Being a small market in the money-hungry NFL
The Buffalo Bills organization is getting creative as it tries to remain profitable in the NFL, playing games in another country to broaden its fan, and financial, base.
With teams in cities like Dallas and Washington using their new stadiums to print money, the disparity will only get worse. Indianapolis, New York and Kansas City are next.
For the Bills, the 'new' stadium is in Toronto, filled with Canadian fans of the NFL.
Will it be enough?
Some say there are two seasons in Buffalo, football season and waiting for football season. Bills beat writers Mark Gaughan and Allen Wilson, along with sports columnist Bob DiCesare and reporters Rodney McKissic and Milt Northrop, offer background and perspective inside the Bills and the NFL.
People who sit in hard seats and pay to watch million doller players need a new life. Spend some quality home with your family, a one hour game should not take three hours.
Posted by: Jerry | May 19, 2008 at 06:13 PM
sccccccccrrrreaaaach! I hear more cars packing up and leaving dumpy Buffalo.
Posted by: Voice of Reason | May 19, 2008 at 04:29 PM
The Packers quit playing 3 games each yr in Milwaukee about 10 yrs ago....I know guys who travel from Syracuse each home game. The Bills could certainly expand on that market. The Chiefs are a great example of a regional franchise with a core group of seaon tix holders from MO, KS, IA, NE, and OK. Their fans make a weekend out of it, like many Bills fans do. There are more of those fans out there toward central NY.....Toronto is not getting an NFL team. It would kill the CFL and outside of Toronto, no one in Canada would support the demise of that league for "big money" Toronto.
Posted by: Ricky | May 19, 2008 at 03:41 PM
The remaining "untapped" fans in Rochester do exist but they're much fewer in number and MUCH less willing to pay very high prices compared to those in the Toronto market.
Syracuse is too far away to be much help. Only a very intense NFL fan would travel to Orchard Park from Syracuse multiple times per season. Maybe at most with a lot of effort, a few hundred additional Syracuse area fans maybe could be found. Not a significant part of the solution compared to what Toronto offers.
Posted by: Toronto is Much bigger and wealthier | May 19, 2008 at 02:36 PM
John is not wrong. When the Bills first approched Rochester, Rochester purchased MORE THAN HALF of the luxury suites. Rochester is still an untapped market, as most citizens feel no loyalty to Buffalo's team. Syracuse is still virgin territory. The day will come that Buffalo will want a new stadium. How will it get built without support from NY taxpayers? It won't happen when half of the fans are Canadians. Regionalize in NY or kiss the Bills goodby.
Posted by: john | May 18, 2008 at 08:10 PM
Anthony, the Green Bay taxpayers also subsidize the Packers a LOT more than Erie County taxpayers do the Bills. Dedicated sales tax portion revenue stream to fund the stadium operation. Also, there's very high fees they pay for season ticket seat licenses that they're willing to wait in line for year for the right to pay. That would never work here. And they sell out every game year after year, even in down years.
They are way more football crazy than WNYers and willing to pay for it.
Posted by: Anthony leaves out a lot | May 18, 2008 at 07:11 PM
John, what you overlook is that Rochester and Syracuse are very poor compared to wealthy Toronto. Syracuse is too far away to draw many fans no matter what. A decent number or Rochester fans to come to Orchard Park, but they're not rich enough to pay the very high prices some Torontonians will pay in the Rogers Center.
Posted by: John is wrong | May 18, 2008 at 07:06 PM
Andrew, NFL teams aren't allowed to make side deals with TV networks. Canadian TV rights are sold by the NFL as a whole.
Strict NFL rules prohibit associating with gambling casinos in any way.
Posted by: answers to Andrew | May 18, 2008 at 07:01 PM
Jerry - Do you also feel movie stars should be paid only the same wages movie-goers are paid?
TV stars? Singers?
Posted by: confused | May 18, 2008 at 06:41 PM
This is a game the players should not make more than most of the people watching. If they were not playing football what are they qualified to do?
Posted by: Jerry | May 18, 2008 at 05:37 PM
If the Bills are looking to expand their market even more, why not partner up with CBC? They could have Bills games playing in all of Canada. Plus, it would bring in some extra cash for the Bills.
Also, why not open a Bills Store in Toronto, host concerts in the Ralph, and partner up with the Senecas and have them open a small gaming center with a view of the field.
Posted by: Andrew | May 18, 2008 at 02:18 PM
If the Bills are looking to expand their market even more, why not partner up with CBC? They could have Bills games playing in all of Canada. Plus, it would bring in some extra cash for the Bills.
Also, why not open a Bills Store in Toronto, host concerts in the Ralph, and partner up with the Senecas and have them open a small gaming center with a view of the field.
Posted by: Andrew | May 18, 2008 at 02:18 PM
Green Bay plays some of their games in Milwaukee. It makes financial sense for Buffalo to play some of their games in Toronto. If the franchise does not move to that metropolis in the future, I believe the best Buffalo fans can hope for is an evenly split schedule with four regular seson games in each city.
Posted by: Don H | May 18, 2008 at 12:01 PM
I don't understand always saying that the Bills are "small market." If the Bills have regionalized into Rochester, as you always hear, then the market is over 2 million people. The fact is that the Bills haven't regionalized. Including Rochester, Syracuse and Southern tier, there are about 3.5 million people. No need to go to Toronto. The Bills are trying to have it both ways, and crying to Chuck Schumer to change league rules is embaresing. There are plenty of fans in upstate NY. Remember, the people who's tax dollars keep this team alive, or just move the team now.
Posted by: john | May 18, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Let's just look at Green Bay! They are the smallest market in the country and they have used SMART marketing and ingenious renovations to enhance their revenue capabilities. Their stadium is open year round, they built a huge atrium that hosts conventions and meetings and weddings. They have built a Packers Hall of Fame inside their stadium grounds, what have we done? Complained about everything because we a have a short-sighted less intelligent owner who is not creative enough to come up with new revenue generating ideas, so instead his only solution is sending the team away for 1 game a year, taking away our chance to see our beloved Bills in every home game. STOP COMPLAINING Ralph and start opening your eyes. I have a degree in Sport Management and could run this organization better than you with my eyes closed. It's Football, not rocket science! Step aside and let someone with a vision run this team!!!
Posted by: Anthony | May 18, 2008 at 10:15 AM