Though accustomed to sell outs, Western New York fans are cringing at the prospect that the ninety year old owner of their football team has perhaps, well, sold out. In an effort to achieve some short term modicum of financial stability, Ralph Wilson Jr. gave Canada what should amount to a free trial sampling of Buffalo Bills football.
The Bills are now due to play eight games in Toronto over a span of five years, and in return, Wilson’s team will be paid 78 million dollars, Canadian – enough to keep this precious football child of his reasonably supported throughout the remainder of his foreseeable parentage.
Regional Bills fans continue to argue on the blogosphere over whether sharing the team is a good idea – while many see the move as critical to keep their small town team alive, others see it as the beginning of a long, drawn out divorce process between the Bills and a city whose heart is as big as the Windy City, but whose insignificant corporate sponsorships are as good as dust in the wind.
In its NFL Team Valuations, Forbes.com noted that “over the past few seasons the team's small market and antiquated stadium have placed the Bills in the bottom third of revenue of the NFL.” Meanwhile, Canada's largest city and financial capital will have a big time chance to prove it is a more than capable adoptive home for this financial prodigal son of Mr. Wilson.
Sadly, the modern football economy has usurped the heart of the game. Buffalonians can sell out every game from here to the end of football eternity, but it’s the corporate sponsors that put down the money for the luxury boxes that keep teams viable.
So what is a Buffalo fan to do?
A rumored public protest, maybe with an Internet petition, would give Bills fans a voice of justice against losing an important home field edge in what should have been a game that determined who had a chance for the playoffs this very season. (At least, that would be the case this year if the Bills had not blown their hopes already.)
No matter how badly the Bills play during the next four seasons, it’s pretty unlikely that that Torontians will lose their taste for an NFL franchise and return this free trial sample to sender.
Instead, all hope has vanished for the Bills this year. Unfortunately, it falls to the Bills' fans to now "circle the wagons" themselves in hope that they can just hang on to their beloved football team.
Western New York fans must sadly bite their tongues. They have to try not to think about the fact that a total of five of their football seaons are being turned into a Canadian Circus, featuring the financial mockery of the league. If Bills fans do rightfully protest the game, you can bet that ownership will take notice of a growing lack of support in Buffalo versus the peaking interest in Toronto. Now is definitely the time to ditch the cheer “Go Bills!” They might just do that.
With five critical regular season home games taken away, and the danger of losing their iconic team fretfully real, Western New York fans are getting punched in the face while getting kicked in the rear. And if they flinch or complain, they probably won't have a team to get beat up over anymore – unless someday, their then prodigal son returns home to One Bills Drive for... maybe a game each year?
Heck, they could call it the "Bills Buffalo Series."
Scott Michalak - Scott Michalak was born in Buffalo, New York, and has since traveled and lived in places such as England, Belgium, Australia, and around ...
