5 Wide Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 THE BILLS IN BUFFALO ARE HISTORY. WHOMEVER PURCHASES THE CANNOT RECOUP HIS INVESTMENT OR SERVICE THEIR DEBT LOAD WITHOUT GARNERING MUCH MORE REVENUE. SINCE THE BILLS CANNOT REASONABLY RAISE TICKET PRICES OR GET HIGH PAYING CORPORATE SPONSORE, ITS GAME OVER. AS SOON AS RALPH PASSES, HIS DAUGHTER WILL SELL THE TEAM TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. 864370[/snapback] Of course simply purchasing the team, and watching it's inherent value rise just for being a member of the NFL is bad. Ralph doesn't say the Bills don't profit. He says they profit less than the larger clubs. He's not swimming in red, just not as much green annually as Jerry Jones.
udonkey Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 Soprano is the buyer. 864360[/snapback] Cue music and cigar... "Woke up this morning...bought myself a football franchise..."
mcjeff215 Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 Cue music and cigar... "Woke up this morning...bought myself a football franchise..." 864392[/snapback] Oh how I love that show... and how I love "inside sources" posts.
Lurker Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 He's not throwing around his own money, he's throwing around a portion of the profits he makes from being in the NFL. The same way that Snyder is. It's just that Snyder makes 50 million more. 864373[/snapback] Exactly. Except under the old system, the gap between the small and large market teams was artificially reduced by a larger portion of revenue being in the shared category.
trolls_r_us Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 not to mention the fact that the owner of the team keeps telling the fans that the team cannot compete in the NFL and will likely be leaving town gee, sign me up!
stuckincincy Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 THE BILLS IN BUFFALO ARE HISTORY. WHOMEVER PURCHASES THE CANNOT RECOUP HIS INVESTMENT OR SERVICE THEIR DEBT LOAD WITHOUT GARNERING MUCH MORE REVENUE. SINCE THE BILLS CANNOT REASONABLY RAISE TICKET PRICES OR GET HIGH PAYING CORPORATE SPONSORE, ITS GAME OVER. AS SOON AS RALPH PASSES, HIS DAUGHTER WILL SELL THE TEAM TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. 864370[/snapback] THE COUNTY WILL PUT A BAILOUT ON THE BALLOT AND THE PEOPLE WHO PAY NO PROPERTY TAX OR ANY OTHER TAX WILL VOTE FOR IT IN LARGE NUMBERS AFTER ALL IT IS NO SKIN OFF THEIR NOSE IF OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY WILL HAVE TO GO TO AND PAY RANSOM TO A PRIVATE BUSINESS AND PUT THE COUNTY IN FURTHER DEBT THAT IS HOW IT IS DONE THESE DAYS.
Kelly the Dog Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 Exactly. Except under the old system, the gap between the small and large market teams was artificially reduced by a larger portion of revenue being in the shared category. 864395[/snapback] So in other words, Ralph can easily pay any bonuses he wants, in cash, and most any comment to the contrary is unfounded. He makes enough cash to, it doesn't ultimately cost any more down the line (because you make it up later). The only thing it changes is that Ralph has less cash sitting in the Bills bank account doing nothing (not Ralph's bank account) that isn't being used and will be a profit at year's end. It's a very small advantage to large market teams. If the qualifiers are settled in the near future to Ralph's advantage, which Tags and Goodell have publicly said they would, then the advantage is even smaller. If NOT, the Bills are in trouble. That is why he is doing what he's doing. Again, what it really amounts to is that the big city owners NET more profit each year. It's not that they gain such a huge advantage in the free agent market. Not to mention that there are only, oh, approximately three 15 million dollar bonuses a year being given out in the entire NFL.
JoeF Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 Breaking News: The Diocese of Buffalo is buying the team. Changing the name to the Holy Ghosts....team will be run from Vatican...Jewish GM will be part of the strategic outreach to other faiths...confessionals will be placed by all beer stands-bingo at halftime to pay signing bonuses-more news as I get it..
trolls_r_us Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 I see a young, exciting team with a good young core of players who does not quit. And yet, as soon as I get start to get excited for the FUTURE, the team's OWNER tells me (for the 3rd or 4th time in the past YEAR) that the team cannot compete and is likely headed out of town That sort of kills my enthusiasm. We're watching the Los Angeles Bills develop into a team that will be able to win once they get to southern California. Ralph Wilson is his own worst enemy when it comes to marketing. Holding a gun to fans' heads and saying "accept our crappy product and buy tickets or we will move" just isn't cutgting it any more. On top of that, this is an owner that lets his key players go, fails to bring in quality free agents, and seems to be resigned to losing. Ralph is a stubborn old man. Sure, some of the points he makes are valid, especially concerning revenue disparities. But he has apparently decided that NFL football "cannot work" in Buffalo anymore, and rather than try to actually DO things to help his situation, he whines and cries and makes fans even more miserable on a yearly basis. ************************************************************** For example: New Stadium: It works everywhere else. However, it CANNOT work in Buffalo. So says Ralph. There is no saving us. Sell the naming rights: What's a few million dollars? It wouldn't help, anyway. So says Ralph. there is no saving us. Try actual marketing like the Sabres do: Not sure why they don't, but Ralph likely thinks that the market is already tapped out, which could NOT be further from the truth. This market is nowhere NEAR tapped in terms of potential revenues. (see Sabres) Raise ticket prices (combined with a winning team): Fans will pay $$ for a winner. Again, the Sabres couldn't GIVE AWAY tickets last year, but now tickets are going for a couple hundred dollars on eBay. However, although fans can pay that $$ for 40 Sabres games, Ralph doesn't see how fans could pay 2/3 that for 8 Bills games. The $$ is there, the creativity and will to MARKET to get it is NOT there on the Bills part. *************************************************** To me, Ralph seems unwilling to take the steps he needs to take in order to help the Bills situation. On top of that, he has apparently decided that there is no way that NFL football can work in Buffalo. Buffalo is doomed. etc, etc. IMO, we need a new owner who is visionary enough to find a way to get it done, rather than sit around whining that nothing can be done. There is almost ALWAYS a solution. Sure we might not match Washington and Dallas, but we can still do things a LOT better here. But as long as this team tells its fans that there IS no future, why SHOULD we invest emotionally and money-wise? THAT is why the games aren't selling out, in my opinion. So Losman might be a real QB, Evans could the real deal at WR, the defense has a lot of nice young players. the team FINALLY has real coaches. Good for LOS ANGELES. Why should we get excited?
BuffaloRebound Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 Bonus sizes will most likely grow a lot this year as it seems that the salary cap number keeps growing as the players get a bigger share of the revenues. That means that the cash Ralph needs for salaries/bonuses is growing at a faster pace than the money he is getting from revenue sharing. Add in the increasing discrepancies in luxury box money and other local marketing revenue deals and it becomes more of a challenge/risk to compete with large market teams. The presence of the salary cap however makes it more of a cash managment/risk problem. No team will ever lose money in the NFL, it's just easier for big-market teams to pay $20m+ signing bonuses and to absorb the risk of that guy being a dud. A team like the Bills may have to compensate against paying a $20m bonus by being under the cap unless Ralph is willing to take on some debt. Instead of low interest loans for a stadium, perhaps small market teams could request low interest loans from the NFL for signing bonuses.
CoachChuckDickerson Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 If you build it, they will come.
Bob in STL Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 I believe it was a $25,000 franchise fee. 864059[/snapback] I think it was $20,000.
BuffaloBilliever Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 As I look around my room at the thousands of posters, my tickets and game day packets lining the desk I'm at, pictures, signed Shane Conlan picture, and massive banner that pisses off my college roommate... I realized something. I love the Buffalo Bills. There I said it, I love you Buffalo. ... Anyways, how can there not be a New York football team? This blows my mind... who's up for pitching in and buying the Buffalo Bills? YOU CANT DO THIS TO THE MOST FAITHFUL FANS IN FOOTBALL.
dib Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 YOU CANT DO THIS TO THE MOST FAITHFUL FANS IN FOOTBALL. 864430[/snapback] Sure they can it's "bidness"
BuffaloBilliever Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 I forgot to mention as to why I'm thoroughly depressed. My uncle, a man of faith to the Bills, said that if he still has any interest in football he'd be a Patriots fan. My brain nearly imploded.
jdubs Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 I voted no because I live in CT. That's a 6 hour drive for me.
Nostradamus Posted December 12, 2006 Posted December 12, 2006 These two weeks at the gate may mean something, with respect to Wilsons comments about moving. Four straight non sell-outs to end the season would certainly fuel some more of his not-so-subtle threats about moving the franchise. He could easily just throw his hands up at the end of the year and express his insincere frustration at the incompatible current economic states of the game and the region, harping on the four non sellouts as being proof that the Bills are no longer financially viable. Also, it would be somewhat unsettling to not sell out the Miami game, especially given the teams resurgence the second half of the season. Two more non sellouts could have things moving a little faster than we expected. Of course, maybe thats what the NFL hoped for when they scheduled so many December home games in Western New York on what was thought to be a rebuilding team. While it could all just be posturing and ramblings, (and none of us really know one way or the other what his intentions or thoughts are), it sure wouldn't hurt to sell a few more seats these next couple weeks.
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