FluffHead Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I know that I can easily just ignore the posts, or not read this thread altogether. But the "OMG the team is moving, how stupid are you that you do not see that" posts are really annoying. Nothing but negativity based on absolutely no fact or knowledge of the situation. If you really can't try and be positive at all about this team why do you even bother??? I'm sure there's other threads, teams, sites that will work for the pessimistic attitude that you seem to enjoy so much. I'm not pessimistic on this topic but I don't get hammering those with that viewpoint. This place would be boring as monkey manure if I just had to read the same sunshine and rainbows about everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple haze Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) They are dealing with the CFL presence now. The Argos are moving out of the city to a new stadium I believe or I read that that is their intention at least. Then they have 6-9 years to build a stadium in Toronto for the NFL. Or maybe they can't but I'm sure they have a better shot at building one there than we do here. Our best chance is to do so massive renovations at the Ralph but we would need an ownership group that is ok with that vision. Hopefully there is one out there that exists The CFL will just roll over for an NFL presence in their home territory? The Argos are moving into a new stadium and the people of Toronto will be involved in some way with the building of another, brand new, larger stadium for an NFL team within several years of the Argos? Or are you saying private ownership is building the Argos stadium and a potential NFL venue as well? Also, it will be very difficult for an owner with intentions of leaving to pay court costs to break the lease. And if they win, they still have to pay 400 million on top of that + NFL relocation fee. Why do you assume that a new stadium can't be built in WNY? You don't know who the new ownership would be and what they would contribute to a potentially new stadium in terms of financial investment. I think you also underestimate the desire of the state of NY for the Bills to remain in WNY. When political forces are motivated things happen. I think the Bills have more friends in high places than you think. And again, a new ownership group could potentially provide enough money to make it work if necessary if not decide to build a new stadium outright for whatever reason. You seem to assume things can't happen in B-Lo as opposed to other places. If ownership is purchased by a group with WNY interests they have major money and clout. Keep the faith. Edited April 4, 2014 by purple haze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) I'm not pessimistic on this topic but I don't get hammering those with that viewpoint. This place would be boring as monkey manure if I just had to read the same sunshine and rainbows about everything on some things (Stevie Johnson for example) I agree. Argument is what makes this place great. But this whole "The Bills are leaving and everyone that can't see that is so stupid" or the "There is no way they cannot break the lease" is BullChit. How about Mark Polancarz the county executive and former lawyer involved with the lease agreement saying its ironclad that they cannot leave. That the $400m was only put in place as a precaution if someone actually did try and fight it and won that they would have to pay this amount. But we have all these jailhouse lawyers on this site that think their absurd logic is all mighty bit in actuality they know nothing more than anyone else's opinions. It's just really annoying and I'm sick of it. There's a lot of good posters that aren't here anymore because of all the negativity here lately. San Jose Bills Fan for example has decided there's better things to do than deal with all the crap that's argued about. It just gets old. Really old. Makes me think from time to time if I want to bother spending the hours every day that I do on this site. Edited April 4, 2014 by mrags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K D Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 if it was failing so bad, why would that group be a serious front runner to purchase the team??? They NEVER sold out a game. They incredibly overestimated the need for the NFL in Toronto as they consistently overpriced the tickets, underperformed when it came to the NFL experience and couldn't even give away tickets at times. Maybe it wasn't The Bills that asked to end their games there, maybe it was Toronto realizing they were not ready for the NFL after a few years if failure. Toronto is a huge market. Not to mention being the only team in Canada would draw fans throughout the whole country. In big cities it's more about the corporate presence than the fan experience. They want to sell those high priced luxury boxes and have companies buy up tickets to give to employees. That's how it is already in a lot of the big cities. Nobody is saying this is what's going to happen. Nobody knows. But it's a very real possibility and it makes a lot of sense when you look at the facts. At least we'll know one way or the other soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Toronto is a huge market. Not to mention being the only team in Canada would draw fans throughout the whole country. In big cities it's more about the corporate presence than the fan experience. They want to sell those high priced luxury boxes and have companies buy up tickets to give to employees. That's how it is already in a lot of the big cities. Nobody is saying this is what's going to happen. Nobody knows. But it's a very real possibility and it makes a lot of sense when you look at the facts. At least we'll know one way or the other soon. ill agree that it's possible and we will find out soon. But I think your assessment of Canada is hilarious at best. I'm sure some of the Canadians on this site can tell you how well they all get along. Like people from Montreal (French Canadians) hate southern Canadians and feel they are their own country. I can only imagine the other cities are no different than NYC and Boston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple haze Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) Toronto is a huge market. Not to mention being the only team in Canada would draw fans throughout the whole country. In big cities it's more about the corporate presence than the fan experience. They want to sell those high priced luxury boxes and have companies buy up tickets to give to employees. That's how it is already in a lot of the big cities. Nobody is saying this is what's going to happen. Nobody knows. But it's a very real possibility and it makes a lot of sense when you look at the facts. At least we'll know one way or the other soon. L.A. is a huge market too. Almost 20 years and no teams there. They could have had the last expansion team, but Houston was selected over L.A. Why? L.A. always has a stadium plan or two or three, but nothing gets done. Why are people so sure the NFL wants a team in Toronto? London is its own case. L.A. is another case. At no time has the league given indication that they want a team in Canada. The only reason the Bills in TO series was approved was to help the Bills regionalize, which has happened in part. Toronto entities may want to buy the Bills, but that doesn't mean they would be approved. And I doubt any Canadian investors will get the team anyway. At least ones that will move the team. Edited April 4, 2014 by purple haze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobillsinytown Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I know the NFL wants to expand to other countries like Canada, but I think they might need to revisit this idea. While the NFL brand is certainly popular in other countries in terms of viewership, I'm not sure that would necessarily translate to consistent stadium sellouts. There is a certain price to pay for the kind of success that the league has had over the years, which is that everyone is gunning for them and so they cannot afford to rest on their laurels. So I can understand why there is a continuing need for expansion and evolution. However I think that expansion for the sake of it carries some risks. No one really knows whether the NFL will succeed as a "resident" sport in Europe, or even Canada. Right now, I think the NFL has a novelty factor to it in other countries. It's been a while since the NFL has failed in a city, so it will be interesting to see how many risks they're willing to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple haze Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) I know the NFL wants to expand to other countries like Canada, You do? When has this been discussed? Goodell mentioned an international team in the U.K. in the future. Possibly. U.K. is an open market. Canada has its own football league, with its own tradition. Don't think the NFL doesn't understand this. The Bills playing one game there is far different from a league team operating and doing business year after year which would take away from the CFL game in Toronto, if not the country. The Bills being approved for a game there tells me the league agreed with the Bills that TO was a part of their territory. No other regular season league game, featuring a home team other than the Bills, has been played in Toronto. As opposed to, for instance, London and Mexico. Why do we think that is? (CFL presence). I don't think Toronto is the threat many do. Although it makes for good blog posts. Edited April 4, 2014 by purple haze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 It's been a while since the NFL has failed in a city, so it will be interesting to see how many risks they're willing to take. I think it can be argued that the NFL is failing in Jacksonville. I don't really disagree with the rest of your post, especially in light of relocating the Bills. Not only is there an inherent risk in a new market, the league would be walking away from an established market, albeit relatively small. Expansion is one thing- relocating adds another important dimension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Something may well have been cooking all along. Wilson just wasn't talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA BILLS FAN Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I agree with the majority here that things moving fast definitely favors the team staying in Buffalo. Mary Wilson as controlling owner implies that the trust won't be in full charge of the sale and maybe team won't be sold to highest bidder, another good sign, would love confirmation of that assumption from the Bills. Leaking an October date also implies a ownership group or two with inside track on purchase, which means major parameters must have been discussed, this is also good sign, would love to hear a name to cement this opinion. It also would all but eliminate an owner with eyes on moving the team. As for a new owner who wants to move team being able to break the lease, I'll take the word of at least 4 different lawyers who have looked at the agreement and stated emphatically that the lease cannot be broken before 7 years ahead of one poster who thinks otherwise. It's no small measure that NFL and NY State are on same side of that agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 All these things are happening as if there was already a plan in place for when the inevitable happened. They locked the Bills into a lease, Schumer is on the committee and is a strong ally of the Bills staying in Buffalo and a very powerful figure in the senate who the NFL does not want to cross as he would likely attempt to have the NFL's antitrust exemption revoked which would cost the NFL millions if not billions in revenue if that were to happen. They have a plan in place to either build a new stadium or retrofit the Ralph(personally I think it would likely be better to build a new stadium on the waterfront in downtown Buffalo). They obviously must have an ownership group they have in mind that will keep the Bills here longterm. It is looking more and more likely that a lot of behind the scenes dealings were going on that noone was privy to and that was kept under very tight wraps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I think it is too early to tell what this means. One negative that is that if the team is sold quickly, the group working on a potential new stadium will not have an opportunity to make progress. I also want to understand whether the Bills are being held in a trust that will require, as a fiduciary obligation, to sell to the highest bidder without regard to any other consideration. If there is discretion as to the selected bidder, that potentially would be a good thing. If not, then it could be a problem. I do not think we can count on current NFL owners to bar a potential new owner because they may suspect that the new owner will move the team. Any smart bidder will either wait until the lease escape year or be very fuzzy about future intentions as to relocating the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Linen Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Donald Trump will truly turn this into a first class organization, because everything Donald Trump does is first class. (Obvious joke) Yeah what's he ever done that turned into class? (obvious joke) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) I agree with the majority here that things moving fast definitely favors the team staying in Buffalo. Mary Wilson as controlling owner implies that the trust won't be in full charge of the sale and maybe team won't be sold to highest bidder, another good sign, would love confirmation of that assumption from the Bills. Leaking an October date also implies a ownership group or two with inside track on purchase, which means major parameters must have been discussed, this is also good sign, would love to hear a name to cement this opinion. It also would all but eliminate an owner with eyes on moving the team. As for a new owner who wants to move team being able to break the lease, I'll take the word of at least 4 different lawyers who have looked at the agreement and stated emphatically that the lease cannot be broken before 7 years ahead of one poster who thinks otherwise. It's no small measure that NFL and NY State are on same side of that agreement. Don't forget that Senator Schumer is not a man the NFL wants working against them, I can guarantee that...he wields a lot of power in the Senate L.A. is a huge market too. Almost 20 years and no teams there. They could have had the last expansion team, but Houston was selected over L.A. Why? L.A. always has a stadium plan or two or three, but nothing gets done. Why are people so sure the NFL wants a team in Toronto? London is its own case. L.A. is another case. At no time has the league given indication that they want a team in Canada. The only reason the Bills in TO series was approved was to help the Bills regionalize, which has happened in part. Toronto entities may want to buy the Bills, but that doesn't mean they would be approved. And I doubt any Canadian investors will get the team anyway. At least ones that will move the team. LA has horrible and I mean horrible fan support. There is a reason why teams keep leaving there, regardless of market size... Edited April 4, 2014 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Cain Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Connect the dots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) Something may well have been cooking all along. Wilson just wasn't talking. this is the part that confuses me. i've always heard -- well, for the last few years -- that wilson stated that the team would be sold to the highest bidder after his death (at least according to sully and others at the buffalo news). i figured the bills were as good as gone since i assumed that either an l.a. or toronto group would overbid for the prize of an nfl franchise. still, today's news makes it sound like there's a new owner waiting in the wings. and for some reason, i just don't think ralph would make a secret deal with a group planning on moving the team. if that was his agenda, why would he enter into that 10 year lease? any prospective owner that wanted to move them certainly wouldn't be cool with that agreement. but why would ralph go out of his way to say the team was going to the highest bidder if he had a secret plan? wouldn't it be better to not comment on it all? or maybe mary just wants to wash her hands of the team asap and get paid. i don't know what to make of all this. like i said, confused. Edited April 4, 2014 by Dirtbag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'm going to try to put the full court press on my contact. If my contact gets any info and I'm allowed to share it, I'll let you all know. you the man! If it is moving this quickly, I feel like that completely rules out Jacobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 you the man! Not even close. I just hope I can get some good news/info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I know that I can easily just ignore the posts, or not read this thread altogether. But the "OMG the team is moving, how stupid are you that you do not see that" posts are really annoying. Nothing but negativity based on absolutely no fact or knowledge of the situation. If you really can't try and be positive at all about this team why do you even bother??? I'm sure there's other threads, teams, sites that will work for the pessimistic attitude that you seem to enjoy so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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