I'd like to pose a question to the board: What would be the state of this franchise if the Bills were a perennial contender?
I ask this question with a bit of context. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. From the late '70's to the mid 2000's, our CFL team was pretty much a joke. They kept their payroll low and put the fans through years of agony. All this in a football-rabid province. Consequently, the financial state of the franchise was terrible and it needed a lottery to keep it afloat.
Fast forward to now. The team has contended because they are willing to spend the money to be successful. More importantly, winning has allowed them to capitalize on merchandising, so much so that of every dollar spent on CFL merchandise, 70 cents are spent on Saskatchewan gear. The team is flush with cash.
I know the CFL is a much smaller (and inferior) product. I also know that the Bills turn a profit regardless of the crap on the field. However, this is an example of how winning helps the bottom line.
Thoughts?