Friday, February 8, 2008

Bills news galore

by Steve

  • Here is an article in the Buffalo News about Chuck Schumer getting some assurance Ralph isn't doing anything to move the team and an interesting quote"
    “It is an important question, but a sensitive question,” Schumer replied. Things are being worked on, behind the scenes, but they’re better left unsaid publicly, he suggested."
  • Here is something new E.C. Exec Chris Collins is chirpin about. Interesting quote from that article, "Congressman Brian Higgins is also announcing his plan to ask the NFL to permit community ownership with local fans and other people allowed to purchase stock in the team. This would be a similar arrangement to the current ownership of the Green Bay Packers."
  • More information on the citizens owning the team that Higgins is proposing. "The Bills are a regional treasure and part of the fabric of our community," Higgins stated.
    "Community ownership in the Bills would give the Buffalo fans that built this franchise a real role in steering the future of this team."
  • Bills tickets are still cheapest around. Although mine are actually going up in price while their face value goes down.. hmmm.

Alright a lot of information but not a lot of new information. I guess it is good that the politicos are getting invloved in the processing, ya know cause it is something we care about. But who knows what they can do.

I for one am in the camp that believes the Bills will not be leaving Buffalo time soon. Sure call it blind optimism but if people and the NFL didn't learn from the Cleveland debacle what will they learn anything from. Plus Toronto will not be getting a team any time soon. Lets be real. Los angeles still doesn't have a team, there is the CFL, and who knows if the NFL would work there. Plus fuck Canada.

If the community was allowed to buy a stake in the Bills that would be effn sweet and I'd have a boner, but I am withholding an excitement on that front. Furthermore, a downtown stadium? It would be sweet cause its new and everything, but the new costs, the location, where tail gating would be as sweet, there are issues there. It depends a lot of the location, whether it is a stupid domed stadium the costs, etc.

At least we are being proactive instead of sitting with our thumbs up our asses. (Cleveland)

4 comments:

  1. GFY pal, i said i was luke warm about a downtown stadium, kelly would clearly be a minority owner, and wilson's wife wouldn't have to pay an estate tax

    go away

    -steve

    ReplyDelete
  2. GFY, why hasn't Kelly named his big backer? He doesn't have one. The guy probably doesn't have the funds. It's going to go to the highest bidder. Why on earth would Wilson sell the team while he is alive? He doesn't want to pay the fucking sales tax! Sales tax will be a lot more than estate tax. "Don't worry right now" and "Hey, I can't speculate what's going to happen in the future," He is not going to sell the fucking Bills while he is alive. The Bills sell-out thanks in large part to having the cheapest tickets in the NFL So why with the TICKETS being cheaper in 2006 Buffalo had MORE blackouts than in 2007? Ralph’s goal is not to sell or move the Bills now, but to maximize the franchise’s value at the time his estate is forced to sell and /or move it. "It reminds me of my trip to Dallas a few months ago. They're building in Dallas, Texas, everywhere, cranes, brand-new structures. And I see the same thing here in Toronto." "It's no secret, Buffalo is diminishing in size,"


    Go Bye Bills, start supporting the sabres.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Buffalo is the 2nd poorest city in the country per household. If the County builds a 900 million to 1 Billion dollar new stadium; they will have to raise property and sales taxes, fees, and add surcharges. Just want I want. The Bills will still leave because they can make a lot more money in Toronto or other US cities. Theirs not a enough of a market to sell luxury suits at top NFL prices or get top NFL price tickets in Buffalo. When Wilson is dead because thanks to estate taxes even if his heirs want to keep it the tax bill will be so much that the only way to pay the tax will be to sell the team. NFL rules dictate that the owner gets 100% of the revenue from luxury seating. They must split revenue from general seating with the "Away" team. That is why they put such an emphasis on luxury boxes. Pretty much everything outside of luxury boxes goes in a 70% pool. Owners keep 30% of most revenue and 100% of luxury boxes. Look at the prices of other teams' seats and where those prices are going. That's insane. If the owners had complete control, there would only be corporate suites. But they still love the extra gravy from merchandise sales. That is why they still have seats for the fans. Sorry but using waterfront property to build a football stadium for overpaid, prima donna, players and owners is a huge waste of space and taxpayer funding. Yeah great, raise taxes to give more taxpayer handouts to a rich owner of a football team. Bottom line, the fans' money is not enough for this owner. He pretty much stated it himself that he turned over every rock in WNY. Wnywatercooler and the political folk don't seem to understand where the NFL is headed. If is not in Buffalo, they just as well get that burden out of here and move it to a city with deeper pockets. Fans to them, are $ symbols. Just look at the majority who attend a super bowl game. People love to brag about how good the Bills fans are but yet they still have trouble in selling out with the cheapest prices. I have read somewhere that he COULD leave it to his wife with "lesser" tax implications but that would cut out his children. (Ralph's wife is not the mother of his children). I've also read that his family has no interest in owning the team after Ralph passes. So the other option is selling the team after his death and willing the profits to his family members after his death. The bottom line is this…. This community can no longer financially support a team no matter who owns it. The issue isn’t about fan support or selling out the stadium. The issue is about the government and corporate dollars that will subsidize a team. We don’t have the corporations and we can’t afford the tax dollars. We just can’t compete with the Chicago’s, New York’s, Dallas’, and Washington DC’s. It is all business. The NFL is a business that is run by businessmen. Ralph Wilson could have moved this team 7 or 8 years ago when his last lease was up but didn’t out of his own generosity. There are probably 20 other cities that deserve this franchise more than we do. Ralph never claimed to be a Saint. He is a businessman that took a chance on an unproven idea 40 years ago for $25,000 and made millions because of it. This franchise will not stay here for the same reasons that Bob Rich decided (after he got a new baseball stadium) not to pursue a major league baseball team with the urging of then mayor Jimmy Griffin. As far as Green Bay Packers model, the Green Bay deal was not favored by the NFL owners and they passed rules against doing similar things in the future. So in order to do something like that in Buffalo, I think it will take congressional action such as subjecting the NFL to rules that other corporations have. What you will see over the next 5 years now is spin-control. No politician wants to see his/her name associated with losing the franchise. They will come up with all sorts of creative spins to save the team. It’s already starting with things like, “community ownership” and “a new stadium”. Ralph will die and someone with no loyalty to Buffalo will gobble up the team for HUGE $$$$ and move the team. People like Higgins, Collins and Spitzer will tell you they did everything they could. When the time comes and the moving vans arrive you will hear, “We did everything we could but just couldn’t get them to stay”. The Buffalo News will run a week long series on the history of the Bills and news stations will interview everyone they can. The following season will roll around and the only thing Buffalo will have is another empty stadium and no more worries about blackouts for games!

    ReplyDelete
  4. that might be the least productive more error riddled piece of shit comment i have ever read.. higgins is a congressman, he has already sent a letter to goodell requesting community part ownership.. 20 cities that is the most hilarious number i have ever heard in my entire life 20 cities?? lol

    their there they're learn it bro

    everyone knows how revenue sharing works but thanks for the awful lesson

    erie county owes ralph wilson stadium not the owner.. it is a great lease for any owner.. 50,000 seats in the rogercenter? now we're talking about upwards of 3 billion dollars to buy the bills move them to toronto (the nfl charges) and then build a new stadium. hellllo

    a wife/spouse pays 0 on inheritance from her husband you dumb idiot vis a vis mrs wilson pays nothing when ralph dies

    thanks for pointing out 2005 statistics about buffalo's poverty that was before hurricane katrina, before the city of buffalo added jobs for 16 straight months

    give up and move to toronto eh?
    -steve

    ReplyDelete