NFL Execs say Bills should get moving on new stadium

[Hammered a Lot]

The Bills don't need a new stadium because they need a better place to watch a game. They need a new stadium because they need to generate more revenue. It really is that simple.

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

[Wayne Cubed]

Agreed Bill.

It is certainly not about Buffalo, Buffalonians and Bills fans.

Thats part of why i like him calling out he NFL. It is solely to line the owners pockets. Which IS shortsighted.

Pegulas should be quietly pissed

Line the pockets? I don't get this line of thinking. The NFL is a business, no? It's purpose is to generate money, no? These billionaires aren't running this league out of the goodness of their collective hearts. Some of them, <cough> Pegula<cough>, have sunk a great deal of wealth into this business. Are they not entitled to earn money back from it?

[3rdand12]

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

I think this is the heart of the matter. Start there, then manipulate the pricing structure as needed till Bills "outgrow" the OP location

Line the pockets? I don't get this line of thinking. The NFL is a business, no? It's purpose is to generate money, no? These billionaires aren't running this league out of the goodness of their collective hearts. Some of them, <cough> Pegula<cough>, have sunk a great deal of wealth into this business. Are they not entitled to earn money back from it?

The issue is not the Pegulas is it Wayne? The other owners feel that Buffalo is not adding their fair share to the pot that gets divided

Owner on owner crime

Edited March 25, 2016 by 3rdand12

[nucci]

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

Check Pegula's Sabres who have just raised prices for 4th-5th season in a row....

[Wayne Cubed]

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

Cleveland has been had 7 losing seasons and they were horrible in 2015... Yet they've generated more ticket revenue than Buffalo in 2015. How's that possible?

[Mr. WEO]

And to expand on that a bit, to get into the next level of season ticket charges, you are talking about another $100. Buffalo cheapest season ticket $260. Detroit, small market and fairly new stadium, cheapest season ticket $350.

 

At $350, it's an insane bargain in 2016.

 

Agreed Bill.

It is certainly not about Buffalo, Buffalonians and Bills fans.

Thats part of why i like him calling out he NFL. It is solely to line the owners pockets. Which IS shortsighted.

Pegulas should be quietly pissed

 

Why should he be pissed? Look, this "calling on the Bills to build a new stadium" is not a new story--Pegula heard these calls before he bought the team. We all did. Why are so many here pretending this a new story to get angry about?

 

Pegula did his due diligence. He knows the Ralph cannot be redone indefinitely. And there is no doubt that the other owners told him this same thing before they approved his purchase of the Bills.

 

This is a complete nonstory.

[Wayne Cubed]

I think this is the heart of the matter. Start there, then manipulate the pricing structure as needed till Bills "outgrow" the OP location

 

The issue is not the Pegulas is it Wayne? The other owners feel that Buffalo is not adding their fair share to the pot that gets divided

Owner on owner crime

And those owners are correct, Buffalo hasn't maximized their ticket revenue. Look, obviously they won't generate as much as the NYs and Dallas's of the world but when you have a team like Cleveland, who has been just as bad as Buffalo, generating more money in ticket revenue, the other oweners, with shared revenue, have a right to complain. Edited March 25, 2016 by Wayne Cubed

[Mr. WEO]

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

 

There you go. Many of us here have been saying this for years. Winning drives demand and upward pricing. All of this talk of poor Buffalonians can't afford a price increase would be proven as false as it sounds as soon as they go deep into the playoffs.

[3rdand12]

 

At $350, it's an insane bargain in 2016.

 

 

Why should he be pissed? Look, this "calling on the Bills to build a new stadium" is not a new story--Pegula heard these calls before he bought the team. We all did. Why are so many here pretending this a new story to get angry about?

 

Pegula did his due diligence. He knows the Ralph cannot be redone indefinitely. And there is no doubt that the other owners told him this same thing before they approved his purchase of the Bills.

 

This is a complete nonstory.

It should not have been a story i agree. everyone knew it was part of the dialogue. Just seems a bit pushy of Mara to make it into a story

And those owners are correct, Buffalo hasn't maximized their ticket revenue. Look, obviously they won't generate as much as the NYs and Dallas's of the world but when you have a team like Cleveland, who has been just as bad as Buffalo, generating more money in ticket revenue, the other oweners, with shared revenue, have a right to complain.

I don't agree they have a right to complain. Not publicly. it's just poor etiquette

 

There you go. Many of us here have been saying this for years. Winning drives demand and upward pricing. All of this talk of poor Buffalonians can't afford a price increase would be proven as false as it sounds as soon as they go deep into the playoffs.

I believe this is true Weo. Part of the puzzle but certainly a major stepping stone .

[Kirby Jackson]

.Thry need to WIN so they can generate $$$ NFL avg ticket $85 Bills $64. The Bills on average have been $20 lower than avg. How can they charge more with no playoffs meaning winning. I have had parkers whose are very successful business men, who had suites since the opening game drop their suites not because of the price, they got tired of supporting a losing team.

The team (or any team) has a job to sell regardless of team record. They have budgets to hit and can't say "if we win we will be good and if we lose we won't." That is the exact job of probably 40 people in that building. They need to generate revenue whether you win 3 games or 13. Obviously people will support a winning team. That goes without saying. I spent 8 years of my career doing just that. Selling a product that some years was a championship favorite at mid season and had the 1st pick in another year. You cannot rely on wins and losses to sell seats and sponsorships. Edited March 25, 2016 by Kirby Jackson

[Mr. WEO]

It should not have been a story i agree. everyone knew it was part of the dialogue. Just seems a bit pushy of Mara to make it into a story

I don't agree they have a right to complain. Not publicly. it's just poor etiquette

 

Pushy? Has anyone actually read what Mara said?

 

“But I think, for the long-term best interests of that franchise, they need to be in a new building. Listen, we’ve been in much worse stadiums, believe me. And they still have great fan support. But there’s a growing disparity in income between the top quartile teams and the bottom quartile teams, and that’s something we have to be conscious of. And a new stadium would help them a great deal.”

 

 

He's simply stating the obvious.

 

And for all the Jerry Jones haters out there;

 

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who was at The Ralph with his team last December, was impressed with how well the facility was maintained and would not characterize replacing it as a necessity. He also said he has not heard fellow NFL owners complaining about where the Bills play.

However, Jones believes the Pegulas recognize what it takes to keep pace competitively with the rest of the league and will figure out a long-term stadium solution.

“They walked in the room as one of the best owners in the NFL; I’d say top five,” Jones said. “And so once they assess it with a season or two, look at it, if there is any issue there, they won’t need (the rest of the league’s) ownership to tell them about it.”

The team (or any team) has a job to sell regardless of team record. They have budgets to hit and can't say "if we win we will be good and if we lose we won't." That is the exact job of probably 40 people in that building. They need to generate revenue whether you win 3 games or 13. Obviously people will support a winning team. That goes without saying. I spent 8 years of career doing just that. Selling a product that some years was a championship favorite at mid season and had the 1st pick in another year. You cannot rely on wins and losses to sell seats and sponsorships.

 

 

It has been an easy sell in Buffalo, despite bad product. Reaping a large margin annually. Now fans are so used to cheap tickets (massively subsidized by the league's shared profit model) that people just assume that's all they can "afford".

 

Consistently winning would allow them to easily find the true market price of those tickets.

[3rdand12]

 

Pushy? Has anyone actually read what Mara said?

 

“But I think, for the long-term best interests of that franchise, they need to be in a new building. Listen, we’ve been in much worse stadiums, believe me. And they still have great fan support. But there’s a growing disparity in income between the top quartile teams and the bottom quartile teams, and that’s something we have to be conscious of. And a new stadium would help them a great deal.”

 

 

He's simply stating the obvious.

 

And for all the Jerry Jones haters out there;

 

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who was at The Ralph with his team last December, was impressed with how well the facility was maintained and would not characterize replacing it as a necessity. He also said he has not heard fellow NFL owners complaining about where the Bills play.

However, Jones believes the Pegulas recognize what it takes to keep pace competitively with the rest of the league and will figure out a long-term stadium solution.

“They walked in the room as one of the best owners in the NFL; I’d say top five,” Jones said. “And so once they assess it with a season or two, look at it, if there is any issue there, they won’t need (the rest of the league’s) ownership to tell them about it.”

 

 

It has been an easy sell in Buffalo, despite bad product. Reaping a large margin annually. Now fans are so used to cheap tickets (massively subsidized by the league's shared profit model) that people just assume that's all they can "afford".

 

Consistently winning would allow them to easily find the true market price of those tickets.

If its obvious, why was it stated at all ?

 

yes i have read most of it if not all of John Mara's comments.

 

And Jerry J has been a surprisingly ( to me ) fine supporter of the Pegulas.

Maybe i am overly defensive here.

i shall bow out

 

 

" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears to agree, telling Carucci that the Pegulas won’t need Mara or other owners to tell them if they need a new stadium and they have a lease through 2022 to use while they determine if anything else needs to be done."

Edited March 25, 2016 by 3rdand12

[thebandit27]

 

It has been an easy sell in Buffalo, despite bad product. Reaping a large margin annually. Now fans are so used to cheap tickets (massively subsidized by the league's shared profit model) that people just assume that's all they can "afford".

 

Consistently winning would allow them to easily find the true market price of those tickets.

 

This is correct.

 

My example of the number of people willing to shell out $100-$200/game for 4 home games of a playoff hockey series without hesitation back in 2005 is a prime indicator of just how easily you'll find 60k+ people that will go to the games.

[Doc]

Jerruh realizes that by the Pegulas buying the Bills for $1.4B, he raised the value of his franchise at least a half billion dollars.

[gumby]

A few observations:

 

The lease ends in 2022. By the time the team finishes their due diligence and cuts through all the bureaucratic red tape required for a project that will hover around the $1 billion dollar mark 6 years might be barely enough time.

 

The NFL is moving towards becoming a global product. Games are held annually in London now. By 2018 there will be a game in China. It will not end there. Do you really think the NFL execs care if the average fan will be priced out of their stadiums? You will either pay more or you will be passed by. Please don't take this as an defense of the NFL, to me it's just the reality of the situation.

 

Tailgating will be a thing of the past. When the NFL execs look out over their parking lots and they see people eating and drinking do you think they see passionate fans for their product or lost revenue? Do you think they'd rather have you grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the lot or buying them, at their prices, in the stadium? They'll use the public drunkenness as an excuse to put an end to it but make no mistake its days are numbered.

[Mr. WEO]

Jerruh realizes that by the Pegulas buying the Bills for $1.4B, he raised the value of his franchise at least a half billion dollars.

 

All 31 other owners realize this as well.

 

No way Pegula would be upset by the completely innocuous comments made by Mara.

[Doc]

All 31 other owners realize this as well.

 

No way Pegula would be upset by the completely innocuous comments made by Mara.

 

Apparenlty Mara doesn't. But I agree, Pegs probably doesn't give a **** what silver spoon boy says.

[Mr. WEO]

A few observations:

 

The lease ends in 2022. By the time the team finishes their due diligence and cuts through all the bureaucratic red tape required for a project that will hover around the $1 billion dollar mark 6 years might be barely enough time.

 

The NFL is moving towards becoming a global product. Games are held annually in London now. By 2018 there will be a game in China. It will not end there. Do you really think the NFL execs care if the average fan will be priced out of their stadiums? You will either pay more or you will be passed by. Please don't take this as an defense of the NFL, to me it's just the reality of the situation.

 

Tailgating will be a thing of the past. When the NFL execs look out over their parking lots and they see people eating and drinking do you think they see passionate fans for their product or lost revenue? Do you think they'd rather have you grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the lot or buying them, at their prices, in the stadium? They'll use the public drunkenness as an excuse to put an end to it but make no mistake its days are numbered.

 

 

I think most ticket buying fans in any NFL city are "average fans", and logic should tell you that they (especially in Buffalo) will never be "priced out of " the stadiums. It can't happen in most cities. The market prevents it, so stop worrying about it.

[thebandit27]

A few observations:

 

The lease ends in 2022. By the time the team finishes their due diligence and cuts through all the bureaucratic red tape required for a project that will hover around the $1 billion dollar mark 6 years might be barely enough time.

 

The NFL is moving towards becoming a global product. Games are held annually in London now. By 2018 there will be a game in China. It will not end there. Do you really think the NFL execs care if the average fan will be priced out of their stadiums? You will either pay more or you will be passed by. Please don't take this as an defense of the NFL, to me it's just the reality of the situation.

 

Tailgating will be a thing of the past. When the NFL execs look out over their parking lots and they see people eating and drinking do you think they see passionate fans for their product or lost revenue? Do you think they'd rather have you grilling hot dogs and hamburgers making southern chicken and waffles with maple gravy and bourbon smoothies in the lot or buying them, at their prices, in the stadium? They'll use the public drunkenness as an excuse to put an end to it but make no mistake its days are numbered.

 

Fixed

[Mr. WEO]

 

Apparenlty Mara doesn't. But I agree, Pegs probably doesn't give a **** what silver spoon boy says.

 

 

Of course Mara understands this. Pegula in private would admit that a new stadium is inevitable. And he would cite the same reasons we all already know, doc.