2003 Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 This is the quote that I enjoy the most of all of them. Bills Owner Ralph Wilson, on Kraft suggesting the team should sell the naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium: “I appreciate Kraft’s suggestion. It recalls the oldest story of life: When you go to a poor guy, he will give you money. When you go to a rich guy, he will give you advice” Classic. That old chap still got it.
nucci Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 This is the quote that I enjoy the most of all of them. Bills Owner Ralph Wilson, on Kraft suggesting the team should sell the naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium: “I appreciate Kraft’s suggestion. It recalls the oldest story of life: When you go to a poor guy, he will give you money. When you go to a rich guy, he will give you advice” Classic. That old chap still got it. That is good. On that note, he would not get much money for naming rights from any company in the area.
ACor58 Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 That is good. On that note, he would not get much money for naming rights from any company in the area. Doesn't have to be a lot, but they would get something. To Kraft's point, you can't help someone that won't help themselves. I am sure to the rest of the league that Ralph simply looks vein.
ofiba Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 This is the quote that I enjoy the most of all of them. Bills Owner Ralph Wilson, on Kraft suggesting the team should sell the naming rights to Ralph Wilson Stadium: “I appreciate Kraft’s suggestion. It recalls the oldest story of life: When you go to a poor guy, he will give you money. When you go to a rich guy, he will give you advice” Classic. That old chap still got it. Funny quote, but honestly, Craft has a point. If the Bills are so strapped for cash, shouldn't they do anything it takes?
eball Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 vain? I think he was referring to Ralph's legs.
Steven in MD Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Remember Ralph was one of the first to SELL naming rights....Rich Stadium. He was Kraft before Kraft had any cheese
Lurker Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Funny quote, but honestly, Craft has a point. If the Bills are so strapped for cash, shouldn't they do anything it takes? Well, I suppose they could sell the naming rights...and buy a few more athletic supporters and rolls of tape to use at St. John Fisher. Unless we're talking in the neighborhood of $5 million per year (which I believe is what M&T Bank pays the Ravens in Baltimore), how is selling the naming rights gonna make much of a dent in a $150 million-plus operating budget? Who in WNY would step up with that kind of change? M&T and HSBC--sorry, already spoken for. Kodak, Corning--too far away or financially ailing. Delaware North--Jeremy's too cheap. Paychex? Humm....that would be interesting, but I doubt RW would be very receptive.
Lurker Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Remember Ralph was one of the first to SELL naming rights....Rich Stadium. He was Kraft before Kraft had any cheese Erie County negotiated that deal. RW never liked it and had the county's ability to sell the rights deleted in a subsequent stadium lease agreement.
Cornerville Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Doesn't have to be a lot, but they would get something. To Kraft's point, you can't help someone that won't help themselves. I am sure to the rest of the league that Ralph simply looks vein. Wait a minute here... If baseball stadiums sold their naming rights they are greedy bastards... Or in other sports too...we call it greed etc.. But in the NFL if Ralph decided not to make Ralph Wilson Stadium Geico Stadium, it is a problem??
keepthefaith Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Funny quote, but honestly, Craft has a point. If the Bills are so strapped for cash, shouldn't they do anything it takes? Ralph has sold the rights to himself essentially.
Fewell733 Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 I think he said at one point last summer that it would actually be against the financial interest of the team to sell the rights because of the way that kind of money is shared through the league. I'm not quite sure this is true though. Also if we really wanted to sell the rights of the stadium the company does not need to be local - the publicity is national
JimBob2232 Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Yet somehow...its still Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
CaliforniaCheez Posted February 5, 2007 Posted February 5, 2007 Changing the name of some places just isn't right. Arrowhead Stadium Soldier Field Lambeau Field Now look at the example of the first stadium to start this. Candlestick Park, 3 Com Park, Monster.com Park have all been the same stadium. In Houston Enron Field is now Minute Maid Park. In all the coverage of the Super Bowl I don't recall hearing the current name of the stadium in Miami. Frankly, with the large dollars in the game it is not worth changing your identity for a million dollars a year.
DCBongo Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 The BB board voted to name the stadium the Ralph when Mr. Wilson was out of the room. This isn't vanity and I do appreciate where Ralph is coming from. But if he could get a couple a mill a year to call it Hooters Stadium, why not? The stadium is not a classic like Wrigley or Yankee and it hasn't been The Ralph for that long. In my opinion, Mr. Wilson should be more concerned with what is done inside the stadium then the name of it.
jester43 Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 Changing the name of some places just isn't right. Arrowhead Stadium Soldier Field Lambeau Field Now look at the example of the first stadium to start this. Candlestick Park, 3 Com Park, Monster.com Park have all been the same stadium. In Houston Enron Field is now Minute Maid Park. In all the coverage of the Super Bowl I don't recall hearing the current name of the stadium in Miami. Frankly, with the large dollars in the game it is not worth changing your identity for a million dollars a year. marv albert referred to it as "dolphins stadium" on sirius.
ThreeBillsDrive Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 The divide between the old school owners and the new rich boy owners who bought in for big bucks (Kraft, Arthur Black, Jerry Jones, et. al.) continues to grow. The new rich boy owners have no patience for Ralph and his ilk. I'm sure behind the scenes they continue to label RW a crybaby as he and Shumer plead the Bills case.
Pyrite Gal Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 Funny quote, but honestly, Craft has a point. If the Bills are so strapped for cash, shouldn't they do anything it takes? It would downright silly for Ralph to make an argument or for anyone to interpret what he says as meaning the Bills (or him personally) are strapped for cash because they are poor. Ralph's co-term owners and his partners in this endeavor the NFLPA all have fairly complete access to the Bills finances and books as part of the CBA and so that everyone can trust what everyone else says. What Ralph is making is that he was a new deal which involves the teams with larger more profitable markets making direct payments derived from the enormous haul all NFL partners are making because the product is dependent upon all of the partners getting a more equal share of the profits derived by an NFL team as this profit is derived from the shared competition between all teams What Ralph appears to be arguing is that if any team ends up at a competitive disadvantage (for example the greater cash flow of the Dan Snyder owned Redskins allows them to make more lucrative offers to FAs than a team such as the Bills) then Ralph argues that the whole league and product will suffer if some teams are relegated to perpetual have not status by differential cash flow. In addition, it is likely unsaid outside of private conversations between team owners, but if this financial differential persists, it will only result in the NFLPA gaining an even greater share of the gross take as teams blow off the restrictions of the cap by offering deals which rob Peter to pay Paul as the Skins end up depending upon the cap to keep expanding allowing them to push the eventual reckoning into the future. The question is really THE key question in any capitalist based economy and society which is how much is too much. The irony here is that what turned the tables on the team owners after they kicked the NFLPA led by Ed Garvey's butt in the mid 80s with his at the time outrageous proposal that the players receive 52% of revenues, was that by threatening to dissolve itself and thus force the owners into a true free market where they had to negotiate with each player, the owners instead bought the idea embodied in the CBA which made the initially made the NFLPA partners with the owners and now arguably with the agreement under the new CBA that players receive roughly 60% of gross revenues they are the majority partners in the new endeavor. Ralph is endorsing an approach that is even further based in the concept of socialism where profit is not determined by the actions of the individual team, but by the collaborative producing a better product through sharing assets.
Whitner20 Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 Wegmans should step in and offer up some big bucks....
Recommended Posts