Lv-Bills Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 This is all just made up, estimated hype. They have no idea how many tickets people need just by looking at the sign up lists they have. I am signed up to get tickets through the Canadian site and through my Buffalo Bills season ticket account. When I signed up I don't remember anywhere putting in how many tickets I wanted. I am also signed up in two places to get tickets and I have ZERO intention of going to games in Toronto. I may buy them and sell them off however. I just wanted the information when it first comes out, so I signed up. There are probably tons of people who did the same as I did. They don't have 100,000 individual requests for information on tickets when they come out, or they would have said that. They don't ask you when you sign up how many tickets you would like when you sign up. So, how in the hell do they know that they have ticket requests totaling over 100K? I have no doubt they'll sellout games, after all, they are playing in a stadium smaller than 70% of American division 1 football stadiums. But this number is pure marketing attempts to drum up even more interest.
ExpertOpinion Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 I don't see what the concern is with all of this. If the Bills play games up in Toronto they will be televised anyways. You know they will sell out in Toronto. So all this does is save people money , that's a plus !
UConn James Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 And the one right underneath it, the one I'm referring to, was posted to buffalobills.com at 12:23 p.m. CP: "over 100,000 fans have registered" BB.com: "the demand by fans for the chance to purchase tickets to the upcoming NFL Bills games in Toronto has now exceeded the 100,000 ticket mark." If they're holding 8 seats per account -- as suggested in the e-mail they sent out -- then one of those stories is wrong, and I'm assuming it's NOT the one coming from the official team website. Guess which version E$PN will be running with, and which will be quoted ad nauseum in every future story on Toronto-move-speculation. The journos are setting up the pieces to fill their agenda of having something poignant to write about in ~ 5 years. Too bad Buffalo doesn't have a Drew Carey.
ExpertOpinion Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Guess which version E$PN will be running with, and which will be quoted ad nauseum in every future story on Toronto-move-speculation. The journos are setting up the pieces to fill their agenda of having something poignant to write about in ~ 5 years. Too bad Buffalo doesn't have a Drew Carey. Do you think Drew Carey could afford to buy the Bills or any other NFL team ? I doubt it. So I don't see what influence someone like him could possibly have.
UConn James Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Do you think Drew Carey could afford to buy the Bills or any other NFL team ?I doubt it. So I don't see what influence someone like him could possibly have. I was referencing his vocalization regarding the move of the Browns. On his, like, 5 prime time shows that he had at the time he kept Cleveland in the spotlight; didn't let people/NFL forget the loyalty of the city to the team. He always had a Browns collectible item in the background of his main show. By no means am I saying that DC acted alone in getting a replacement franchise, but not allowing the story to die in the public consciousness was important. I've seen the other side, too, when the Whalers left Hartford. Nobody of note said anything and 10 years on, that team is a distant memory. Buffalo doesn't really have anyone to fight for the city in the national spotlight.
ExpertOpinion Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 I was referencing his vocalization regarding the move of the Browns. On his, like, 5 prime time shows that he had at the time he kept Cleveland in the spotlight; didn't let people/NFL forget the loyalty of the city to the team. He always had a Browns collectible item in the background of his main show. By no means am I saying that DC acted alone in getting a replacement franchise, but not allowing the story to die in the public consciousness was important. I've seen the other side, too, when the Whalers left Hartford. Nobody of note said anything and 10 years on, that team is a distant memory. Buffalo doesn't really have anyone to fight for the city in the national spotlight. I really don't see any reason to fight anything. More important are companies that move out of Buffalo. Yes the bills employ some local residents but few compared to core companies that are lost. Like I said those games will be on TV anyways.
Arkady Renko Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 I don't see what the concern is with all of this.If the Bills play games up in Toronto they will be televised anyways. You know they will sell out in Toronto. So all this does is save people money , that's a plus ! This is the stupidest idea that keeps on getting repeated. Moving to Toronto is not like moving to Rochester or Syracuse. What connection would WNYers have to Toronto? Toronto is a fine place, but it's a whole new country and probably would keep little -- including the name -- to connect it to the old team and city. I do not live in Buffalo itself, but haved lived in WNY and CNY. I mean are most people even fans of the Blue Jays? I do not get the impression that they are any more popular than the Yankees. I would feel more connection to the Browns than to the Toronto Whatevers. I either won't care about the NFL, will root for the Browns or will root for my in-laws' team, the Giants.
Fewell733 Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 it's kind of a Catch-22 - if it is a success in Toronto it makes the team get more fans in that area and helps the Bills remain viable in the region long-term but fuels speculation that they'll move there permanently; if it's not a success, then the team's longtime regional viability is in doubt and they're more likely to move the highest bidder, but maybe not Toronto. I think the first is the preferable outcome since it's at least half good - makes a Buffalo franchise seem viable longterm. The other has no good other than maybe discouraging Toronto investors a bit. Ultimately I'd rather play some games in Toronto than no games in Buffalo.
zow2 Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 I'm not overly impressed. This is 5 regular season games over 5 years! Every game will be a once a year party-fest of NFL football in Canada. If Buffalo and WNY never had a team and someone offered the same deal, you'd probably get 100,000 requests just from Buf and Rochester areas.
ExpertOpinion Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 This is the stupidest idea that keeps on getting repeated. Moving to Toronto is not like moving to Rochester or Syracuse. What connection would WNYers have to Toronto? Toronto is a fine place, but it's a whole new country and probably would keep little -- including the name -- to connect it to the old team and city. I do not live in Buffalo itself, but haved lived in WNY and CNY. I mean are most people even fans of the Blue Jays? I do not get the impression that they are any more popular than the Yankees. I would feel more connection to the Browns than to the Toronto Whatevers. I either won't care about the NFL, will root for the Browns or will root for my in-laws' team, the Giants. Nothing changes , you can chose to route for them or not route for them. Just like now.
MarkAF43 Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Nothing changes , you can chose to route for them or not route for them.Just like now. hey ummmm Mr.Expert, i do believe it would be "root" for them, not "route" for them....
Arkady Renko Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Nothing changes , you can chose to route for them or not route for them.Just like now. Nothing changes? When teams move to new cities that changes their fan base. How many Baltimore Colts fans are now Indianapolis Colts fans? How many Oakland Raiders fans *rooted* for the Raiders in LA? How many Oilers fans root for the Titans?
billygoats Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 difference is all of those cities got a team back at some point. If the Bills leave Buffalo there will not be a team returning to the region.
Arkady Renko Posted April 13, 2008 Posted April 13, 2008 difference is all of those cities got a team back at some point. If the Bills leave Buffalo there will not be a team returning to the region. That's an irrelevant difference to my point. Baltimore, Oakland, etc. were not refusing to support the moved team before they got a new because they expected to get a new team later. They just were burned by the move and had no interest in supporting the same team in a different city. So what if Toronto is close to Buffalo? You don't still think your ex-wife is a swell gal just because she is shacking up with your neighbor.
Recommended Posts