the state budget, which by law must be approved by Friday. Erie County will commit $250 million toward the project, while eventually relinquishing control to a newly established state-appointed commission.’
Buffalo’s Billion Dollar Tax Fumble
‘These are very familiar claims when public tax subsidies are sought by sports or other businesses (I heard a lot of these pitches when I was a New York State Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development.) But economists have shown over and over again that sports—really just a form of entertainment for economic purposes— are not significant drivers of economic activity, and that the claimed positive impacts almost never net out in reality.’
Buffalo Bills to match Chicago Bears’ offer sheet to guard Ryan Bates, GM Brandon Beane says
‘”We’ve kind of pondered that and worked through it. And obviously we’re tight on the cap, but we are going to bring Ryan back,” Beane said.’
NFL unanimously approves Buffalo Bills’ proposal for new $1.4 billion stadium; Bills reach lease agreement with New York and Erie County
‘”We took another step today to solidify our collective goal of constructing a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park,” Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement. “We are grateful for the time, efforts and unwavering commitment made by Governor [Kathy] Hochul and her team throughout this process. While there are more hurdles to clear before getting to the finish line, we feel our public-private partnership between New York State, Erie County, led by County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and the National Football League will get us there.”‘
Bills announce $1.4 billion, open-air stadium in Orchard Park, set to be completed in 2026
‘”While there are more hurdles to clear before getting to the finish line, we feel our public-private partnership between New York State, Eric County, led by county executive Mark Poloncarz, and the National Football league will get us there.”‘
NFL Owners Approve Financing on $1.4 Billion Stadium for Bills
‘“I went into these negotiations trying to answer three questions—how long can we keep the Bills in Buffalo, how can we make sure this project benefits the hard-working men and women of Western New York and how can we get the best deal for taxpayers?” Hochul said. “I’m pleased that after months of negotiations, we’ve come out with the best answers possible—the Bills will stay in Buffalo for another 30 years, the project will create 10,000 union jobs and New Yorkers can rest assured that their investment will be recouped by the economic activity the team generates.”’
Bills match Bears’ offer sheet for Ryan Bates; re-sign Ike Boettger
‘Beane said Boettger had a good exam on his most recent physical, but still has rehab ahead of him. The team will evaluate where he is when training camp begins in late July.’