Bills Future in Buffalo Partly Sunny

[BRAWNDO]

I was going to start a new thread, but I'll just mention it here.

 

One of the big things people forget in the relocation discussion is that despite LA's huge market/population- the football aspect of it is pretty much cornered.

 

So, would it be wise for an owner to take a risk on establishing a "new" franchise and try to compete with a number of other interests/options? I think it is a better idea to cater to an established fan base that isn't as small or poor as people seem to believe.

 

When you include the Rochester market, the Bills area of influence so to speak is on par with a number of other markets- on the lower end, yes, but certainly in the same league (pardon the pun). Other areas of the country that are comprable population-wise and GDP-wise already have a football franchise in place that their constituents root for- whether NFL or NCAA. The only real exceptions in the Continental US would be Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Feel free to correct me if I am forgetting someplace.

 

But I'm not trying to argue the viability of an expansion team no matter what competition for gaining fans/selling tickets/etc. might be, but I think when we start talking relocation, you are talking about an owner thinking, "Do I risk trying to build a new fan base (which would almost certainly be predicated on "stealing" fans from another team's base) while walking away from a "sure thing?" On top of that risk, the cost of relocation would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price tag of just buying the team (due to stadium and infrastructure costs).

 

It seems like the prudent business move for the future owner(s) of the Bills is to stay in Buffalo, where the market/fan base is established. Sure there is a chance to make more money in a bigger market, but as the saying goes - "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

 

Am I way off base here? What do you guys think?

 

Don't forget that WNY is located about two hours away from North America's Fifth Largest City, hence the reason a game is played there every year.