When the Bills were winning AFC Titles they had no problem selling out games. They’ve sucked forever and keep making coaching changes that do little to inspire hope. I’ve been to a Bills game (Season opener ’04) and the place was fun, packed and full of real fans. The whole town has Bills’ banners on businesses, homes with old-school pennants in the windows–similar to driving through Pittsburgh neighborhoods during season. If they would quit hiring 8-8 at-best coaches and draft a QB, they may win again. Winning cures everything (unless Al Davis owns the team).
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You don’t mean the Al Davis that’s won 3 Super Bowls and has his young team ready to compete for another, not THAT Al Davis, right?

“jagfan”, I should have known.
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It’s the same Al Davis that needed a big time loan from Ralph Wilson, or he loses his team.

As a lifelong Patriots fan, I have always considered Bills fans to be my cousins, if not my brothers. Rich Stadium was Schaeffer Stadium on steroids. Kelley was their Brady. Levy was their Belichick. They owned the 90s we owned the 2000s. But more than anything, their fans support their team, and have done so for 50 years, in some of the worst weather, at one of the worst stadiums, in the league.

So now there is a clamor to move this team to Los Angeles, where they have been unable to keep 2 teams already despite being the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Screw L.A. Ralph Wilson, sell the team to a local group before you die. Do the right thing.

See Big Al!!!

“Yeah, let me go do my due diligence about that. I suppose it could be a ‘those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it’ scenario…but, my point, is the fan support for pro football there?”

There is, but it isn’t like other cities. Angelenos are not keen on giving millions of public dollars to team owners for stadiums that are money makers for the owner. For the owner that indicates interest, for the league that indicates interest, and the fan well they get the privilege of paying. In LA we don’t want to pay you to come here, pay you to stay, or pay you to watch.

Type in ‘Raiders vs NFL Court’ and check out the ruling from the appeal court. This will give you a sense of why the Raiders moved.

My fav? Al wanted $20 million and two guaranteed Super Bowls from the NFL before he would commit to a stadium he wasn’t going to spend a dime of his own money building! It is beyond comparison.

There have been numerous attempts to build stadiums here in the area but our unwillingness to fund a stadium has been the main reason for the present condition.

“All I ever hear or read is that’s a Lakers and SC city.”

LA is no different than other cities. The winning team is popular during the winning streak.

Actually, I’m not a Bills fan, nor do I live in Western NY (which explains my ignorance towards their former pro basketballl teams bolting), but I do admit to having a soft spot for the Bills and their plight. (Irony of ironies, I’m a Colts fan, of the overnight move. Yes, I’m aware).

“The difference between LA and Buffalo though is Buffalo loses teams and never gets any back, while LA has lost teams and yet more are on the way.”
Wow, arrogant a bit? Hey, thanks for making my point easy for me. That’s why I’d be thrilled if the Bills are able to stick around.

@ recon163
Yeah, let me go do my due diligence about that. I suppose it could be a ‘those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it’ scenario…but, my point, is the fan support for pro football there? All I ever hear or read is that’s a Lakers and SC city. Please tell me b/c I’m only going by hearsay at this point..

“Cities like Buffalo and Green Bay have proven that small towns can support an NFL team without the greedy comglomerates putting their greasy dirty hands on the very fabric of American sports.”

Just think. if Buffalo had managed to have more greedy “comglomerates” in their city we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

Oh? In that case they are good huh? What an idiot….

So Buffalo Bill killed buffalos.

And now the Buffalo Bills are going to kill the Buffalo fan base.

Isn’t it ironic, dontcha think?

(and no I don’t care that buffalo is both the singular and the plural form of the word)

Two different guys who presently live or have lived in LA.

Now mind you the LA region is about 120 miles by 95 miles square and is made up of 5 counties and numerous cities, yet two individuals who probably have never met, seem to have a firm grasp of the LA market.

To wit:
rukiddnme29 noted, “I lived in LA, there are about as many football fans in LA as there are in Buffalo. The ones that are in LA are 60% Raiders fans, 10% Chargers fans and 30% soccer fans.”

So he/she has given you a percentage split of the fan base in LA. Clearly they are beyond reproach in their analysis, after all those are hard percentages.

And on the other hand we have “gregwestlake” who notes that, “If you live in LA, and love football, you’re either a Chargers fan, Raiders fan, Rams fan, or USC fan.”

Hold one here, something is wrong here. How can one guy miss the Rams and USC and the other guy not give precedence to the supposed greater proportion of Raider fans? The most likely scenario? They really don’t have a clue.

The idea of regionalization of the franchise isn’t going to work, because assuming it is successful in Toronto the team is going to get bought and moved there. Toronto has a lot more money than Buffalo, assuming no deep pockets billionaire in western NY who wants to buy the Bills as a local product.

The market is the market and the more that the NFL opens up to market forces the less the teams can resist them.

The Baltimore Colts moved. The LA Rams moved. The Oakland Raiders moved. The LA Raiders moved again. The Cleveland Browns moved.

What makes Buffalo so special that the Bills aren’t going to move when all the economic variables say they should?

It’s going to happen.

“I currently live in LA, and I work at a job where I get to hear a ton of peoples opinions on having an NFL team here…. Nobody cares.”

This is contradictory isn’t it. If tons of people are commenting, then that indicates a level of concern doesn’t it? If nobody cared, as you state, tons of people wouldn’t be commenting, now would they?

“If you live in LA, and love football, you’re either a Chargers fan, Raiders fan, Rams fan, or USC fan.”

Well not really there are fans of all 32 teams here. Not all 17 million people fit into your nice little boxes now do they?

“Nobody here is craving for an NFL team, theres just way too many other teams, and things to care about in LA.”

Wrong again. There are plenty of people ‘craving’ a team, as you say. Can we start with Tim Leiweke and Ed Roski and go from there?

“Oh yeah, and Im from Rochester, so having the Bills leave Buffalo would literally ruin a huge part of my life.”

Thanks for sharing that you have an agenda for posting the above comments.

“Yes, L.A. is gigantic, but didn’t this city lose two teams only like 15-16 years ago?”

True, do you know why the teams left? If not you should take some time to learn about it, it is informative for why a team may leave its present home.

“Shouldn’t L.A. be more concerned with, say, finding an owner for the Dodgers who isn’t stealing money from the team?”

Not our problem to resolve. What would suggest the collective of LA do?

“aside from a 92 year old owner, how is football in Buffalo less economically viable than Cleveland, Detroit and Green Bay?”

Right now it isn’t. Because Ralph only payed $400k for them. But the new owner will probably pay in the neighborhood of $800- $900 million. They are going to want to see an ROI.

” . . .but this is a different NFL now than when the Rams and Raiders bolted, the NFL is BIG BU$INE$$ now and only pretends to care about the fans. ‘

No it is the same, always has been. To you they are fans, to the owners you are customers and revenue generators.

“1) your starting a entirely new fan base! Buffalo will fight for name rights to the bills. You’d be smarter to move to toronto and keep 80% of the fan base”

So keep 80% of 2 million or try to build up a 25% fan base from 17 million?

“2) good luck getting your team to full strength after traveling to miami and new york and new england all the time not too mention all of the east coast afc teams!”

Assuming they only play those teams.

“3) what home feild advantage would you have? Certainly not blizzards! Unless its blizzards of coke from hollywood junkies”

Oh yes the fate of millions of dollars rest on the decision to continue to play in blizzards.

Thinking is not a strength of yours, is it?

Fight to keep your team in your city . You have a proud tradition of excellence and home town pride. Cities like Buffalo and Green Bay have proven that small towns can support an NFL team without the greedy comglomerates putting their greasy dirty hands on the very fabric of American sports.
I’m from L.A. and we don’t need to steal your team and your cities enjoyment . The NFL owes us a team , not somebody else’s , we want a team from scratch , that’s right a draft team . Our city deserves to name our own team and develop pride from the ground up .

“This is why capitalism sucks.”

Okay Karl, maybe you go provide a little better analysis than it ‘sucks’.

“I lived in LA, there are about as many football fans in LA as there are in Buffalo. The ones that are in LA are 60% Raiders fans, 10% Chargers fans and 30% soccer fans.”

And I am sure you spoke to all 17 million people to discern this?

“Who in LA wants the Los Angeles Bills?”

Perhaps not the Bills, but the franchise? Sure.

“Tim Leiweke is all talk. He had an opportunity to buy the Rams last year.”

They were not planning a stadium at the time.

“There were two bids made known and only one viable one after Rush Limbaugh jumped on one as a minority owner.”

There were four bids.

“Then out of no where Stan Kroenke purchases the other 60% at the bargain price which Khan had negotiated.”

Kroenke saw his investment being devalued, he protected it. Can’t blame him.

“If Leiweke really wants a team build a stadium right now.”

Sure….easy for you to say it ain’t your billion now is it?

Nobody here is craving for an NFL team, theres just way too many other teams, and things to care about in LA.

Oh yeah, and Im from Rochester, so having the Bills leave Buffalo would literally ruin a huge part of my life.

“Raiders in L.A. or pay Al compensation.”

Compensation for what? He has nothing to do with LA.

I take it you’re a Buffalo fan, so I find it funny you talk about LA losing two teams when Buffalo lost what are now the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers.

The difference between LA and Buffalo though is Buffalo loses teams and never gets any back, while LA has lost teams and yet more are on the way.

Unlike Jags and Charger fans…

Shouldn’t L.A. be more concerned with, say, finding an owner for the Dodgers who isn’t stealing money from the team?

Toronto will NEVER have an NFL team. The politicians and potential owners here are just too greedy.