Kathy Hochul: San Diego was interested in taking the Bills away from Buffalo

[Doc]

Why would she lie about SD?  Again the NFL is looking into expansion and that likely means at least 4 more cities (to keep divisions equal) they feel could be good NFL markets.

[Mike in Horseheads]

7 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Agreed, but Baltimore wouldn’t fork over the money and the Colts moved - suddenly they find the money and steal the Browns.

 

Cleveland couldn’t find the money and when the Baltimore threat was realized - suddenly Cleveland found the money and then built a stadium for the new Browns.

 

The same goes for St. Louis - lost the Cardinals - built a huge new dome for the Rams.  Oakland lost the Raiders to LA and then got them back and lost them again over Stadium money.  
 

Houston needed a new stadium - lost the Oilers - built a huge new dome for the Texans. LA had 2 teams leave that needed new stadiums and tax breaks - San Diego needed a new stadium - lost the Chargers - why would it be a surprise that suddenly they decided they could force through the tax increase on Hotels that failed and make another nice offer.

 

I would call BS except the exact same thing has happened at least 8 times in the last 30 years and every town that lost a team suddenly found funding to throw at a new team.  
 

Every time.

 

The difference is if the Bills left Buffalo - they were not coming back - we were dead.

 

 

That there says it all! Thanks.

[JohnNord]

3 hours ago, djp14150 said:

 

buffalo is not a small market…it’s a top 10 market if you factor in the southern Ontario metro area that gets buffalo stations.

Buffalo IS a small market by every metric.  It’s ranked as the 53rd market.  If you were to combine markets in other cities as you suggested, Buffalo would probably rank the same.

[machine gun kelly]

5 hours ago, chongli said:

 

You mean Lucas Oil? The Linc is in Philadelphia. [Grin!] 😅

Thanks for the correction my friend.  You are always on point.  Anyway, hope you’re well.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

13 hours ago, Greg S said:

A very legitimate source said there were cities interested in taking the Bills away from Buffalo before the team struck a deal for a new stadium.

On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said via WNYC radio that cities that specifically lost teams wanted to land the Bills had there been a possibility.

She went on to indicate that San Diego was one.

“I was aware that they were being reached out to by other cities that have lost teams before. That is real,” Hochul said.

“My whole life there was talk of them going to Toronto… Buffalo is a very small market. It is quite extraordinary that they have a team at all,” she added. “Because there’s a lot more money to be had in those larger cities like San Diego and others who would love to have a team. So, that’s a reality most people probably aren’t familiar with.”

Hochul, a western New York native, would be well aware of the Toronto subject.

On March 28, it was officially announced that a $1.4 billion venue would be built for the Bills in Orchard Park next to their current home. The team will be locked into playing there for at least 30 years and will begin in 2026.

The building will officially be an open-air stadium with about a 62,000-seating capacity.

The Bills and the NFL will front $550M for the project. The $850M total from taxpayers covers 61 percent of the total cost of construction.

Other markets that lost NFL franchises in the past include St. Louis and Oakland.

 

Nothing would have pissed me off more than if the team went to san Diego or Oakland.

 

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

13 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

Sorry I can't post the link but its there.

Also. It is against the TOS here to provide a like. 
 

Copyright and all that 

 

(anyone not liking this message speak to SDS)

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

13 hours ago, stevewin said:

What about Austin? 😛

That was an unfounded rumour.  Someone said "the Bills are going from great to awesome!", and a hearing impaired reporter heard it differently...🤔

[BarleyNY]

14 hours ago, purple haze said:

True. But she only mentioned San Diego.  There seems to have been other places as well.  Pegula’s would definitely be fronting all the money for a California stadium.  Public money for new stadiums isn’t a thing out here.

Was the city’s interest news to the government in San Diego like it was to the one in Austin?  This “revelation” is just Hochul playing politics and giving herself cover for a sweetheart deal to the Pegulas.  While I am happy that the Bills are staying in WNY, it could’ve been done with a deal that wasn’t nearly this dirty. 

[Canadian Bills Fan]

Well San Diego is dead to me now

[Lost]

15 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Agreed, but Baltimore wouldn’t fork over the money and the Colts moved - suddenly they find the money and steal the Browns.

 

Cleveland couldn’t find the money and when the Baltimore threat was realized - suddenly Cleveland found the money and then built a stadium for the new Browns.

 

The same goes for St. Louis - lost the Cardinals - built a huge new dome for the Rams.  Oakland lost the Raiders to LA and then got them back and lost them again over Stadium money.  
 

Houston needed a new stadium - lost the Oilers - built a huge new dome for the Texans. LA had 2 teams leave that needed new stadiums and tax breaks - San Diego needed a new stadium - lost the Chargers - why would it be a surprise that suddenly they decided they could force through the tax increase on Hotels that failed and make another nice offer.

 

I would call BS except the exact same thing has happened at least 8 times in the last 30 years and every town that lost a team suddenly found funding to throw at a new team.  
 

Every time.

 

The difference is if the Bills left Buffalo - they were not coming back - we were dead.

 

 

 

I always wondered why teams would leave cities only to eventually find their way back one way or another.  This explains it.    

 

I agree that there was zero chance a team would ever come back to Buffalo once leaving.   

 

 

30 years from now when the new lease expires, stadiums will be costing in the 20-30 Billion range so $850 million from the state will seem like not such a bad investment.   You can love or hate Kathy Hochul but if her one legacy from her stint as Governor is keeping the Bills in Buffalo that's not a bad way to go out.   

Edited April 14, 2022 by Lost

[May Day 10]

I wonder at what level the contact would be made, and by whom?

 

So would this be the mayor of San Diego contacting the Pegulas and offering them a home?  Would it be just some councilmember trying to gain favor with the voters?  Would this person 'promise' any sort of specific range of funding?  Real estate?  Was there a stadium scribbled on a napkin or ms paint that was provided to the Pegulas?

[Casey D]

The bottom line is that the deal is the cost of having an NFL team and the prestige and community benefits that come with it.  All the editorial writers can rail against it as a waste of taxpayer money, but that argument is in the abstract.  Public dollars fund stadiums all over the country.  Right now Virginia is bending over backwards and throwing money at the Commandos to get them to move. The market indicates you need public money to have a team, see, e.g., San Diego, St. Louis, Oakland.  So for folks who don't give a rat's ass for NFL football, it is a bad deal because the economics never indicate you will more than recoup the public investment.  But the market says different, and for a city like Buffalo, the team is priceless.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Casey D

[Don Otreply]

11 hours ago, Warcodered said:

and I don't get how people think just because they have multiple billions of dollars means they just have billions of dollars lying around waiting to be thrown at a massive project like this. Large amounts of their NetWorth is going to be tied to assets and investments. This isn't private corporate infrastructure either they won't own the Stadium they'll lease it. If the taxpayers are paying for anything it's to keep the team in their city. Also at what point did I imply I'd feel bad for the Pegula's if they had to spend money? What I said it's not realistic to think they could just drop 1+ billion dollars on something like this.

Oh those poor billionaires, it’s called liquidation of assets to create requisite funds…, or those same billionaires can dupe folk into funding and building their corporate infrastructure through their income being given to said billionaires via a tax levy, it’s a total con job top to bottom. 

11 hours ago, BillsfaninSB said:

The State/County is not giving them anything.   The State will own the stadium.  The Bills will lease it.  The State will get their money back by year 22 of the deal.  After that it is new revenue.

 

I don’t understand why everybody thinks this is a handout.  It is no different than a commercial developer building a property and leasing it to Starbucks.   No one thinks  greedy Starbucks is getting a handout. 
 

So your good with corporate welfare?

[SoCal Deek]

FYI: The old Chargers stadium has already been demolished and they’ve just finished building a brand new ‘little’ stadium on the property that’ll be the new home of San Diego State. So…to get a new NFL team San Diego is going to have to find a new location. 

[BuffaloBills1998]

16 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

This just reinforces the fact that she was able to get a deal done and secure the long term future for the Bills in WNY. We(fans) can relax and don't have to worry about relocation anymore. SD can wait 34 years now if they want the Bills. By that time I will probably be taking a permanent dirt nap.

Who knows if the NFL will be around in 34 years

[RyanC883]

15 hours ago, foreboding said:

Just like player salaries...the cost of building these things is going up and there will be no shortage of suitors. Pay up to have a team. Glad little buffalo/rochester gets to have an NFL franchise. They would never, ever get one in today's market.

 

the market is really larger (not tv wose perhaps). Many fans who moved out of NYS who live in Western Pa, Ohio, etc who routinely travel up for games.   Not to mention the crazy Canadians.  

34 minutes ago, Casey D said:

The bottom line is that the deal is the cost of having an NFL team and the prestige and community benefits that come with it.  All the editorial writers can rail against it as a waste of taxpayer money, but that argument is in the abstract.  Public dollars fund stadiums all over the country.  Right now Virginia is bending over backwards and throwing money at the Commandos to get them to move. The market indicates you need public money to have a team, see, e.g., San Diego, St. Louis, Oakland.  So for folks who don't give a rat's ass for NFL football, it is a bad deal because the economics never indicate you will more than recoup the public investment.  But the market says different, and for a city like Buffalo, the team is priceless.

 

Imagine Sundays in the fall for hotel, bar, restaurant, etc owners without the Bills.  One reason a Dome made more sense to me was to use it year round for large concerts, etc. 

6 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Buffalo IS a small market by every metric.  It’s ranked as the 53rd market.  If you were to combine markets in other cities as you suggested, Buffalo would probably rank the same.

 

other cities don’t have the large Southern Ontario market hanging there. I believe that markets for other teams take into account nearby areas, but Canada may not be factored into “largest American market”

[Mr. WEO]

If Hochul was a reporter and posted this on twitter, she would get roasted here.

 

She "indicates" "larger cities, like San Diego that would love to have a team" and this becomes " San Diego was interested in taking the Bills away from Buffalo".

 

She only throws this whopper out there as here ship suddenly is taking on water and sinking and the sharks are circling downstate.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

It has been reported by various nefarious sources that an ownership group headed by Tom Brady was behind the effort to bring professional football back to San Diego.  #17 would have backed up the GOAT (self promoter) had the move occurred.

*
🤔

🤨

🙄

[BillsFan4]

17 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Agreed, but Baltimore wouldn’t fork over the money and the Colts moved - suddenly they find the money and steal the Browns.

 

Cleveland couldn’t find the money and when the Baltimore threat was realized - suddenly Cleveland found the money and then built a stadium for the new Browns.

 

The same goes for St. Louis - lost the Cardinals - built a huge new dome for the Rams.  Oakland lost the Raiders to LA and then got them back and lost them again over Stadium money.  
 

Houston needed a new stadium - lost the Oilers - built a huge new dome for the Texans. LA had 2 teams leave that needed new stadiums and tax breaks - San Diego needed a new stadium - lost the Chargers - why would it be a surprise that suddenly they decided they could force through the tax increase on Hotels that failed and make another nice offer.

 

I would call BS except the exact same thing has happened at least 8 times in the last 30 years and every town that lost a team suddenly found funding to throw at a new team.  
 

Every time.

 

The difference is if the Bills left Buffalo - they were not coming back - we were dead.

 

 

Very well said.

 

It sure seems that once a city loses a team they become more desperate to win a new team back.

 

Im sure glad we get to keep our team! Like you said, we’d never get another one. Maybe if we were lucky Toronto would get a team but it certainly wouldn’t be the same.

 

I’m so glad Hochul knows the importance of the Bills to Buffalo and was brave enough to do what it took to keep them (especially with an election quickly approaching), even though I’m sure she knew she’d face backlash.

[Warcodered]

2 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

Oh those poor billionaires, it’s called liquidation of assets to create requisite funds…, or those same billionaires can dupe folk into funding and building their corporate infrastructure through their income being given to said billionaires via a tax levy, it’s a total con job top to bottom. 

And you continue to have a one-sided conversation about feeling bad for billionaires. To the point though it is still not realistic to expect them to create that liquidity(essentially a quarter of their NetWorth) and invest it into a project that you are so upset that the state and county invested less into due to thinking it's a bad investment.