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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:85
Level:All-Star
Since:Nov 17, 2006
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The bigger and much more difficult question is "Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?"
There's certainly enough people to buy the tickets. The Western New York metro area (Buffalo & Niagara Falls -- 1.1M people) is a bigger market than Green Bay (300,000), and is in the same ballpark as New Orleans(1M) and Jacksonville (1.3M). Add Rochester (1M) to the mix and the Bills US-fanbase is now bigger than Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Carolina, and Tennessee. Add the Toronto and Ontario contingent, and only the Giants, Jets, and Bears have a bigger fanbase by population. None of those markets have ticket sales problems like you see in Buffalo.
It's probably not the cost either, as Buffalo has some of the lowest ticket prices in the NFL. $800 for two season tickets is cheap, even given today's economy.
It's certainly not team pride -- there's few teams that have the same kind of rabid fans as Buffalo does.
It may very well be that its a bad product. Most other NFL teams have modern downtown stadiums, and players leave as soon as possible for greener pastures. Unfortunately, there's no indication that the status quo will change anytime soon.
A move to Toronto may be the only cure for the franchise. And then the question becomes, "Will you still be Bills fans?"
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:May 11, 2007
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The Bills sold out every home game last year and were 11th in attendance. The stadium is the issue as it is old and lacks an adequate number of suites which generate the revenue, but on the flip side, its paid for. I don't think a move to Toronto is the answer based on the historical value of the dollar vs the Canadian dollar coupled with the tax system in Canada which is very bad for high earners. MLB works marginally as there is no cap but name the last highly sought after free agent to go to the Jays. Ditto with the Raptors, best move was resigning Bosch. The payer's careers are too short to be over taxed. NHL doesn't really count as most of the players are canadian born. To be honest, the announcement that concerns me right now is the clown building a stadium in LA.
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Jan 16, 2008
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i have the some of the cheapest season tickets for the Bills and i will be paying $1150 for two seats, and that includes 1 preseason game and 7 regular season games this year. They would be about $1500 if we had all the game in Buffalo this year.
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:91
Level:All-Star
Since:Apr 9, 2008
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Those are certainly not "some of the cheapest seats" I had season tickets two years ago with a friend, we spent 700 or 350 each. The same tickets this year are slightly more, at around 400 apiece, which stinks because we are losing two games, but its still really cheap. There are season tickets in the 350 price range though, namely those in the "rockpile"
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:91
Level:All-Star
Since:Apr 9, 2008
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By the way the Bills fans can afford tickets and do buy them as referenced above. We sell out all our games despite the crappy weather. The fact that revenues and income are low and that the prices of tickets are low has a lot to do with the product on the field. The prices of tickets have gone up in the past couple of years, but Ralph WIlson and the Bills front office would have a hard time justifying large increases considering we havent been to the playoffs since the Music City Miracle.
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Jan 16, 2008
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thats why i said they are some of the cheapest i know the rockpile and nose bleed sections are cheaper but i rather spent 15 to 20 bucks more a ticket to sit by people ive know for over ten years now and have a good view of the game . . . . not trying to agrue but do agree that they could raise tickets prices and the game would still sell out . . . . my seasons went up and we lost two games? if this doesnt stabilize the team they will definitly be moving and thats hard for me to say
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Jul 29, 2007
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they should get up to par with prices... hike the price.
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:73
Level:Pro
Since:Apr 6, 2007
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The 300K thousand population is based on the 2000 census.
The population when I was born there in 1978 was 580K in the city and around 1.8 million in the county.
The area has basically halved in the last 30 years as the current population estimate in Buffalo is closer 225,000 and dropping.
But the good news is that you can include Rochester to the numbers as they are only 60 miles away from Buffalo and have 3 Fortune500 companies based in the City.
Really what it boils down to is that the Buffalo area's economy has been in a free fall since the shift in the US economy from manufacturing to services.
The steel industry moved out and there hasn't been a major industry to fill the void.
The 2010 census will reveal a population under or around 200,000 with no real foreseeable change as there are no industries move in to the area beside international storage and call centers.
The Question is as an NFL Owner do you want to die your franchise to sinking economy when you can easily move it to a city with an expanding fan base.
As a child of Buffalo I will be a Bills fan for as long as the Bills are in Buffalo even though I have long left. The children of the 70s and 80s of Buffalo have left the area to live elsewhere. (I go on 2 Bills road games a season and always meet up with the local Bills Backers.) Their children will either adopt the Bills through their parents or choose to root for the local team.
Its only a mater of time before the Bills leave. The best case scenario for Bills fans is that they move to Hamilton while Ralph Wilson is alive and call themselves the Niagara Bills. So they can be close to Toronto, Buffalo and Rochester. They can keep their fan base an expand.
If they move to LA I'll be in search of a new team. I don't want to think about that because I live in the DC area and hate the Redskins XXVI over so maybe the Ravens.
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Reputation:49
Level:Rookie
Since:Apr 12, 2008
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People, people, people. They are doing this as a test run. If Toronto does well, and it will, then Bu Bye Buffalo Bills. Good riddance, cuz they stink anyways. If you people are only paying $50 per seat, that is CHEAP!! What gives? My Steeler tickets were $50 SEVEN YEARS AGO!!! And I have field level seats! Might as well call them the Toronto Bills now. The only thing that area of the country is good for is their wing dings! HAHAHA
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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Why can't Bills fans afford tickets?
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