Bills being killed by NFL’s big-business

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, April 10, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Buffalo Bills
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"As I sit here today, this is not a matter of making money for the Buffalo Bills, it's a matter of survival."

Those were the words of Bills owner and president Ralph Wilson in what can best be described as an alarming Friday news conference. During his visit with media members, Wilson waxed poetic about the problems created for teams like the Bills, thanks to the NFL's recent collective bargaining agreement. This agreement seems to cater in large part to bigger-market teams in wealthy cities, while small-market clubs in less well-off cities suffer.

Recently, the league's commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, founded an eight-owner search committee, whose job will be to hammer out how revenue sharing will be distributed. Wilson is worried that these eight owners won't give enough to small-market teams like the Bills, which could lead to the team's demise.

Wilson founded the Bills 46 years ago as one of the original AFL franchises, and during that time span, the team hasn't necessarily been profoundly competitive, except for some great seasons in the '60s, '80s and '90s. However, even in those many down years, the one constant has always been the devotion of the Bills' fans, who packed into the abysmal War Memorial Stadium four decades ago, and have been selling out Ralph Wilson Stadium since its opening in the '70s.

These fans of the Bills have been steadfast in their love for the team, but many have begun to sound the signal of worry as it appears their beloved football franchise may be on the outs in Western New York. Even though the fans have constantly represented the team well and in droves, it appears the NFL has finally passed them and their city by.

When the Bills were founded, Buffalo was one of America's most successful cities in terms of finance; it boasted booming factories and industries such as Bethlehem Steel, but that company has since gone into shambles much like the decaying wasteland around it. Buffalo's waterfront has become little more than a laughingstock, and the washed-out industrial silos nearby have been rotting for decades, but nothing is done about them. Meanwhile, other NFL cities build themselves up with beautiful waterfronts and state of the art facilities. Although Ralph Wilson Stadium's amenities are very nice, it doesn't come close to measuring up to the technology and services brought by new stadiums such as the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, the Philadelphia Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field, and so many others that have recently been built or are about to be built.

The fact that the city of Buffalo is in a position of economic apocalypse undoubtedly opens the window for the Bills to move to what is perceived to a larger-market city. At the age of 87, Wilson doesn't exactly have a ton of time left, so the biggest question right now centers around who the Bills' future owner will be. The only realistic name with loyalty to Buffalo is local businessman, politician and successful owner of the city's NHL franchise, B. Thomas Golisano. However, the multi-billionaire may be wary of purchasing the team because it simply doesn't turn much of a profit. As Wilson pointed out, the Bills organization isn't on a level playing field with most franchises in terms of revenue. Golisano would be a local legend for buying the team, but it just might not make business-sense.

In the event that Golisano elects not to buy the Bills, then they would probably be headed to Los Angeles. Even though L.A. has tried and failed with two NFL franchises in the past, the league seems painstakingly bent on getting another team into the area because it's such a large market. Other than the Bills, the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars will be on the short-list of teams to move to the area in three to five years.

The Saints all but had their bags packed before the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina back in August, but it appears that amnesty may be theirs. However, if the fans don't pack the Superdome this season, all bets are off. They will once again be the prime candidate for a move west.

Envisioning the Chargers leaving San Diego would be difficult, but the Spanos family, which owns the team, is likely to pack their bags if a new stadium deal isn't reached soon. They wouldn't necessarily lose much of their fan-base, since L.A. and San Diego are connected closely by what seems like a stone's throw.

As for the Jaguars, they are likely one of the best candidate to move because their stadium is one of the absolute worst in the league, and their fans are an utter joke in terms of packing the stadium. The Jags went to the playoffs last year, but there were still regular season games when Alltel Stadium had over 10,000 empty seats. With loyalty like that, it's a wonder how Jacksonville received a team in the first place.

One of the best statements made by Wilson on Friday regarded the league's current owners. He made it a point to stress that he used to go to meetings and chat with other owners about football and its events, but the new class of owners care about little more than their pocketbooks. Like so many things that have failed in the past, the NFL is forgetting about its roots and allowing greed to rule the day.

If the Bills do end up leaving the city of Buffalo, it will be a black day for the NFL, the rest of its franchises and fans. After all, they will be losing a team that is an institution in Buffalo. It keeps the city flowing on a daily basis, and keeps the citizens within it from swimming over nearby Niagara Falls. Without football, it may be the end of days for a city already being pulled under in the current of today's American economic system.

Up to this point, New York politicians like Senator Charles Schumer and Governor George Pataki have already expressed their utmost concern over keeping the Bills in Buffalo. Pataki met with Wilson last week and came away vowing to lobby the NFL to keep Buffalo's team alive, and Schumer met with Wilson on Sunday and came away saying the same.

The best thing Buffalo Bills fans can do is continue to lobby New York politicians as well as big-wigs at the NFL to keep their institution alive.

Otherwise, those diehard fans will be sick to their stomachs when they hear this in a few years: "Los Angeles, say hello to head coach Pete Carroll and your Bills!"

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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