Toronto May See More Bills games in the Future

[EndZoneCrew]

You do make some solid points & there is reason for concern, but I really think there is still a market out there to increase the ticket prices dramatically. I really think the bills could bump up ticket prices $15 to $20 a piece across the board per game & people will still buy them around here. Do that, I bet that would put right around the league average or even above it.

 

thank you.....I have been saying this forever....enough of the "The poor Bills are so poor and they have the cheapest tickets in the NFL".....A lot of people would be willing to pay more for their tickets!

[obie_wan]

PTR

I am not one of the people that hates the Bills playing a game in Toronto etc....I happen to think it is a good idea to regionalize things better, help the Bills make an extra buck or two or 10M. But I am just sick of the doomsdayers and how the Bills are gone etc...after Ralph passes.

I am very aware of the fact we have no debt service on the stadium or team and that helps immensely. But Ralph always crying poor and how we cannot compete etc is also somewhat misleading. He makes a good 30M profit on the team. The TV money pays for the salaries of the players outright. Then the other revenues pay the extras and coaches etc...I am well aware that having 25M in interest payments a year really cuts into a new owner having the team. But to then say TO or LA (which has already failed TWICE supporting an NFL team) deserves or will take the Bills I think is very unlikely. Most markets are NOT NYC or DC/Dallas. Baltimore, Minneapolis, Cleveland, NO, Cinci, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Tennessee, KC, Pittsburgh, etc.....are all very similar to B'lo. This market can and will support the Bills at a profit. When push comes to shove, moving this franchise will have enormous obstacles to overcome. Things in WNY could be better but combine Buffalo/Rochester/So Ontario (not including Toronto) and you have 3+ million people to support the team. Plus you have NYS that is NOT going to let this go......NO politician wants to be on the clock if the Bills move.

Hey, I agree with you that it will be virtually impossible to get a new stadium etc given the debt service in addition to a new owner......but we will all probably live with that!

As a Bills fan who used to live in Boston I know all the rumbles heard elsewhere and how Buffalo is such a dying town etc......but there a quite a few connected and wealthy people around here that will not let this beloved team leave. Expect the Bills to stay......I went through this with the Flutie years too. I do wish Ralph would make pre-arrangements to ensure and calm the people here that the franchise will stay. I do think his words and actions fan the flames.......and remember, the Ontario media has said an NHL team is coming to Hamilton for th past 25 years!!!! I have yet to see it happen, and they would much rather have that then an NFL team.

 

 

your math is bad

 

new owners will borrow $500 mil at a minimum to buy the team, probably much more.

 

10% interest only on $500k is $50 mil per year which wipes out that tidy $30 mil profit Ralph was enjoying. And this does not include debt service on paying down the principal.

 

The Toronto joint venture is the only way to tap into the big corporate money necessary to compete in the NFL.

[Ray]

OW

I was and am NOT against theToronto games at all....one game a year and a pre-season game is a huge revenue generator for the Bills. And that is fine. I do NOT see them splitting time as it is just a huge inconvenience for everyone splitting 4/4. One game a year is very doable both for the Bills and the Toronto group.

As an aside....10% interest nowadays for that 500M is probably a high interest rate. Many commercial rates are still low around 6-7% which iss about $30M/yr and yes that eats away the profit. But the assumption that you cannot charge more are generate more revenue here in Buffalo I think is a falacy.

I was also saying in my comments that I do NOT think the people of Toronto have this at the top of their things to do with their tax money and that is an ENORMOUS obstacle to overcome. The Mayor of Toronto agrees with me as well...from the National Post today...

 

"When SkyDome was built, Metro Toronto put in $30-million, because at that time, the municipality had felt there was a need for a major sports centre," Toronto Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said. "There's no political will in this town, that I'm aware of, to basically subsidize an NFL team in Toronto by putting taxpayers' money in it."

[Endzone Animal]

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this topic, and expect to be slammed for my opinion, but I am disgusted by the whole Toronto deal, and if the Bills do split games as the article suggests I'll probably lose my interest in the team. I just can't help but feel like the wife is openly cheating on me, publicly mocking me for being so unattractive and poor, and biding her time until the Canadian rich guy she's hooked up with gives her a giant ring and moves her into his mansion so she can make the divorce official.

 

OK, I'm done...now back to your original programming, and feel free to rip me a new one if you like...but dammit that's how I feel.

[Gordio]

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this topic, and expect to be slammed for my opinion, but I am disgusted by the whole Toronto deal, and if the Bills do split games as the article suggests I'll probably lose my interest in the team. I just can't help but feel like the wife is openly cheating on me, publicly mocking me for being so unattractive and poor, and biding her time until the Canadian rich guy she's hooked up with gives her a giant ring and moves her into his mansion so she can make the divorce official.

 

OK, I'm done...now back to your original programming, and feel free to rip me a new one if you like...but dammit that's how I feel.

 

I feel the same. One game & preseason fine, if they start splitting it 50/50 or anything close to that I will not renew my tickets & basically be done with the bills.