So...What happens next?

[Mr. WEO]

As usual you fail to understand the gist of my post.

 

I'm not saying buying tickets will insure the Bills stay. I'm saying if we fill RWS for every game no one can claim that Buffalo won't support the Bills.

 

And while it's only a sentimental reason it does carry some weight in the court of public opinion. Browns fans we're very solid in their support of the team and when Modell took them to Baltimore it created a lot of sympathy for Cleveland and a black eye for the NFL. It's my hope the Buffalo would look like it's doing all it can to support the Bills.

 

But all that goes down the crapper if we have a couple of 40,000 attended games in December. The image of a half-empty stadium, no matter what the circumstances, would make Buffalo look Jacksonville.

 

Get it now?

 

Yeah, you are pretty much saying that-over and over. Buffalo and its environs are doing all they can do to support the team. It will surprise you to learn that the Bills are not a charity. People have a right to expect that if they pay for a product (which is what they are doing), it shouldn't be so consistently defective. They shouldn't be happy just to have it available for purchase.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Mr. WEO

[nucci]

Do we have to pull up the weather forecasts for every playoff game? The famous comeback game was very mild, like in the mid-40's. People just wrote the team off. It wasn't the weather.

You need to give it a rest. Your constant complaining about fan support is tiring. Other teams that have moved in the last 20 years supported their teams and they still moved.

[Mr. WEO]

Do we have to pull up the weather forecasts for every playoff game? The famous comeback game was very mild, like in the mid-40's. People just wrote the team off. It wasn't the weather.

 

This has preposterous contention has been addressed in many posts. There were more fans at the comeback game than would currently fit in a sold out RW stadium.

[Kirby Jackson]

It's not about the revenue that the stadium generates. Every potential owner in the world has seen and knows the books. It is about the consistent support that makes it tough to move. It will be difficult for anyone to relocate a team that has had the building full for 5+ years. When you have 20,000 empty seats in December it has the opposite effect. Obviously revenue is king but SF finished behind the Bills in revenue last year and you never hear about them moving (yes, I know they have a new stadium coming).

 

Also, for those pointing to 20 years ago being full that plays right into what those that worry say. "Buffalo is a declining market, yada, yada, yada."

[BillnutinHouston]

People have a right to expect that if they pay for a product (which is what they are doing), it shouldn't be so consistently defective. They shouldn't be happy just to have it available for purchase.

Your analogy is flawed. To most folks, the Buffalo Bills are not simply one product from many among which to choose, like the 5 brands of peanut butter you find on your supermarket shelf. The fact that the team has the Buffalo "brand" makes all the difference in the world - to most of us.

 

Since you are arguing that fans shouldn't be happy just to have the product available for purchase, by extension you are also saying that another team that doesn't have the Buffalo brand (but that wins) will be acceptable. That sounds to me like a bandwagon fan and I doubt most here fall into that category.

 

[GA BILLS FAN]

Your analogy is flawed. To most folks, the Buffalo Bills are not simply one product from many among which to choose, like the 5 brands of peanut butter you find on your supermarket shelf. The fact that the team has the Buffalo "brand" makes all the difference in the world - to most of us.

 

Since you are arguing that fans shouldn't be happy just to have the product available for purchase, by extension you are also saying that another team that doesn't have the Buffalo brand (but that wins) will be acceptable. That sounds to me like a bandwagon fan and I doubt most here fall into that category.

WOW --- if that isn't convoluted logic I don't know what is ????? First, there are other choices for your entertainment dollars in Buffalo besides the Bills -- movies, theater, music, museum etc. etc. Second, actually, I really have no idea what point you are making in your second statement.

[Chef Jim]

Everyone will believe what they want. You think showing up for games doesn't matter. I think it does. We'll just have to leave it at that.

 

So you're pointing out that the fans can't sellout playoff games. And in order to keep them in Buffalo you need to rally people that really would rather be doing something else to go to the games to create sellouts then by that logic I have to ask. Why are they still in Buffalo?

[papazoid]

 

 

So you're pointing out that the fans can't sellout playoff games. And in order to keep them in Buffalo you need to rally people that really would rather be doing something else to go to the games to create sellouts then by that logic I have to ask. Why are they still in Buffalo?

 

they are still in Buffalo because of Ralph.

 

support = sellouts

 

that is the only measure that matters.

[mrags]

Everyone need to just STFU already. It will probably be another year or 2 before anything gets resolved. Maybe more.

 

None of us here have any idea what's going to happen unless one of you happens to have worked on Mr. Wilson's will.

 

Ralph Wilson has just passed and we can't go 1 freaking day without arguing over stupid crap. Here's something to hold to your hearts, nothing you say or do on a Buffalo bills message board is going to effect the outcome of the franchise. If you think the team may be gone within the near future, then enjoy it whole it lasts. Go to games. Watch on tv. Tailgate. Tell stories about the glory days. Imagine what it will be like when we finally win the big one.

 

Give it a break for once.

[GA BILLS FAN]

Everyone need to just STFU already. It will probably be another year or 2 before anything gets resolved. Maybe more.

 

None of us here have any idea what's going to happen unless one of you happens to have worked on Mr. Wilson's will.

 

Ralph Wilson has just passed and we can't go 1 freaking day without arguing over stupid crap. Here's something to hold to your hearts, nothing you say or do on a Buffalo bills message board is going to effect the outcome of the franchise. If you think the team may be gone within the near future, then enjoy it whole it lasts. Go to games. Watch on tv. Tailgate. Tell stories about the glory days. Imagine what it will be like when we finally win the big one.

 

Give it a break for once.

There's another thread to mourn Ralph and show him the respect, admiration and thanks he so richly deserves -- this thread is purely about playing the guessing game -- if your not into that, I respect your POV, but, don't post on this thread, simple as that.

Edited March 26, 2014 by TXBILLSFAN

[BillnutinHouston]

 

WOW --- if that isn't convoluted logic I don't know what is ????? First, there are other choices for your entertainment dollars in Buffalo besides the Bills -- movies, theater, music, museum etc. etc. Second, actually, I really have no idea what point you are making in your second statement.

Maybe try reading my post again slowly, or out loud.

[GA BILLS FAN]

Maybe try reading my post again slowly, or out loud.

Maybe if you wrote slower.

[mrags]

 

There's another thread to mourn Ralph and show him the respect, admiration and thanks he so richly deserves -- this thread is purely about playing the guessing game -- if your not into that, I respect your POV, but, don't post on this thread, simple as that.

yeah. I know what other threads are in this site. I think I've been here long enough to figure that out. And this thread wasn't to have people argue about what is important to keeping the team and what is not. It was simply a question as to what we think will happen next. Somewhere along the lines it became a debate about what is or isn't important for keeping the team in Buffalo. As I said, nobody here knows what's going to happen (obviously the reason for the thread) but as far as we know, there could already be a succession plan in place. Until the details are given, it's all pointless.

 

And besides, my point of my post wasn't in regards to the topic at hand. It was more along the lines that we can't go 3 minutes without getting angry with one another on a stupid message board because everyone always feels the need to be right about their opinion. As I said, Mr. Wilson has passed away. Let's give him a little more respect than arguing over stupid things that don't matter in the end. Who really cares if games in the early 90s sold out? It was almost 35 years ago. It was in an entirely different time in the league than now. And at the time we had one of the largest stadiums in the NFL with a capacity of over 80k. So what if we were 5k tickets short. That means nothing now since our stadium holds 10k seats less.

 

Don't worry, I won't be back to this thread. You've all already upset me even more than I already was after the last few days.

 

 

[GA BILLS FAN]

yeah. I know what other threads are in this site. I think I've been here long enough to figure that out. And this thread wasn't to have people argue about what is important to keeping the team and what is not. It was simply a question as to what we think will happen next. Somewhere along the lines it became a debate about what is or isn't important for keeping the team in Buffalo. As I said, nobody here knows what's going to happen (obviously the reason for the thread) but as far as we know, there could already be a succession plan in place. Until the details are given, it's all pointless.

 

And besides, my point of my post wasn't in regards to the topic at hand. It was more along the lines that we can't go 3 minutes without getting angry with one another on a stupid message board because everyone always feels the need to be right about their opinion. As I said, Mr. Wilson has passed away. Let's give him a little more respect than arguing over stupid things that don't matter in the end. Who really cares if games in the early 90s sold out? It was almost 35 years ago. It was in an entirely different time in the league than now. And at the time we had one of the largest stadiums in the NFL with a capacity of over 80k. So what if we were 5k tickets short. That means nothing now since our stadium holds 10k seats less.

 

Don't worry, I won't be back to this thread. You've all already upset me even more than I already was after the last few days.

Completely understand. I've been bouncing back and forth between the two threads all day -- at one point, I'm sad and retrospective about Ralph and then I'm worried about what will happen to the franchise --- on top of that, I'm monitoring Jill Kelly's twitter to see what's happening to Jim --- tough day all around -- no debate here

[PromoTheRobot]

So you're pointing out that the fans can't sellout playoff games. And in order to keep them in Buffalo you need to rally people that really would rather be doing something else to go to the games to create sellouts then by that logic I have to ask. Why are they still in Buffalo?

 

I could ask why on earth do you have 26,593 posts on a fan forum for a team you wouldn't shed a tear over if they left town? I suspect that you must get some weird pleasure out of other's suffering.

 

All I'm saying is (in my opinion) if you want to keep the Bills in WNY, fill the stadium. If you don't or believe your loyalty needs to be proven by any actual support of the team, then do whatever you want. Just don't come here crying when the team leaves.

 

PTR

Edited March 26, 2014 by PromoTheRobot

[Chef Jim]

I could ask why on earth do you have 26,593 posts on a fan forum for a team you wouldn't shed a tear over if they left town? I suspect that you must get some weird pleasure out of other's suffering.

 

 

PTR

 

Ah the old why post so much on a Bills message board if I don't really care about the team line. In case you handn't noticed there are actually more forums on this site dedicated to topics other than the Bills than forums talking about the Bills. Why am I posting here? Well in my line of work transference of assets/wealth/estates is an important thing we do and I've been intrigued as to how this was going to play out for years. That time has come so here I am.

 

And what I'm saying is if a team should only stay in a city if they can fill the stadium and you have to beg people to fill the stadium (even when they were very good) then maybe they don't belong there in the first place. Now I don't believe that for a second but that's what your logic is telling me.

[PromoTheRobot]

@WGR550

@ClaytonESPN thinks the fans can be the porpoises that keep the sharks away.

 

@WGR550

Translation: Buy tickets, show up, and show future potential owners the #Bills can be viable in Buffalo. #Animalytics

 

[Georgia Bill]

I'm just wondering if this thread is going to get pinned. I mean, this speculation could easily go on for 2 years or more. Are we going to just pin it and keep it open til real news on the sale comes (making it the longest thread ever), or close it and open 20 or 30 more of these on the same topic over the next few years?

[ricojes]

Not sure if this was posted somewhere in the 18 pages, but I'll re-post anyway....

 

http://blogs.canoe.c...does-not-exist/

 

Probably not accurate, but it makes me feel good reading it...

Edited March 27, 2014 by ricojes

[mannc]

Never knew this either (From article by Peter King on si.com): "In 1996, angry that Art Modell was abandoning Cleveland, Wilson was one of two owners to vote against the move of the Browns to Baltimore. He never voted in favor of a franchise relocation."