Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson want to revive the Buffalo Destroyers

[FireChans]

9 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

tittle

this feels like a word that should be censored 

[Gregg]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Even the Toronto Raptors have trouble getting and keeping top talent.

 

Successful? They draw some of the smallest crowds in MLB. They've only been competitive recently and they are about to leave town over the stadium situation.

 

They have made it to the WS twice and they have been in the playoffs a bunch of times and have been fairly competitive in the AL East. They draft and develop their players well given the small payroll they aren't "players" in FA. It's a shame what happened to their stadium.

[Just Jack]

Syracuse had an indoor football team, lasted less than one season.  

 

Syracuse Soldiers - Wikipedia

Edited February 13 by Just Jack

[msw2112]

As much as I would love to see more major league sports in Buffalo (MLB, return of the NBA), I just don't think the market can absorb it.  For a small metropolitan area, the Buffalo area already supports to major league teams in the Bills and Sabres, plus the Bisons, and a niche team like the Bandits.  There are also UB sports, which are up and down, but can sell a few tickets when they're good.  If the NBA or MLB came to Buffalo and the team was successful, people would buy tickets, but if they were not a good team, there are not enough causal fans to fill the seats and watch on TV and not enough corporate interests to buy and fill luxury suites.  Free Agents would not be interesting in coming to Buffalo.  The Sabres, despite being terrible, are still a big part of the Buffalo community.  It's a great hockey market and there's 50+ years of history, and being near Canada is a huge help, but they too, don't draw all that well, given the team's poor record in recent years.

 

Maybe another niche sport like arena football might do OK, if ticket prices are cheap.  It's something to do with the family when there's nothing else going on.  Anything bigger than that just isn't going to work.  I'm old enough to remember Bob Rich's blank check, but we got the Rockies and Marlins instead, and the rest is history.

[Homelander]

We cannot sustain our current teams, no thanks.

[PromoTheRobot]

20 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

As much as I would love to see more major league sports in Buffalo (MLB, return of the NBA), I just don't think the market can absorb it.  For a small metropolitan area, the Buffalo area already supports to major league teams in the Bills and Sabres, plus the Bisons, and a niche team like the Bandits.  There are also UB sports, which are up and down, but can sell a few tickets when they're good.  If the NBA or MLB came to Buffalo and the team was successful, people would buy tickets, but if they were not a good team, there are not enough causal fans to fill the seats and watch on TV and not enough corporate interests to buy and fill luxury suites.  Free Agents would not be interesting in coming to Buffalo.  The Sabres, despite being terrible, are still a big part of the Buffalo community.  It's a great hockey market and there's 50+ years of history, and being near Canada is a huge help, but they too, don't draw all that well, given the team's poor record in recent years.

 

Maybe another niche sport like arena football might do OK, if ticket prices are cheap.  It's something to do with the family when there's nothing else going on.  Anything bigger than that just isn't going to work.  I'm old enough to remember Bob Rich's blank check, but we got the Rockies and Marlins instead, and the rest is history.

 

Rich was offered the Expos for $190MM and turned them down. That whole MLB Buffalo push was just to get the stadium built.

[HansLanda]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Probably get more wins too.

 

Zing 

 

I would say "why not?" It will get more people downtown more frequently and at just $2M to get into the league? In the grand scheme that is not a huge number. I don't think Buffalo will ever see NBA ever again. MLB won't be an option, either. 

[djp14150]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Even the Toronto Raptors have trouble getting and keeping top talent.

 

Successful? They draw some of the smallest crowds in MLB. They've only been competitive recently and they are about to leave town over the stadium situation.

 

We'll never know because the NBA isn't coming to Buffalo in a million years. Buffalo is fortunate to have 2 major league franchises being such a small market.

 

Getting back to the original topic, along with the Bills and Sabres, you also have Bandits indoor lacrosse and Bisons minor league baseball. There's a push to bring a USL-level 1 soccer team to Buffalo, along with building a new stadium downtown. How much money will be left for indoor football?

Hard to say how history could have changed…..

 

First off Buffalo is a top 10 media market in the US if you add the Canadian population.

 

If buffalo built a new stadium in the mid 1960s the expos could have bern playing in buffalo.  Business might have come to buffalo being a 4 team market. East of welland canal might have gone through a major development taking some of torontos growth away

 

WNY should have women’s hockey and soccer team. They could have a women’s basketball team.

 

arrant football could go to Rochester or Syracuse 

[Old Coot]

5 hours ago, Gregg said:

then they should think big time like an MLB or NBA team

Buffalo had an NBA team in the 1970s -- the Buffalo Braves. They are now the san Diego Clippers.

[Roundybout]

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

this feels like a word that should be censored 

Wait until you hear about Dick Shiner 

[chongli]

I'll pass. Former NFL players and arena football don't mix. Brings back memories of AB and the Albany Empire.

4 hours ago, US Egg said:

Don’t know if it exists anymore, but indoor soccer was more enjoyable to watch than football.

 

This. I remember the Buffalo Stallions of MISL. Very fun to watch and immensely popular in Buffalo.

[K D]

Playing football with a roof and climate control? What a concept

[WotAGuy]

When I saw Stevie’s IG posts about it, it seemed he was inviting investors to join in for $10k or so?  No way an I giving money to something like this…I wouldn’t dare call it an investment. 
 

 

Edited February 13 by WotAGuy

[msw2112]

46 minutes ago, Old Coot said:

Buffalo had an NBA team in the 1970s -- the Buffalo Braves. They are now the san Diego Clippers.

 

They WERE the San Diego Clippers after they left Buffalo.  They are now the Los Angeles Clippers.  I used to go to Braves games as a kid.

37 minutes ago, chongli said:

I'll pass. Former NFL players and arena football don't mix. Brings back memories of AB and the Albany Empire.

 

This. I remember the Buffalo Stallions of MISL. Very fun to watch and immensely popular in Buffalo.

 

The Stallions were fun.  Used to enjoy games at the old Aud.  I won a soccer ball autographed by the entire team at a fundraiser at my school when I was a kid.  I have no idea where it is today.

[AlBUNDY4TDS]

Bobby olive was the only player I remember. Our high school school sang the national anthem for one of their games.

[Don Otreply]

Those two must have some money they don’t care about losing, 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Old Coot said:

Buffalo had an NBA team in the 1970s -- the Buffalo Braves. They are now the san Diego Los Angeles Clippers.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, djp14150 said:

 

First off Buffalo is a top 10 media market in the US if you add the Canadian population.

 

 

Not really.  Let's be really generous and include Niagara Municipality (Ft Erie, Niagara Falls, St. Catherines), Hamilton city, Haldimand and Brant Counties. That is a combined population of 1.2 million, about equal to metro Buffalo (Erie, Niagara and Cattarugus counties.) So that makes the Buffalo region 2.4 million. That would only place us between #26-#29 along side cities like Las Vegas, Austin, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh.

 

More realistically you'd only count Niagara Municipality, an area within 45 minutes of downtown Buffalo. That population is 500,000. That puts Buffalo at #37-39 along cities like Norfolk. Providence and Jacksonville.  Buffalo by itself is only 1.2 million, rank #50.

 

When you look at how many cities are larger than Buffalo yet have no major franchises, you realize how lucky we are. We got the Bills and Sabres when we were larger and more important. Since then other regions grew while we shrank. So no, we aren't getting an NBA or MLB team. And be aware what you're risking when you say you want Terry Pegula to sell the Sabres.

 

 

[BigDingus]

Can they revive the Buffalo Braves instead?

 

If Buffalo can support an NFL team, I'm sure they can handle an NBA one.

 

Sure, during the first half of the season there will be less fans in attendance since it overlaps with the NFL, but then again, that applies to the entire NBA. Fans don't care about the early season across the league 😆

[PromoTheRobot]

3 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

Can they revive the Buffalo Braves instead?

 

If Buffalo can support an NFL team, I'm sure they can handle an NBA one.

 

Sure, during the first half of the season there will be less fans in attendance since it overlaps with the NFL, but then again, that applies to the entire NBA. Fans don't care about the early season across the league 😆

 

Would you trade the Bills for an NBA team? Because you can't have both. The Bills are a regional team and has a following nationwide now. An NBA team would be starting from scratch and would rely on a fan base travelling shorter distances because some games are on weeknights. Here is a rank of average NBA ticket prices from last season. Indiana was the lowest at $138. 

Edited February 13 by PromoTheRobot