Buftex Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 You can have a brand new stadium but if no one goes to the games then whats the point of having a team. People here in St. Louis are not football fans, they are big on the Cardinals and Blues. Rams are a waste of time.. no one goes to the games. That franchise has such an odd history, I can see why they have time sustaining a fan base... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 thanks, folks, and noted. i'll resist the urge to say anything more in regards to the coincidences noted above. as for the 15,000 number i got was one provided by Bills. also consider that Sabres estimate 15-20 percent of their house is also Canadian, so it's in the same ballpark, so to speak. jw ADD: should be noted that in my experience, not all canadians attending games are "bills fans," some are fans of the other team, others here for the experience. so Mr. Weo's claim that there weren't many bills fans at game in toronto is a little specious, especially this claim that there are more fans from pittsburgh and cleveland than from canada. how can anyone tell? heck, who knows if half the browns fans at RWS are from canada. can't prove it one way or another, really. so it's a little over-eager to come to any conclusions on toronto fan interest or canadians attending games at RWS, i think. If, as The Dean claims, the Bills have specific data, there would be an actual number. They wouldn't give two very different numbers to two different sources. Maybe I should have said "Steelers fans" instead implying "American Steelers fans", so as to include all of those Canadians who come to watch the Steelers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. If not all canadians are Bills fans, but instead are fans of the other team or just there for the experience, why is it "specious" to imply that the Bills game in Toronto was not filled with a majority of Bills fans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 If not all canadians are Bills fans, but instead are fans of the other team or just there for the experience, why is it "specious" to imply that the Bills game in Toronto was not filled with a majority of Bills fans? you're right on making a case on that point. no argument here. i would disagree with your suggestion of the interest in the bills in toronto being "miniscule." the bills are not off the radar in toronto, they are just regarded in a different fashion than what is traditionally a "home" team in my opinion. then again, with the high cost of tickets, this game in toronto seemed to be marketed the wrong way, as an event, rather than a "bills event." and that's why i ran into numerous people attending the game who had traveled from far and wide -- nova scotia to miami -- to "be there." so pricing and marketing and the "uniqueness" of this first-time event have to be included into the equation. as for pegging the actual number of canadians at the Ralph, well, the 15,000 i was given was an average. don't know about the piece in The Star and won't dispute it either as it's a very good publication. jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloaggie Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 If, as The Dean claims, the Bills have specific data, there would be an actual number. They wouldn't give two very different numbers to two different sources. Maybe I should have said "Steelers fans" instead implying "American Steelers fans", so as to include all of those Canadians who come to watch the Steelers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. If not all canadians are Bills fans, but instead are fans of the other team or just there for the experience, why is it "specious" to imply that the Bills game in Toronto was not filled with a majority of Bills fans? http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/onta...ory/510815.html This article gives the 15-20% estimate also. My experience in talking to Canadians at Bills or Sabres games is that most are there for the experience and do not have a strong rooting interest for the Bills. A few that I know are huge Dolphins fans, so take that for the limited sample of Canadian fans. All I know is listening to the audio from the Bills game at Rogers Centre, it was pretty quiet. I guess most need time to warm up to the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 So there you have it: 3 different articles giving three different estimates--all citing "the Bills" as their source. My original point stands. Ralph can be bought. It won't hurt his bottom line in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 So there you have it: 3 different articles giving three different estimates--all citing "the Bills" as their source. My original point stands. Ralph can be bought. It won't hurt his bottom line in any way. but didn't you contend that the number of canadians attending games was likely half of 10,000? jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/onta...ory/510815.html This article gives the 15-20% estimate also. My experience in talking to Canadians at Bills or Sabres games is that most are there for the experience and do not have a strong rooting interest for the Bills. A few that I know are huge Dolphins fans, so take that for the limited sample of Canadian fans. All I know is listening to the audio from the Bills game at Rogers Centre, it was pretty quiet. I guess most need time to warm up to the Bills. 15%-20% is what I have heard for years. But I didn't do the research, nor did I see the methodology or the raw data, so I'm not married to the number. Since the Bills are the source of much of that info, we can expect that it has SOME basis, though. And, seeing as how the capacity of the Ralph has been reduced in recent years, the conflicting reports of 15,000 or 10,000 could simply be a reflection of the changing reality of the Ralph's capacity. In any event, unless WEO conducted a study using a random sample of Bills-game attendees, or asked everyone in the stadium where they came from, his personal estimates of Canadian attendance, are simply bulls#it, with absolutely no basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 but didn't you contend that the number of canadians attending games was likely half of 10,000? jw He sure did and that's been my point in the recent back-and-forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 but didn't you contend that the number of canadians attending games was likely half of 10,000? jw My fellow Lot 1 Pole 5 tailgater -- the one who works for the Border Patrol -- would definitely dispute that low estimate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I guess this isn't really a Rams thread, but I thought I would toss this out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I guess this isn't really a Rams thread, but I thought I would toss this out there. Quality column. And I'll note that most of the Bills' postseason meetings take place at Ralph's winter home in Florida ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 My fellow Lot 1 Pole 5 tailgater -- the one who works for the Border Patrol -- would definitely dispute that low estimate. [crayonz] Since it's Canadians, how does the border agent know it's not the same guy trying to get back home 50 times? [/crayonz] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts