Fighting the Inevitable

Life as a Buffalo sports fan is a tremendous pain in the ass.

Now, I can hear people up in arms now; There was going to be some sort of story to come out during the bye week, and since it’s a celebrity and it has to do with the Bills future in town, it’s as juicy as a well prepared steak. Don’t jump to conclusions about the future of the Bills! Stop putting the cart before the horse! The money from the Toronto Series is good for the team and for the area! Bon Jovi is an American hero and wouldn’t do that to Buffalo!

There’s one thing in there that makes sense; Toronto money is good for the Buffalo Bills. A guaranteed sell out that will give fans an opportunity to watch at home while putting extra money in both the team and the league’s coffers is a good thing for everyone involved. It doesn’t matter how much easier (we think) it would be to beat the Falcons this Sunday at the Ralph, the income from Toronto makes it easier for the Bills to function as a small market team.

I also don’t think that the Toronto Series makes the Bills more likely to leave for greener pastures. There is a larger point; It is in the NFL’s best interest to move the Bills to a larger market. Toronto is the largest Canadian and 5th largest North American media market and is just 90 miles away. Everything that makes it a good spot to focus on for regionalization makes it a better prospect as a permanent home. So why wouldn’t you consider Toronto?

(You know, assuming that Los Angeles doesn’t grab them first).

Right now, the Bills are a novelty in Toronto, and it’s not the novelty of a Bills game as much as it’s one to have an NFL game at Rogers Centre. Most Torontonians are not Bills fans and don’t want to be forced to overpay for a game that involves a traditionally horrible team in a meaningless game. Even this year, as hopeful as we are, it would take a miracle for the Bills to make it into the playoffs and the Falcons were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention. Hence the lack of support.

By comparison, the Toronto Rockers (it’s a terrible name, but so is the Argonauts, so just go with it for now) would have a rabidly devoted fan base that would give the current Bills fans a run for their money. They’d likely have a new stadium, tons of corporate sponsorship, personal seat licenses, luxury boxes and a fresh new TV contract. In short, everything that a growing team in a top media market could want.

Hell, Bon Jovi might even call it Football Heaven or something terrible like that.

All this isn’t to say that the Bills have one foot out the door. It’s just unless something happens to keep the Bills in Buffalo, logic says that they’re more likely to move than not. Whether there is something under the table deal between Mr. Wilson and Jim Kelly or the rough equivalent of Terry Pegula owning the team, or a die-hard Bills fan comes in to save the team and build a new stadium, there needs to be something.

Also? Whatever anyone else says, the Bills need a new stadium.

There’s an argument that WGR’s Mike Schopp makes about how the Ralph is good enough and that Bills are profitable even without the added income a new stadium generates. It’s a fine argument, especially when paired with the coordinating ones that tax money going to a new stadium is good money chasing bad, and that a sports franchise is more likely to be a financial burden than a boom.

Except that I disagree with him almost completely.

The problem with the first part of that argument is that while the Bills are profitable, my theoretical Toronto Rockers or the Los Angeles Californians would be ungodly profitable. The NFL is all about turning a large enough profit as possible, and either of those options makes a much larger profit than the Bills. We’re also a small enough media market (51st nationwide) that there would be very few public relations consequences outside of Bills fans themselves.

To his latter points, while studies may say the financial impact is usually negative, I don’t think that’s the only issue. The damage that would be done to civic pride would be devastating. Maybe there wouldn’t be as many jokes made by comedians and talking heads about Buffalo losing its football team to Canada as those we heard after losing four Super Bowls. But it would suck, and there’d be a gaping wound left by the loss even if no one said a thing. Maybe UB Football and Basketball would eventually blossom to the front of our consciousness but it wouldn’t be the same, and it would take forever.

The question is, is it possible for Buffalo to keep its Bills?

Only time will tell for sure. But the sinking feeling I felt in my stomach when I saw that image from MLSE’s main office, showing pictures of the Marlies, Leafs, Raptors and FC Toronto surrounding a picture of a triumphant Bon Jovi from Air Canada Centre says a whole lot, and makes me trust my logic that much more.