Who asked for any of this? I've been to every Bills game (sans 2020) since 2004 and know dozens of Bills season ticket holders. You know the one thing they never asked for? A new more expensive stadium.
The State, the Bills and Erie County agreed to a $1.4 billion new stadium that will allegedly open in 2026 (yeah sure). The state pays $600m, county (one of the poorest in the US) pays $250m , the fans pay $300m w PSLs, and the NFL pays $200m.
Miraculously Terry Pegula, valued at $6.2 billion, who bought the Bills less than ten years ago for $1.3 billion and has since doubled in value, PAYS ZERO DOLLARS.
Incredible.
One complaint I do hear from fans is the rain and wind that ruins the in game experience. So of course the new stadium is going to be covered right? Nope open air.
When was the last time you were at the current stadium on any day other than a Bills game? Try it some time. There are 2 bars (one changes names every 3 years), a gas station a couple motels and the beloved KK Mart.
So if we are going to give this guy a damn near $1,000,000,000.00 we are going to put it downtown where at least some spinoff development will occur with public transit right? Nope, it is going right across the street.
More details, 10,000 less seats, the Bills keep all parking, concessions, ticket sales etc oh and it has natural grass.
But at least we get some nice fancy renderings and all the plans have been laid out for the public to oogle at right? Nope, zero plans have been released! Not even one drawing.
But wait, there is more! PSLs. Yup every season ticket holder gets to pay $1500 (at least and likely more) per seat just to be able to buy their season ticket! And let me guess, prices wont double triple or quadruple. And pigs fly.
So, we still get rain and wind, tickets won't cost $53 any more, I have to pay up front $1500+ and have to move to a much worse seat since there is little chance they'll have a cheap Labatt zone in the 200 level w great sight lines.
Oh and since it is way out in the burbs, open air, nothing around it, no public transit, basically it can only be used for 10 Bills games, some stadium tours, 3 concerts a year and a soccer game every other year it will sit empty for 325 days a year. Awesome.
So how did Terry bamboozle us so badly?
Three keys as far as I can tell. Create a sense of urgency, get the local media (who is desperately dependent on the Bills for ad revenue, content etc) on your side, and pretend Terry might move the team.
Create Urgency
The stadium is going to collapse in just a few years!!!
Wait what? Surely they released the independent study that proves the upper deck is going to collapse and there is no way the current stadium could be renovated. No way they will let us continue to pile in to a stadium that will return back to the earth in a pile of dust at any time, right? Uh, nevermind i guess. Nope, private study, never released. Lets just take their word for it.
Get the local media on your side.
Local media to me is the 3 TV stations, wgr550 and the Buffalo News. Just scan the newspaper the last few weeks and you will find zero negative stories about it except maybe a Rod Watson column. The TV stations don't really do anything. WGR550 will say negative things about the money on Schopp and the Bulldog but they nearly bite their tongues off not absolutely ripping the whole thing. The morning rubes are Terry cheerleaders but arent from here and are Jets & Giants fans (true).
Vaguely threaten to move the team.
Austin might want a team! Or Toronto! London! Oklahoma city???
So Terry Pegula, who owns the Sabres, Labatt House, Harbor Center and a few other things is going to move the Buffalo Bills out of town (not Texas, Jerry aint having it) to a foreign city with no football stadium and no fan base or pick a random city that isnt NY LA Chicago or Texas, again with no stadium built and no plans?
The Rams paid $550mil relocation fee to leave St Louis on top of a $790 mil lawsuit they settled with the city of St Louis to move to LA which had no other team yet and privately built a $5bil stadium. The Chargers paid $650mil relocation fee to the other NFL owners and the Raiders paid $378 mil relocation fee.
So Terry, who cant afford a hill of beans despite promising to drill an oil well if he needs more cash, is gonna shell out at least a billion dollars and abandon the city of Buffalo? He would surely have to sell all of his holdings because he wouldn't be allowed to step foot in this city again after that betrayal and never return, ever. Then build up a new fan base, a new brand and try to shakedown another municipality to build a stadium just because we refruse to give him $850 mil for a replica stadium across the street used 25 times a year?
Where the fuck has the planning by the politicians and community been the last 20 years? Where is the transparency? The discussions? A colossal failure on all ends.
One thing I will give Terry credit for. The timing is perfect. The state and county are flush with cash from federal covid government payouts, the Seneca money (if they ever actually pay) and the team is really good. Imagine them asking for this money and stadium after Doug Marrone's tenur.
Where is the loyalty to the die hard fans?
I fear the new stadium will be a soleless, shiny pile of junk. Over priced concessions, overpriced tickets and few real fans. No one cares about hanging out inside a stadium for an NFL game. No one sits down for a $25 burger inside a stadium during Bills v Chiefs when they just ate boozed and partied for 5 hours outside. Sure the seats are a bit close, the bathrooms arent abundant and some seats are metal. But that is what Buffalo is. We are losing it all. I hope Im wrong.
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