Here's how we save the Bills if they're sold to JBJ

[3rdand12]

No no, a pledge to not support the team if and when they move states a consequence. It doesn't do anything to accelerate anything.

 

If a large mass of nfl fans gain publicity by pledging to discontinue support of the nfl contingent upon the relocation of the bills, now the nfl has a very difficult political decision to make in the face of public outcry. There is the threat of an impact to post move revenue meaning the relocated franchise will not have the benefit of the current market plus TO now its a one of the other choice.

 

I can't believe any of the Toronto relocationists believe they can succeed without keeping the majority of the current WNY following intact.

 

If you think critically the only leverage we fans have is our contribution to future revenues. That's it.

The time to be heard is now Not after the deal is done. Any thing that can influence Goodell and the 31 owners to keep Bills in Buffalo should be used sooner then later i would think .

I would like to offer my idea now.

during the game , presumably coordinated by some one other than me , all the women should remove their tops and stand up . And then all the men for the sake of confusion.

This is my great plan.

Why would anyone ever want to abandon a fan base such as that ? .

Sell out means no blackout too so its a win win

Seven years of the best home games ever recorded. Bills become the most beloved team in The World .

 

I win.

Edited July 19, 2014 by 3rdand12

[purple haze]

With today's report that JBJ is submitting a bid with a Toronto cartel that will more than likely harbor idea of moving the team to Canada, Bills fans are understandably nervous.

 

I think I have thought of the solution to our problem, and if the team is indeed sold to him, this solution seems so toxic, so averse to the NFL, that if this spreads around before bidding closes, I could see it torpedoing that ownerships group of even winning.

 

So here's how it works.

 

No, we don't boycot Jon Bon Jovi music at the stadium, and in Buffalo. He doesn't care, and it makes us look disorganized and foolish. He's got well north of 300 million in liquid cash at the moment, his music earns him royalties, sure, but he's a business man and has money coming in from other sources. Boycotting his music does nothing.

 

No, we don't stop going to Bills games or buying Bills merchandise--that does nothing either. In fact, it makes us look even worse as Bills fans, and further encourages a move out of Buffalo.

 

No, the solution is far more simple: rather than making Buffalo the place the NFL wants to be... we make Buffalo the place the NFL doesn't want to be.

 

Bear with me.

 

The Bills are locked in Buffalo for 7 years. NOW is the time to let Goodell know how long those seven years are going to feel if the Bills get sold to an owner looking to move the team--and it happens like this:

 

obnoxious chants at games

the stadium wearing all black

fans holding up signs that spell out obscenities towards toronto--and not just 10 fans, 80,000 fans

80,000 people at once throwing beverages on the field--every game

a streaker between every play that is run, delaying the game for hours and hours and hours

cutting the electricity to the stadium during prime time games

 

We as fans need to band together and let the NFL know that WERE going to make life a living hell for THEM for the next 7 years, not vice versa. Winning a super bowl? lol. our focus will be on becoming the biggest story in sports for the next 7 years. We can do the most absurd and ridiculous things as fans... as an 80,000 strong flash mob... things the NFL hasn't dreamt of... things that will keep Goodell up at night.

 

This is our chance. Don't boycot, don't riot, just make the big boys in the suits think loooooooooong and hard about selling this team off.

 

This is the nuclear option, but if they want to sell to a Toronto based group, who's willing to fight the good fight?

 

Picture: with 5 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, 20,000 fans storm the field.

 

Every week.

 

For 7 years.

 

I understand the sentiment. Believe me. But ultimately, it's a bad idea. The chants, the signs? Ok. Running on the field, etc. No good. People will get hurt. Fans and players would be in jeopardy. The best way to express displeasure is to keep your money in your pocket and not attend games. A TV broadcast with an empty stadium would be more embarrassing for the league than anything else and keep public perception with the city. Empty stadium would get the point across and the point would be powerful.

Edited July 19, 2014 by purple haze

[Badasss]

A bid doesn't mean JBJ gets it. Pegula has a net worth far above Tannenbaum and JBJ. If he really wants the team, and he tried once before, he'll get it.

 

Although I liked the initial post, in reality the only result would be a hell of a lot of arrests. If the unthinkable happens, stop going to games and buying merchandise. Empty stadiums, no concessions, parking, purchasing apparel, etc is how to hurt a business. Not only make a significant purchase of a team, but then a lack of revenue stream will hurt.

 

They'll still be gone in 7 years, but it can be a painful 7 years. I know the TV money argument, but that pays for salaries, employees, and all other overhead. They do need stadium money to reap in that 30 million per year. So instead of 30-40 mil, they have to live with 10-15.

 

That makes for a tough time for 7 straight years. I personally will drop them altogether, and root 100% for the Bucs as I live here.

This is the only reasonable course of action.

 

If JBJ & Co. and the NFL know that the Bills will "bleed red ink" for 7 yrs, the NFL might think twice before allowing them to buy the team with the obvious intention of moving it to Toronto. If JBJ & Co. is smart enought to crunch the numbers, they might come to realize that buying the Bills is not a good investment for them.

[transient]

Well, you stay home and cry into your pillow while the grown ups save the team then. Some men are built to take action, others arent. 99% of this board is made up of the latter. I've learned that over the years.

 

How about this:

 

a "F*ck Bon Jovi" chant.

 

that lasts the entire third preseason game.

 

I assumed the initial post was meant as a joke until I read this. While part of it was probably meant in defense of the response to it, you seem to be a bit confused as to who has assumed the role of the child. A 70,000+ person 7 year hissy fit wouldn't further hurt the area's reputation at all, now would it?

 

As to your suggestion about the JBJ chant, despite my above admonishment of childish behavior, I'd be down with this lesser evil regardless of whether or not the prick was successful in his attempt to buy the team. Viva Sambora!!

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

From what I recall one of the terms of the lease was that if the Bills were to be sold to an entity who even remotely considered moving the team an injunction could be brought to stop the sail. I'd think enough has been said about the Toronto bid and moving the team that would be easy to get an injunction based on that term. I'd also think that threats of injunctions and long drawn out legal battles the last thing the other NFL owners would want to agree to would be the sale of the team to someone who is likely to create court battles.

[simpleman]

All of this is simply venting and theatrics. If the team is to be sold to an owner who announces a desire to move the team to Toronto, the most effective course of action is to put all that energy, anger and effort into convincing your US Congressperson and Senator to sponsor a bill to repeal all special legal exemptions, anti trust exemptions and special tax treatments for the NFL and its owners if they allow a team to locate outside of the United States. This approach would appeal not only to Bills fans, but would be able to pull the emotional Nationalistic & PATRIOTIC heart strings of all true Americans, a much larger group of people. It is all about the dollars to the NFL owners, and losing all the exemptions and special treatments would trigger their self interest and self preservation instincts. They would NOT approve the new owner due to pure self interest. In this case it would not matter if the Bills fan was living in WNY or not, every Bills Fan in the US could help out. And the efforts would be 100% effective without being crude, rude or obnoxious. It IS all about the Money!

[CountryCletus]

This is more than theatrics... The OP is clearly off his meds... See this post and the one he penned regarding going 0-16... I would like to bring into question not only his sanity, but his fandom....

 

Yes Johnny Gold... You...

[Omar Little]

I for one would support a Goo Goo Dolls vs Bon Jovi "band off" competition.

 

I'd rather opt for deafness.

[billsfan89]

You don't have to get violent or throw things onto the field (You don't think if things got so extreme the NFL wouldn't just buyout the lease) but wearing black to every home game and chants about the team moving things along those lines would work great. Basically you want to have the moral high ground while drawing attention and making the NFL look bad. If you threw things onto the field, had people running onto the field, and other stuff to that degree then you make the town seem like savages and the NFL has the moral high ground.

 

Basically you want to shame the NFL and make it look as bad as possible without it being a violent or volatile situation.

[jethro_tull]

In the immortal words of Bryan Cox, Bills fans are a "different breed of species". If the team is sold to an owning entity who tries to move them out of town, eyes have not seen the wrath that will follow. These are the Bills for God's sake and they've been the Buffalo Bills for 54 dam years. If there is ever a threat to move this team, grandmothers from Cheektowaga will start packing heat.

[Augie]

 

I would like to offer my idea now.

during the game , presumably coordinated by some one other than me , all the women should remove their tops and stand up . And then all the men for the sake of confusion.

This is my great plan.

Why would anyone ever want to abandon a fan base such as that ? .

Sell out means no blackout too so its a win win

Seven years of the best home games ever recorded. Bills become the most beloved team in The World .

 

I win.

 

There's a problem with your plan. It only works if the "participants" can be hand selected. I've lived near beaches for decades and I can tell you this for certain: The world would be a better place if SOME people wore more clothing, not less. (OK, most?) If you're not careful, you could cause the yaking up of nachos and wings across the country, and possibly declining viewership.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

The time to be heard is now Not after the deal is done. Any thing that can influence Goodell and the 31 owners to keep Bills in Buffalo should be used sooner then later i would think .

 

Again...

 

We the fans, now, today start circulating and signing a pledge to boycott the nfl entirely if and when the bills move.

 

If we each average $x of revenue per year, the financial power is that average dollar amount times signatures. That would be the replacement revenue needed before even getting to the upside.

 

If a few hundred thousand loyal nfl fans sign a well written pledge NOW to abandon the nfl then, if they move, we are collectively declaring in an organized way the consequence of moving which will get attention.

 

Again I can't imagine the Toronto business case assuming organically growing an entirely new fan base.

[3rdand12]

There's a problem with your plan. It only works if the "participants" can be hand selected. I've lived near beaches for decades and I can tell you this for certain: The world would be a better place if SOME people wore more clothing, not less. (OK, most?) If you're not careful, you could cause the yaking up of nachos and wings across the country, and possibly declining viewership.

I carefully thought this through .

Hence the men also participating. It has to be timed and kept secret form the media.

Its not the result so much as it would be the media anticipation and possible fear of catching it on camera.

You see " you never know when to expect the Spanish inquisition " .

And audience yakking , that still gets viewership .

 

Over 20 years , you probably have the logical and proffesional method i will defer to on that .

But my idea is inasanely more fun . Although more difficult to implement

[The Wiz]

In the immortal words of Bryan Cox, Bills fans are a "different breed of species". If the team is sold to an owning entity who tries to move them out of town, eyes have not seen the wrath that will follow. These are the Bills for God's sake and they've been the Buffalo Bills for 54 dam years. If there is ever a threat to move this team, grandmothers from Cheektowaga will start packing heat.

I envision the riot scene at the end of Bruce almighty.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I carefully thought this through .

Hence the men also participating. It has to be timed and kept secret form the media.

Its not the result so much as it would be the media anticipation and possible fear of catching it on camera.

You see " you never know when to expect the Spanish inquisition " .

And audience yakking , that still gets viewership .

 

Over 20 years , you probably have the logical and proffesional method i will defer to on that .

But my idea is inasanely more fun . Although more difficult to implement

 

I got a chuckle from this thought. I suspect though it would result in a record number of citations and buy the op police squad a new fleet.

 

It is an interesting thought nonetheless.

 

I wasn't aregueing against you, only against the misunderstanding of what I was pitching.

 

You can only hope to generate a pr event that gains political leverage. As a fan nation we can't stop anything. Our only hope is to make it a harder decision for the nfl to allow such a move.

 

Ultimately either

A. The Wilson's will only sell to the right party. Forbes got it wrong when they overstated the fiduciary obligation of the trust. The Wilson's have every right to exclude bidders, even the highest if the choose

B. the winner of the bidding is a Keep in b-lo owner

C. Lease or conditions of the sale will, etc. or some combination thereof are just obstructive enough to deter relocation

D. The nfl disallows a move of bills to TO

E. The actual business case for TO just isn't that good.

 

 

I think what the board is right on about is D and E are the only ones we can affect in any even minuscule way.

[3rdand12]

I got a chuckle from this thought. I suspect though it would result in a record number of citations and buy the op police squad a new fleet.

 

It is an interesting thought nonetheless.

 

I wasn't aregueing against you, only against the misunderstanding of what I was pitching.

 

You can only hope to generate a pr event that gains political leverage. As a fan nation we can't stop anything. Our only hope is to make it a harder decision for the nfl to allow such a move.

 

Ultimately either

A. The Wilson's will only sell to the right party. Forbes got it wrong when they overstated the fiduciary obligation of the trust. The Wilson's have every right to exclude bidders, even the highest if the choose

B. the winner of the bidding is a Keep in b-lo owner

C. Lease or conditions of the sale will, etc. or some combination thereof are just obstructive enough to deter relocation

D. The nfl disallows a move of bills to TO

E. The actual business case for TO just isn't that good.

 

 

I think what the board is right on about is D and E are the only ones we can affect in any even minuscule way.

I have been following your posts . And you make good sense.

I myself and relying solely on that Ralph Wilson created enough wording and fine print to make the sale to the right person or persons and keep Bills in Buffalo.

Money be damned . I think Mary has some influence here and Goodell will show some respect to Bills history and Rabid fan base .

But i will sign a petition if needed and force all my kids to sign also. I probably could recruit about 30 more signings from folks i know

just becasue

[HopefulFuture]

You all really want to save the Bills if it is believed the Toronto group is the front runner to purchase the team?

I'm serious here, you want to make a statement that would have devastating effects on both the NFL and Toronto in general?

 

Shut down the Peace Bridge and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Burn tires, gather thousands, and I mean thousands of fans at these bridges.

You want to see the powers that be shake in their boots. Go ahead, shut down the largest trade corridor between our largest trade partner.

Every day the bridges are not in use is a loss of millions of dollars in trade. Remember this, it's a trade corridor, the Western New York region only mildly benefits from it as most goods are sent on to other destinations. Every day the bridges are not in operation, the local, state and Federal governments will be in complete panic mode.

 

This will have short term effects employment wise here in WNY, but how much are you willing to sacrifice to keep the Bills here? How far are you willing to go to show your passion, your loyalty, not only for a sports team, but a local right of passage, a way of life.

 

Shut down the Bridges, and I can assure you, the message will be sent loud and clear. It's the only true way to do it. When you hurt the powers that be wallets, they take notice, at every level, private, government and beyond.

 

Take it with a grain of salt, but that is a sure fire way to tell Toronto to GFY..........................

[CodeMonkey]

With today's report that JBJ is submitting a bid with a Toronto cartel that will more than likely harbor idea of moving the team to Canada, Bills fans are understandably nervous.

 

I think I have thought of the solution to our problem, and if the team is indeed sold to him, this solution seems so toxic, so averse to the NFL, that if this spreads around before bidding closes, I could see it torpedoing that ownerships group of even winning.

 

So here's how it works.

 

No, we don't boycot Jon Bon Jovi music at the stadium, and in Buffalo. He doesn't care, and it makes us look disorganized and foolish. He's got well north of 300 million in liquid cash at the moment, his music earns him royalties, sure, but he's a business man and has money coming in from other sources. Boycotting his music does nothing.

 

No, we don't stop going to Bills games or buying Bills merchandise--that does nothing either. In fact, it makes us look even worse as Bills fans, and further encourages a move out of Buffalo.

 

No, the solution is far more simple: rather than making Buffalo the place the NFL wants to be... we make Buffalo the place the NFL doesn't want to be.

 

Bear with me.

 

The Bills are locked in Buffalo for 7 years. NOW is the time to let Goodell know how long those seven years are going to feel if the Bills get sold to an owner looking to move the team--and it happens like this:

 

obnoxious chants at games

the stadium wearing all black

fans holding up signs that spell out obscenities towards toronto--and not just 10 fans, 80,000 fans

80,000 people at once throwing beverages on the field--every game

a streaker between every play that is run, delaying the game for hours and hours and hours

cutting the electricity to the stadium during prime time games

 

We as fans need to band together and let the NFL know that WERE going to make life a living hell for THEM for the next 7 years, not vice versa. Winning a super bowl? lol. our focus will be on becoming the biggest story in sports for the next 7 years. We can do the most absurd and ridiculous things as fans... as an 80,000 strong flash mob... things the NFL hasn't dreamt of... things that will keep Goodell up at night.

 

This is our chance. Don't boycot, don't riot, just make the big boys in the suits think loooooooooong and hard about selling this team off.

 

This is the nuclear option, but if they want to sell to a Toronto based group, who's willing to fight the good fight?

 

Picture: with 5 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, 20,000 fans storm the field.

 

Every week.

 

For 7 years.

Wouldn't it make more sense to suggest something that is both possible, and may help the end goal of letting the NFL know there will be no support for a lame duck Buffalo Bills? Something like having all season ticket holders and multi-game package buyers tell or write their reps that should the team be sold to an out of town buyer they would immediately cancel all support for the team. This at least would tell the team/trust/NFL something. What you suggest is simply asinine.

 

Of course even my counter proposal will have no effect. The members of the trust are not stupid, and neither are the 31 NFL owners or the potential buyers (or their advisors). Assuming a new owner can't afford to move the team for 7 more seasons, all parties involved are well aware of the potential financial consequences of their actions and the worst case scenario would be accounted for in their business plans.

 

It's not a matter of 99% of the people here being unwilling to take action. Rather that 99% of the people here choose to use their brains.

Edited July 20, 2014 by CodeMonkey

[JimBob2232]

How about this instead.

 

You go to the games. You cheer like hell. You support this team 150%. But you also wear the jersey of the NFL team you would support if the Bills move to Toronto. If you would not watch/support the NFL anymore, wear a blank black jersey.

 

Picture that. A sea of fans, only a few of which is wearing the Bills uniform, cheering like hell for the Bills. JBJ would have to have second thoughts about moving the team to Toronto, it still shows that Buffalo is a viable city, and it doesnt come off making us look like a-holes (as some of the OP's post would do).

 

Thoughts?

[HopefulFuture]

How about this instead.

 

You go to the games. You cheer like hell. You support this team 150%. But you also wear the jersey of the NFL team you would support if the Bills move to Toronto. If you would not watch/support the NFL anymore, wear a blank black jersey.

 

Picture that. A sea of fans, only a few of which is wearing the Bills uniform, cheering like hell for the Bills. JBJ would have to have second thoughts about moving the team to Toronto, it still shows that Buffalo is a viable city, and it doesnt come off making us look like a-holes (as some of the OP's post would do).

 

Thoughts?

 

Oh yea, that will scare the NFL, make them think twice for sure, after all, wearing other teams you would support if the Bills left is just screaming to them they would lose money

 

It's all about the money at the end of the day. Any bad PR that has a real impact, putting the NFL in a negative view is the way to go. Hit them where it hurts, their bottom line. Supporting other teams, does nothing but further encourage the NFL to support a move.