T master Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 This may not be the place for this thread and if it isn't feel free to move it. St. Louis, Oakland and San Diego are all in jeopardy of losing their teams. No one can relate to those threats better than us. I just started thinking is there anything that we can do to help support these fan bases? I have no idea what that means but I know that I always appreciated the support from others. We should return the favor in whatever ways we can. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to post them. I'm not sure that we can make much (if any) of a difference but we should do what we can nonetheless. We were able to do a lot (thanks to Chevy) with Talley. Social media is a powerful platform. I think that if a fan base supports a team & the team has been in a city for most or all of the life of the franchise like San diego , the owner should not be able to hold a city hostage by saying they need a new stadium . St. Louis being one of those owners ! The stadium in St. Louis is a very nice stadium & the owner is driven by greed ! Not that he isn't making money already but he or they want MO MONEY MO MONEY ! It's just nuts the entire league like most sports now are getting way out of hand in a lot of ways , which i think will bring the leagues down fall in some ways !!
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 I think that if a fan base supports a team & the team has been in a city for most or all of the life of the franchise like San diego , the owner should not be able to hold a city hostage by saying they need a new stadium . St. Louis being one of those owners ! The stadium in St. Louis is a very nice stadium & the owner is driven by greed ! Not that he isn't making money already but he or they want MO MONEY MO MONEY ! It's just nuts the entire league like most sports now are getting way out of hand in a lot of ways , which i think will bring the leagues down fall in some ways !! I've actually heard quite the opposite. That it's really dark in there other than the field. Granted I've never actually been there. Not that I'm advocating they move, but a new stadium, or atleast an upgrade would be nice.
Utah John Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Having lived in the Bay Area, I can tell you that the 49ers and the Raiders are the yin and yang of football. Although it's true the 49ers have had tough physical teams and the Raiders have had excellent skill players, the core attitude that persists in both teams is that the 49ers are the glitzy glamour team and the Raiders are the maniacal crazed killers. That attitude largely comes from the fans. The Bay Area is very diverse, with tough, low income areas, nice middle class areas, really fancy areas, and people who worked in tough industries as fishermen, longshoremen, construction etc and the less physical jobs like writing, software work, factories, etc. The combination of the two teams energizes the two poles of the community. Losing the Raiders for the time they were gone was a bad thing for Oakland but also the entire Bay Area. Only one facet of the area's personality was left. When the Raiders came back there was rejoicing but also the team required Personal Seat Licenses which were too expensive for the average Raiders fan. (By the way, if the team leaves, will PSL holders be refunded? Hahahahaha silly question.) The best suggestion I've seen is for the Raiders to play in the 49ers new stadium, which isn't in SF by the way. If the Jets can play in Giants Stadium, why can't the Raiders do the similar thing? This would let more of the spirit of the Bay Area be brought out to play, more often. Edited April 9, 2015 by Utah John
eball Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 I've actually heard quite the opposite. That it's really dark in there other than the field. Granted I've never actually been there. Not that I'm advocating they move, but a new stadium, or atleast an upgrade would be nice. I was there the last time the Bills played in St. Louis (2008) -- and I was largely unimpressed.
Doc Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 TBH I never thought the Bills would ever really move. That's because Ralph deep down never wanted to move them. And while he asked for things from the County, like all owners have, he didn't ask for anything exorbitant, and kept prices among the lowest in the NFL.
Kirby Jackson Posted April 9, 2015 Author Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) That's because Ralph deep down never wanted to move them. And while he asked for things from the County, like all owners have, he didn't ask for anything exorbitant, and kept prices among the lowest in the NFL.He negotiated a million road blocks into the lease that made it virtually impossible for the next buyer to move the team. If Ralph would have passed closer to 2019 then the chances of them being relocated were much greater. No one was going to sit on a lame duck franchise for 6 or 7 seasons (whatever it was). They were pretty much stuck in WNY. That is what Ralph wanted and he did his best to make sure that it happened. Unfortunately these teams don't have that same level of commitment from ownership (especially St. Louis). Edited April 9, 2015 by Kirby Jackson
Buffalo_Stampede Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Bills were never moving though. It's always been those same 3 teams. We don't believe good can happen to Buffalo teams so we worry. Edited April 9, 2015 by TheTruthHurts
Big Turk Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 He negotiated a million road blocks into the lease that made it virtually impossible for the next buyer to move the team. If Ralph would have passed closer to 2019 then the chances of them being relocated were much greater. No one was going to sit on a lame duck franchise for 6 or 7 seasons (whatever it was). They were pretty much stuck in WNY. That is what Ralph wanted and he did his best to make sure that it happened. Unfortunately these teams don't have that same level of commitment from ownership (especially St. Louis). Saddest part is Kroenke is FROM St. Louis!!
Doc Posted April 9, 2015 Posted April 9, 2015 He negotiated a million road blocks into the lease that made it virtually impossible for the next buyer to move the team. If Ralph would have passed closer to 2019 then the chances of them being relocated were much greater. No one was going to sit on a lame duck franchise for 6 or 7 seasons (whatever it was). They were pretty much stuck in WNY. That is what Ralph wanted and he did his best to make sure that it happened. Unfortunately these teams don't have that same level of commitment from ownership (especially St. Louis). Well, to be fair, we are lucky that Pegs was there. But Ralph didn't have to keep the team in Buffalo all these years.
Kirby Jackson Posted April 10, 2015 Author Posted April 10, 2015 Well, to be fair, we are lucky that Pegs was there. But Ralph didn't have to keep the team in Buffalo all these years.Absolutely, but the other potential people were stuck. The roadblocks scared off a LOT of buyers that were interested in relocating the team. Even the JBJ group was going to be in WNY until 2019 or whatever. It wasn't ideal for anyone other than people that wanted WNY.
YoloinOhio Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 Having lived in the Bay Area, I can tell you that the 49ers and the Raiders are the yin and yang of football. Although it's true the 49ers have had tough physical teams and the Raiders have had excellent skill players, the core attitude that persists in both teams is that the 49ers are the glitzy glamour team and the Raiders are the maniacal crazed killers. That attitude largely comes from the fans. The Bay Area is very diverse, with tough, low income areas, nice middle class areas, really fancy areas, and people who worked in tough industries as fishermen, longshoremen, construction etc and the less physical jobs like writing, software work, factories, etc. The combination of the two teams energizes the two poles of the community. Losing the Raiders for the time they were gone was a bad thing for Oakland but also the entire Bay Area. Only one facet of the area's personality was left. When the Raiders came back there was rejoicing but also the team required Personal Seat Licenses which were too expensive for the average Raiders fan. (By the way, if the team leaves, will PSL holders be refunded? Hahahahaha silly question.) The best suggestion I've seen is for the Raiders to play in the 49ers new stadium, which isn't in SF by the way. If the Jets can play in Giants Stadium, why can't the Raiders do the similar thing? This would let more of the spirit of the Bay Area be brought out to play, more often. i think the Chargers and Raiders are prepared to share a new stadium in Carson. They will each have their own practice facility. It will be similar to Jets and Giants. It can be used to host a SB. It will have a ton of corporate sponsorship. I do think they should move one out of the AFC west though if they do that. It won't be easy for either fan base. They will be both be losing their teams. even if it's in the same state, it's not the same. But I think we will find out in May about SD. The city is supposed to propose their plan to the team.
ExWNYer Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 San Diego is the one that really jumps out to me. The franchise has been there a long time and has some tradition. St. Louis and Oakland are both kind of transient in that they have had teams, lost them and got them again. I guess that I just empathize with the people that do care because we went through about 20 years of relocation threats. The Chargers did originate in LA so there is that, although I think that they are now synonymous with San Diego and should remain there. I'd hate to see any fan base lose their team...except for maybe Miami & Atlanta, the two worst sports cities in America. Yep the Rams are stolen property from LA going back to the 50's. But the Chargers used to be in LA too and there was little support. LA stole them from Cleveland first in 1946 after winning the NFL Championship the previous year. They were "re-gifted" to St. Louis.
Kirby Jackson Posted April 10, 2015 Author Posted April 10, 2015 The Chargers did originate in LA so there is that, although I think that they are now synonymous with San Diego and should remain there. I'd hate to see any fan base lose their team...except for maybe Miami & Atlanta, the two worst sports cities in America. LA stole them from Cleveland first in 1946 after winning the NFL Championship the previous year. They were "re-gifted" to St. Louis. The Chargers spent 1 season in LA 55 years ago. It isn't like they have any roots there.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 Can we get a copy of those instructions? At least until we re bed how to win? You asked, you shall receive: http://deadspin.com/5839778/st-louis-rams-release-adorable-video-to-help-teach-their-fans-how-to-cheer I've actually heard quite the opposite. That it's really dark in there other than the field. Granted I've never actually been there. Not that I'm advocating they move, but a new stadium, or atleast an upgrade would be nice. Dude, they built the guy a stadium to bring the team here. It's 20 years old, how often is a community supposed to spring for a new stadium? The Ralph is what, 42?
UticaBill Posted April 10, 2015 Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) Owners can do whatever they want and we the fans always get screwed.... we pay for their stadium and they profit from them...I don't care so much about how much players make (too much IMHO) nearly as much as I care about how little the source of all those dollars has a say in anything.I would LOVE to see a "farm" league where the teams are owned by the fans (like stock in corporations) and the teams own their own stadiums (and fund/build them from a league revenue system) heck, NFL players might even want to buy in.... with the way today's NFL burns through players some type of developmental league is becoming more and more a necessity...In actuality this is how the NFL should be operated but the rich owner's have their way.... why should a Baltimore Cardinal represent Arizona? Its a bit like #stolenvalor http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/baltimore-oriole/ Edited April 10, 2015 by UticaBill
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Chargers update: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-chargers-stadium-san-diego-20150609-story.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun/08/chargers-city-special-election-gambit-acee/
RyanC883 Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Well said YOLO!! I kept thinking of the Buffalo/Toronto comparison. I had that thought also, but Toronto is in a different country. If the Bills moved to Rochester or Syracuse, I think that would have caused less consternation.
Kirby Jackson Posted June 9, 2015 Author Posted June 9, 2015 I had that thought also, but Toronto is in a different country. If the Bills moved to Rochester or Syracuse, I think that would have caused less consternation. Maybe so, but that does not have the same "big guy swallowing up little guy" that LA/SD or BUF/TOR would have had.
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