41 replies to this topic

[bananathumb]

This is probably the best perspective on what the Bills mean to Buffalo that I have seen.  It is on this website for your edification.
By and large, it suggests that pro sports teams are more of a cost than benefit to their communities, though the "psychological effect" of having a team in town counters this. Assures us that life would go on without NFL in Western NY.
  But read it for yourself and comment.

[DrDareustein]

I clicked all over your post, but no link...  

[BillnutinHouston]

Meh.  No ground broken here, unless you count the snippet about Chan Gailey renting vs. owning.

[3rdand12]

i read the thing but when psycholigists started commenting i backed away. The gist was we should be prepared for the loss of the Bills from Buffalo. idiots.

[BiggieScooby]

If the Bills were to leave they wouldn't leave much behind except an aging forme QB and RB. Honestly The Ralph needs major upgrades and given the owners advanced age and lease set to expire after 2012 who knows. It's ironic how the Toronto deal, Rochester training camp and Ralph lease end after this season.

[NoJustice]

BiggieScooby, on 20 February 2012 - 06:44 PM, said:

If the Bills were to leave they wouldn't leave much behind except an aging forme QB and RB. Honestly The Ralph needs major upgrades and given the owners advanced age and lease set to expire after 2012 who knows. It's ironic how the Toronto deal, Rochester training camp and Ralph lease end after this season.

http://athletics.sjf...9.aspx?path=gen

Well, at least two out of three ain't bad.

[Wiz]

"Having people imagine it and what they would do without the team is a good thing," said Indiana University social psychologist Dr. Edward Hirt. "People need to anticipate that, and the more we do that the more prepared we are when it happens."

Hey Ed, How bout you imagine your wife getting plugged by the postman.  So you can cope better when you find out.  It's a good thing.  

[tsnbd]

... i find it unsettling ... sort of blind sided by it ... why write something like this now ... i feel we are getting prepared for something ... hope i'm wrong ... be nice to see someone of clout respond ...

[jcbillsfan]

Not sure I understand the the reason or the timing of the article.  Tim seems like a nice guy but he never had great sources when he was on the afc east beat so I would doubt he has any insider info now.

[Lurker]

BillnutinHouston, on 20 February 2012 - 06:20 PM, said:

Meh.  No ground broken here, unless you count the snippet about Chan Gailey renting vs. owning.

Agreed.  This story has been written many times over the years and it's a shame a guy as talented as Tim has to regurgitate it.

[NoJustice]

I fly into Buffalo every year because of the Bills. I usually go through about two thousand dollars in cash while I'm in town and that's just me. I bring two or three people with with me every time I fly up from Miami and they spend just as much loot as I do. You can't tell me that the Bills don't help the economy in Buffalo. I just don't believe that.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I've been a serious Buffalo sports fan for "several" decades so I've read numerous articles of this genre.

However this one is particularly well-written and comprehensive.

The takeaway for me is that our local governments are not doing any studies or data crunching on this subject and in fact, the most recent local studies on this subject (the economic benefit of an NFL team on our community) date back to 1996. Sounds pretty much like par for the course. I mean for God's sake, once you have a database established, all you have to do is enter the new data… typical laziness on the part of our civic "leaders." Sad but no big surprise.

The other revelation which differentiates Tim's article from many that came before is that it differentiates between the economic impact the Bills have on New York State, as opposed to the impact on Erie County and Orchard Park. As many of us have surmised in recent threads about the economic impact of the Bills, the income tax revenue for the state is probably the biggest economic impact, for what it's worth.

[Cap'n Crunch]

We, the Buffalo sports fans "survived" losing the Braves of the NBA, but we weren't better for it.  Sure, if we lost the Bills, we would "survive" but that isn't the point.  We could all save money by never going to professional games or, for that matter, restaurants and other types of non-necessities, but life would be less interesting.  The 1st thing talked about at work on Monday morning and throughout the week was the Bills' game on Sunday.  Win or lose.  Same with relatives and friends who live in various places around the country - we connect through our shared interests in sports on the national stage.  It may have an expense, but as the credit card commercial says, priceless.

[bbb]

Cap, on 20 February 2012 - 10:39 PM, said:

We, the Buffalo sports fans "survived" losing the Braves of the NBA, but we weren't better for it.  Sure, if we lost the Bills, we would "survive" but that isn't the point.  We could all save money by never going to professional games or, for that matter, restaurants and other types of non-necessities, but life would be less interesting.  The 1st thing talked about at work on Monday morning and throughout the week was the Bills' game on Sunday.  Win or lose.  Same with relatives and friends who live in various places around the country - we connect through our shared interests in sports on the national stage.  It may have an expense, but as the credit card commercial says, priceless.

Excellent post, especially since it's only your 6th post.  Most people's 6th posts are telling crayonz what an idiot he is.  

We're not in it to survive.  We can be Binghamton and do that......It's so great being on the national stage - 1 of 31 cities who are on the biggest stage.  

I don't even buy that it's a net loss revenue wise.

[BiggieScooby]

NoJustice, on 20 February 2012 - 07:02 PM, said:

http://athletics.sjf...9.aspx?path=gen

Well, at least two out of three ain't bad.

How long is this "multi-year" extension? No specifics on this.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

bananathumb, on 20 February 2012 - 06:11 PM, said:

This is probably the best perspective on what the Bills mean to Buffalo that I have seen.  It is on this website for your edification.
By and large, it suggests that pro sports teams are more of a cost than benefit to their communities, though the "psychological effect" of having a team in town counters this. Assures us that life would go on without NFL in Western NY.
  But read it for yourself and comment.

Of course it would still go on but it would still suck! I have often thought about who I would root for if they left and honestly it would be no one. I would just go from team to team that was good and smashmouth so right now it would be San Fran, G-men, Ravens ,Broncos.

[major]

San Jose Bills Fan, on 20 February 2012 - 10:32 PM, said:

I've been a serious Buffalo sports fan for "several" decades so I've read numerous articles of this genre.

However this one is particularly well-written and comprehensive.

The takeaway for me is that our local governments are not doing any studies or data crunching on this subject and in fact, the most recent local studies on this subject (the economic benefit of an NFL team on our community) date back to 1996. Sounds pretty much like par for the course. I mean for God's sake, once you have a database established, all you have to do is enter the new data… typical laziness on the part of our civic "leaders." Sad but no big surprise.

The other revelation which differentiates Tim's article from many that came before is that it differentiates between the economic impact the Bills have on New York State, as opposed to the impact on Erie County and Orchard Park. As many of us have surmised in recent threads about the economic impact of the Bills, the income tax revenue for the state is probably the biggest economic impact, for what it's worth.

That is what jumped out to me as well - that the most recent studies were done in 1996. Laziness is a mild word to describe the situation. Inept or useless might be better words. What are they doing all day??????

[bbb]

Buffalo Barbarian, on 20 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

Of course it would still go on but it would still suck! I have often thought about who I would root for if they left and honestly it would be no one. I would just go from team to team that was good and smashmouth so right now it would be San Fran, G-men, Ravens ,Broncos.

The only sport - college or pro - that I don't have a team is the NBA.  Once the Braves left, my heart was never into any other team.  (Actually, now I do have a team - whoever is playing the Heat.)

[SF Bills Fan]

Interestingly, there was an article today in the St. Louis magazine with the same theme of "we must prepare for the innevitable loss". Actually, that article more or less states that the Rams move is a done deal and lists some compelling reasons. This article is not so gloomy. I think the Rams, Chargers and Raiders are all in far more danger of relocation. The Bills could certainly move, but I think that they- like the Vikings- are more likely to stay put.

[KOKBILLS]

Regardless of Market stability (and I think The Bills are FAR more stable than a few NFL Markets), when I read this article my only thought was this is EXACTLY what I expect would be written about a Team that has not been to the Playoffs in over a decade...If The Bills were viable on the field, there would be far less to speculate about off it...

That's just my opinion...