The fact sheet is ominous–a team that doesn’t win much also has a weak financial bottom line. It’s reasonable to ask: How long will the NFL stay in Buffalo?
The great Thurman Thomas (photo, Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame)
Today’s Bills aren’t the Bills of old, when Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Bruce Smith roamed Rich Stadium. Winning today rests on the shoulders of Josh Allen and a roster that’s full of mostly mediocre players. That’s not a recipe for sustained winning, especially in a small-market environment.
The Bills financial situation isn’t great either. Forbes has the Bills ranked last in the NFL in terms of club market value. Forbes also reported that the Bills barely beat out the Bengals for the lowest amount of revenue generated. GoBankingRates has Buffalo ranked 28th in terms of revenue and operating income.
Those aren’t good numbers for a club that needs capital to either build a new stadium or give the current field a major facelift.
So it’s reasonable to ask: What’s likely in store for the Buffalo Bills?
Let’s start with what I believe to be the franchise’s biggest assets–its fan base, which is one of the NFL’s best. Loyal and vocal, fans pack New Era Stadium no matter the weather, which can be (well) outright nasty. But great fans a vibrant NFL franchise do not make–at least not alone.
The great city of Buffalo only has two major league pro sports teams, and the Bills share local sports headlines with the NHL Sabres. Both teams are owned by the same man, Terrence Pegula, who made a good share of his money in natural gas development (that’s a nice way of saying ‘fracking’).
Courtesy: Wikipedia
With the team’s on-the-field prospects connected to a pedestrian financial bottom line, it’s no wonder that rumors have circulated about the Bills’ future. For nearly a decade, there has been talk about the team moving to Toronto. More recently–perhaps stimulated by conversations between with MLB’s Tampa Bay franchise and Montreal–the rumor was that the Bills might split home games between Buffalo and Toronto, which they did from 2008-2013. The difference this time is that it would be a long-term arrangement.
While it’s doubtful that either outcome will become a reality (at least not in the near future), it’s also unlikely that the Pegula’s will spend a fortune on building a new stadium. It’s also doubtful that the city and country will step in to be a significant funding partner. Cost is the issue. It’s estimated that building a new stadium will cost around $1 billion.
But the truth is also that ownership doesn’t want to relocate for a variety of reasons, and the fans are glued to the Bills franchise.
What’s it all mean? It means that the Bills’ future is uncertain.
Personally, the Bills have always been a special franchise and, as a fan, I’d hate to see them move. It would be another Houston-to-Tennessee move. But Houston got a new team, and so did Cleveland after the Browns left for Baltimore. Baltimore did, too–the Ravens–after the Colts bolted for Indianapolis. I think the Bills are more likely to end up like St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland –a city that once had an NFL team.
A pro departure has already hit Buffalo once. The NBA’s Braves left Buffalo to become the San Diego Clippers and, then, the Los Angeles Clippers.
I sincerely hope that the Bills don’t become a part of a list that no local fan ever wants to see.
