mike6683 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I know they just lowered ticket prices to help sell these games. With a Thursday night you wont get alot of people from Western NY and I also think it will hurt attendance from the Toronto area (where there is aready questionable interest) , who have to work the next day. I think this could kill their prospects for more games and hopefully it will end after 5 years no harm done I personally like paying for less games especially when its one less preseason game.
Lori Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Really? I think a primetime game will help their local attendance, and they've already proven they don't care what the WNY fanbase thinks. Guess we'll see.
Búfalo Blanco Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Only problem is that, once again, its a very important division game... and if its anything like last year, it will be like playing on a neutral site... or worse. Why does the NFL feel they have to put the Bills most important home games in Toronto??!!
Buftex Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I think the NFL has already decided, there will be an NFL team in Toronto, eventually, whether anyone wants one there or not... honestly, I hope it is another disaster... I know it seem immature, but if I lived in WNY, I would not attend that game. I really think our team is going to be in a real fight for survival, very soon. Does anyone know how many people from WNY attended the ceremony...err...game, last season, versus Miami?
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I assume the game will be sold out. Its a primetime, nationally televised home game...we don't get too many of those.
Sherman Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Once again we have a divisional game in TO but as bad as this is for the Bills I think it is just as bad for Western NY. There is a significant number of Jets fans who take the trip to Buffalo for that game. WNY is going to lose out on that additional revenue too.
HailMary Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 If anyone one thought there were a lot of Miami fans at the game in TO last year, wait til the JETS head north. Just take a look at the Jays/Yankees series at the Skydome over the past several years. When the Yankees play in TO, NY fans make the pilgramage and take the opportunity to make a weekend out of the series filling 35% of the seats. I'm sure there are a lot of fans our from Western NY at these ball games, but still suspect this match-up from available Bills home games provides the NFL (and Toronto) with the largest fan base to market the game to. There won't be any issues with a sell-out this year for this reason coupled with the fact that the city is full of 905ers in suits and it's much easier to stay in town after work for a sporting event than make the trip back in on a Sunday.
Justice Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I think the NFL has already decided, there will be an NFL team in Toronto, eventually, whether anyone wants one there or not... honestly, I hope it is another disaster... I know it seem immature, but if I lived in WNY, I would not attend that game. I really think our team is going to be in a real fight for survival, very soon. Does anyone know how many people from WNY attended the ceremony...err...game, last season, versus Miami? Not many. It seemed to me like there were far more Dolphins fans than Bills fans. The atmosphere was the worst I have ever seen at a sporting event, period, and that includes pre-season football games. Now TO gets awarded with a prime-time game? Against a AFC East opponent, again? Someone in the higher ups must really hate Buffalo.
kwe61 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 As one who works in downtown Toronto (and a Bills season ticket holder) this game is lined up perfect for only one purpose - attracting the Toronto corporate crowd in the big office towers. They are already downtown, they will leave at little bit early from work to have dinner and a couple of drinks and then go to the game and then catch the subway/GO train back home... thats the way it has worked for the leafs for decades and the Raptors the past few years for weekday games.... Toronto does not have the culture of a sunday afternoon tailgate hence this is a very astute and well-thought out effort by the Bills/Rogers to tap into business folks already downtown... and I guarntee the Jets "fans" will be louder.
Offside Number 76 Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Once again we have a divisional game in TO but as bad as this is for the Bills I think it is just as bad for Western NY. There is a significant number of Jets fans who take the trip to Buffalo for that game. WNY is going to lose out on that additional revenue too. That's a really good point. Every year, Jets fans are downtown and spending money. Except for years where the Steelers visit, it's probably the biggest Bills-related revenue generator of the season. Not this year.
UConn James Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I assume the game will be sold out. Its a primetime, nationally televised home game...we don't get too many of those. Watch that "nationally televised" part.... It is conceivably so, but not practically.
Lurker Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 As one who works in downtown Toronto (and a Bills season ticket holder) this game is lined up perfect for only one purpose - attracting the Toronto corporate crowd in the big office towers. They are already downtown, they will leave at little bit early from work to have dinner and a couple of drinks and then go to the game and then catch the subway/GO train back home... thats the way it has worked for the leafs for decades and the Raptors the past few years for weekday games.... Toronto does not have the culture of a sunday afternoon tailgate hence this is a very astute and well-thought out effort by the Bills/Rogers to tap into business folks already downtown... and I guarntee the Jets "fans" will be louder. Nice analysis. Since the whole series is about hooking the corporate audience, it does make some sense.
Guffalo Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Once again we have a divisional game in TO but as bad as this is for the Bills I think it is just as bad for Western NY. There is a significant number of Jets fans who take the trip to Buffalo for that game. WNY is going to lose out on that additional revenue too. They just lost my groups participation. I usually bring 3-5 guys (Jets fans) up for the game, for the last 4 years we have stayed in Niagara Falls, downtown near Chippewa, Fort Erie and out by the stadium. We usually spend between 2-3 hundred per person for hotels, drinking and dinner, that is not a huge boom to the local economy, but if others skip the same trip it adds up.
quikchomp Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 It's definitely not a home game anymore. Seven home games + nine away games + super hard schedule = ten straight non-playoff seasons.
Bufcomments Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 most def there will be more Jets Fans than Bills Fans I feel bad for the bars and hotels in OP and downtown losing money over the TO series I guess they are picking teams that have a large following outside the Teams home Base( Dolphins , Steelers, Jets fans are everywhere.) You can almost bet that next year the Pats will be in TO Ill bet my tax return on it. ummm if I lose u wont see one red cent just saying
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Watch that "nationally televised" part.... It is conceivably so, but not practically. What do you mean? NFL Network is a national broadcast.
Never NEVER Give-up Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Some good points above. I'm ok with the Jets game in TO. The Ralph never held much of an advantage over them in the past. We should be better than the Jets this year - so we don't NEED a home-field Ad anyway. And the crowd won't necessarily be more NYC than Buff. As stated in a post above, the TO corporate crowd should have a larger presence. Buffalo fans can make a long weekend of it by leaving work a little early on Thurs and taking Fri off. NYC fans will need to take MORE time off of work and deal with the unfamiliar hassle at the border (or in airport customs).
JinWPB Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I know I'll burn for this but I 've got to say it. If you want an NFL team within a short drive from home then except facts as they are. Maybe they'll be called the "Buffalo Bills traveling show" maybe not. Want a hometeam atmosphere in TO , buy a ticket and drive the 90 miles up the QE. Does anybody on this board really see Erie or Niag. county spending a $1,000,000,000 on a football stadium, how about someone buying a $1,000,000,000 NFL franchise stuck in a terminally ill city, playing in a 40 year old stadium. Sorry, I been a Bills fan for 50 years but nothing lasts forever. So here's to the Bills, and here's to RW for 50 great years and maybe they can win one before they leave for the Great White North. I'll still be a fan because I'm cheering for all the great players that have come and gone on this team, all the ones to come. For the new hope of winning we have every offseason and all the great memories of seasons past. Win or lose Western NY or S.Ontario they will still be the Bills. Now,if they move to LA please delete.,,,,
Lori Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Want a hometeam atmosphere in TO , buy a ticket and drive the 90 miles up the QE 200 miles from northern Pa. Did that last year. Didn't work.
The_Philster Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 What do you mean? NFL Network is a national broadcast. A lot of cable systems are greedy...wanna put it on a Sports Tier instead of basic cable so if you have cable, it's pretty rare that you can watch it. The cable systems claim that they'd have to raise rates too much if they added it to basic cable yet they're full of crap. When Adelphia added NFL Network, ESPNU, and a handful of other channels, rates went up by $2.22 a month. When Time Warner took over, they kept the rate hike but dropped the channels that it was there for.
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