BuffaloRebound Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 If we're gonna build a new stadium, Niagara Falls makes the most sense. NY side of the Falls is embarrassing. Huge potential and with Falls as a back-drop, a staduium/convention center/shopping area could be a world-class attraction.
apuszczalowski Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) unlikely the Bills could land a Super Bowl due to lack of adequate hotel room space in town, which makes it a big non-starter for the NFL. one option would be to put up some people in Niagara Falls, Ontario, but that's an awkward fit at best, given time for travel and border concerns. in related news to stadium proposal: -- still no new Peace Bridge. -- downtown casino plans "might" be moving forward ... maybe, possibly. -- whatever happened to talk of the folks across the border and their plans to build a NASCAR track. -- the Adelphia Tower. jw Not a nascar track, its the Canadian Motor Speedway and it is not affiliated with Nascar because it does not have a race attached to it so its just a race car track Its still alive and ongoing, just being tied up in some appeals by local citizens that are against the idea. I believe that the appeals case will be heard in early summer. Edited April 12, 2012 by apuszczalowski
Billy in 4C Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 I don't get the whole "waterfront" concept. If you are building a dome/retractable, you don't see the water anyways, the land is expensive and parking is terrible. Waterfront for baseball is fine because you can actually see it. The Bengals stadium is on the water and everything I mentioned above is terrible. It would be like the Sabres - they park under bridges, don't tailgate as a group and just walk in. It would ruin all sense of tradition and the Buffalo-feel of the game.
billsfan_34 Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 I have to assume this is a joke.....even if listed in 'Millions'......Indy acknowledges a loss by hosting the superbowl. This is irrefutable. Now, did 'Millions' (tens if not hundreds) of dollars exchange hands during the course of pre-, during-, and post- superbowl activities? No doubt......yet it cost Indy and well, really, the taxpayers of central Indiana a whole lot to host the event. But anyone who even remotely considers Indy as profiting from the superbowl is really out of touch with Economics 101. All things considered....prestige, notoriety, movers/shakers being impressed, direct/indirect gains, blah, blah, blah translates to really no profit for the typical person..... No.....not a joke at all. Do you think Indy economy would take a huge hit if the 500 wasn't in town for 2 weeks and broad ripple was dead? Look at New Orleans ....they invest in tourism and keeps them afloat. Don't get me wrong....I would love to see owners and the league fund more money for stadiums and not the tax payers....but you do have to spend money to make money and well....b los infrastructure is suffering. RWS was built in the wrong spot long ago and were still feeling it.
Lv-Bills Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Deleted this on accident, sorry. Re-post. Other than for some community pride, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of. #1. I kept stats for FOX sports TV crews about 8 years ago. I've been to every stadium in the league but three. Ralph Wilson Stadium is a fantastic stadium to watch football in. Matter of fact, it's so good, I would have to say that whoever designed it was way ahead of it's time back in the day. The sightlines are awesome. You are close to the field. The upper decks only run along the sidelines and not in the endzones. It's amazing for the viewing of a game. The thing that sucks about the Ralpsh is it's concourses. They suck. The concessions suck. The space sucks. Period. That, however, can be enhanced by a 100-200 million dollar renovation. Maybe even replace the heated seats inside the stadium and the benches to regular seats as well. Easily done for 200 million. And that's much cheaper than 900 million for a new stadium. #2. Orchard Park is an awesome place for football. Period. It's out in the middle of nowhere. There is PLENTY of parking both on premisis and off of it. Because it's in the town, parking is cheap because the competition to park is enormous. Lastly, the parking lots are plenty and the tailgating atmosphere is the best in the NFL. Hands down. I've been to Green Bay and Kansas City. Ours blows it away. Why in the hell would anyone want that to change? Also, have any of you been outside of Western NY for a game anywhere? Especially at a downtown stadium. Count on the tailgating to almost go away completely. Count of your cost to park pretty much triple. And count on traffic being just as bad if not worse at a downtown location. Stadiums in downtown Charlotte suck. Minnesota's is flat awful, inside and out. Hell, I think Baltimore even sucks, as well as Heinz field. Most tailgaters at Heinz Field now have to tailgate in business lots all segregated from each other. It sucks. #3 If we get a new stadium, prices are going to skyrocket. Period. We'll have PSL's. Prices for each ticket will most likely more than double. And along with beefed up concessions, come beefed up food prices. It's pretty stupid to want a new stadium. #4 Lastly, if it's the downtown you would like to build up great. I get that. If you truly think the stadium, with a roof, which would be awful, will boost other events during the course of the year, you're pretty much wrong. Hell, most domed stadiums still sit empty most of the year anyway. This isn't going to be much different in Buffalo. The only guy who utlilizes his stadium the way it should be utilized, is, Jerry Jones. As much as I hate the douche, he does a great job of using it each year. All in all, The Bills stadium, in Orchard Park, is a fantastic NFL experience. Why the hell some of you even want to suggest to ruin that is beyond me. Doesn't make sense. Some of you seem to never have been out of Buffalo.
IndyMark Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 No.....not a joke at all. Do you think Indy economy would take a huge hit if the 500 wasn't in town for 2 weeks and broad ripple was dead? Look at New Orleans ....they invest in tourism and keeps them afloat. Don't get me wrong....I would love to see owners and the league fund more money for stadiums and not the tax payers....but you do have to spend money to make money and well....b los infrastructure is suffering. RWS was built in the wrong spot long ago and were still feeling it. Slow down....the statement was made Indy profitted 3 Billion dollars......impossible. Comical. Call it what you want....but it simply is not the case. Comparing the 500 to the Colts was sloppy. The 500 was started with PRIVATE Funds and has been maintained that way. The Colts? Not even close - the Colts have SOCIALIZED the costs and PRIVATIZED the profits. And really back to point, the superbowl is not a profit maker for a city...... I get the passion, but not only are you comparing apples to oranges, but the facts presented were wrong, misleading....etc.
billsfan_34 Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 I'm just saying it brings in tourism dollars.....that's all. And I didn't compare anything to the colts.
Lurker Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) Indianapolis profits from hosting the Super Bowl......3 billion Off a bit. Try $150 million... Or how about a $350,000 loss. Edited April 11, 2012 by Lurker
apuszczalowski Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 What most seem to be forgeting is that the "tradition", and tailgating and all is fine for us fans, but what about the next owner of the team? The next owner will need to be someone who can afford to pay probably close to $800 Million on the team. There are very few people in the world (let alone WNY) that can afford to do that and not have to go into debt with loans and borrowing for it. The team will have to turn bigger profits in order for the new owner to pay off the debts that Ralph currently does not have with the team cause they have been paid off already. Can a new owner do that in Orchard park and RWS? Tailgating is great for the average fan, but it doesn't bring the team or owner any revenue. As for the dome, if a new stadium is going to be built and have any tax payer money used, it will have to be a dome because they will need it to be mutli use to justify the expense to help build. The days of weather being an advatage are long gone. Players are coming from all over to play and its not an advatage like it used to be. And its not like fans are selling out the December games which during the end of last season, it was shown that even when the Bills were going to the SB, they still had trouble selling out December games. In order for the Bills to survive and stay in WNY, they are either going to need a newer stadium built to help maximise profits, or expnsive upgrades will be needed to give RWS a facelift and prices increased in order for them to stay economically viable and compete financially with the rest of the league. Ralph is not in debt with the Bills because they were paid off years ago. He doesn't need to do much in order for the team to turn a profit. But the next owner will need to maximise profits in order to help keep the team in the area and pay off the debts he will have purchasing the team Off a bit. Try $150 million... Close enough, I'm sure the error was in some rounding up or down Theres a difference in comparing the Super Bowl to the Indy 500. The Superbowl is a once in a while event, the Indy 500 is a once a year event held in the same location. More gets tied to turning a profit with a once a year event in the same location, compared to something that at best, would be held if lucky, once every 5-10 years in your location.
26TrapDraw Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) In order for Buffalo to help ensure that the Bills stay the domed stadium complex idea has to be considered. It brings jobs and a year round desperately needed revenue stream to the economy. Paying for it is another story. Maybe something for the new ownership group? My 2 cents worth anyway LV Edited April 11, 2012 by LVBillsBackr
Lurker Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Close enough, I'm sure the error was in some rounding up or down Theres a difference in comparing the Super Bowl to the Indy 500. The Superbowl is a once in a while event, the Indy 500 is a once a year event held in the same location. More gets tied to turning a profit with a once a year event in the same location, compared to something that at best, would be held if lucky, once every 5-10 years in your location. "The impact of the Indianapolis 500 alone is $336 million – more than four times the $104 million economic impact of the Indianapolis Colts, according to statistics from Purdue University."
buffalobillsfootball Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 In order for the Bills to survive and stay in WNY, they are either going to need a newer stadium built to help maximise profits, or expnsive upgrades will be needed to give RWS a facelift and prices increased in order for them to stay economically viable and compete financially with the rest of the league. Ralph is not in debt with the Bills because they were paid off years ago. He doesn't need to do much in order for the team to turn a profit. But the next owner will need to maximise profits in order to help keep the team in the area and pay off the debts he will have purchasing the team. apuszczalowski hit the nail on the head. Also, Indianapolis made out quite well and will definitely host the Super Bowl again. Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy. Super Bowl XLVI's Real Winner? Indianapolis!
KD in CA Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Don't you think hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers dollars could be spent on something better?? Like -- God forbid -- giving it back to the taxpayers. Public financed stadiums are one of the biggest scams running in this country.
Lurker Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) apuszczalowski hit the nail on the head. Also, Indianapolis made out quite well and will definitely host the Super Bowl again. Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy. Super Bowl XLVI's Real Winner? Indianapolis! Why the Economic Impact of the Super Bowl is so Controversial Edited April 11, 2012 by Lurker
Offside Number 76 Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 apuszczalowski hit the nail on the head. Also, Indianapolis made out quite well and will definitely host the Super Bowl again. Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy. Super Bowl XLVI's Real Winner? Indianapolis! Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country and has the infrastructure (hotel beds being the main component, as JW said) to pull that off. Remember, in addition to one Super Bowl, Indy's suburb hosts one of the most famous auto races in the world. NCAA is headquartered in Indy, and that city hosts the Final Four every five years. It's set up for large events. Buffalo is not. Further to JW's point, I believe that when Detroit (which also is smaller than Indy) hosted the Super Bowl, and people had to stay in Windsor, the situation was viewed as far from ideal. Would I like Buffalo's economy to be more like Indy's? Sure. If that's what you meant by "Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy," then I'm right there with you. (And New York could learn a lot from Indiana, too.) But if your point is that Buffalo should start planning for a future Super Bowl, I've got to disagree. The stadium is relatively far down the list of reasons why Buffalo can't do that right now.
Mr. WEO Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Exactly. They want taxpayer funded stadiums that have more corporate luxury boxes that they can charge bucketloads for. The luxury boxes take up space, so there are fewer "regular" seats, so... according to supply and demand... they can charge more for each regular seat. Each step of the way, the average taxpayer/football-fan gets screwed. Yet, so many people just love the idea of these new stadiums. Oh yeah? Which are the local corporations that are waiting to pay bucketloads for a luxury box? Also, any talk of Buffalo as a SB site under any stadium circumstance is ridiculous. The hotel capacity is completely inadequate. None of this makes any sense. There is no billion doallrs for a new stadium.
buffalobillsfootball Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country and has the infrastructure (hotel beds being the main component, as JW said) to pull that off. Remember, in addition to one Super Bowl, Indy's suburb hosts one of the most famous auto races in the world. NCAA is headquartered in Indy, and that city hosts the Final Four every five years. It's set up for large events. Buffalo is not. Further to JW's point, I believe that when Detroit (which also is smaller than Indy) hosted the Super Bowl, and people had to stay in Windsor, the situation was viewed as far from ideal. Would I like Buffalo's economy to be more like Indy's? Sure. If that's what you meant by "Buffalo could learn a lot from Indy," then I'm right there with you. (And New York could learn a lot from Indiana, too.) But if your point is that Buffalo should start planning for a future Super Bowl, I've got to disagree. The stadium is relatively far down the list of reasons why Buffalo can't do that right now. Never said anything about Buffalo hosting a Super Bowl; simply implying that a downtown stadium can work and Indy's urban planning is pretty good.
mattsox Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) Just read a few of the news stories about this and am just wondering, are any of you are any of you as annoyed as I am to hear a clamoring for a domed/retractable roof stadium? Personally I would love a downtown venue, as long as there is enough parking/ tailgating space and a better or at least equal (to the ralph) traffic situation to and from the game. I realize what it could create some vigor in the city as a multi-use facility, but as a Bills fan I can't help but be selfish and only think of what it means to me as a fan. If there is a roof, in my opinion it will close in November and not open til May, I hope I'm wrong about this, but Ive rarely seen teams with retractable roofs keep them open in the cold. Especially in the Super Bowl even in warm areas like AZ and Houston where the roofs are for when it's too hot, the NFL chose to keep them shut. And in Toronto a few years ago the players wanted to open the roof in December and it didnt happen. So what I'm selfish about as a fan is this, there is a mystique about the Bills that goes beyond the players and organization, the harsh weather and grizzled, maniac fans who withstand it and enjoy it through thick and thin have been the true Identity of this team and I'd hate to lose it so that an RV or boat show can come through town. One more thought... Of these 5 cities who has the worst weather? Minneapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago. Of those cities whose football team is never in the conversation as having the best fans? Hint: the answer to both questions is the team that plays under a roof. All in for the Downtown stadium. No Dome, NO retractable stupid thing, just a regular good ol' stadium. Cold weather is part of a tradition in Buffalo. Preferably near the waterfront. Get it more developed and usable. I'm all in on that. Edited April 11, 2012 by mattsox
BillsWatch Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 A domed stadium would allow Buffalo to bid on hosting a Superbowl, which generates alot of money for the city. This is a bunch of bull. Indianans and Detroit got them but they have a lot more hotels and local large businesses to carry financial load. Jacksonville got it but needed floating hotels to have enough capacity. Buffalo does not have the hotel space required by NFL.
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