The Bills aren't moving. 1.) They are a profitable NFL franchise where they are. 2.) New York State will never allow them to move (Schumer has said so) because they are the only NY football team. 3.) No one will pay the $1 billion or so to buy the team, $400 million dollar penalty to move the team, and another $1 billion to help build a stadium in the new city. 4.) Ralph has said (and others, namely Jim Kelly, Terry Pegula, and Tom Golisano) that they will not allow the Bills to move. Its not happening. As for Trump, I really dont care who owns the team as long as they stay. I think Trump would help build up the city though, so that would be a plus.
The NFL is reasonably popular over here, but not that big. There are no games outside the London fixtures that a casual fan could go and see (no NCAA equivalent) and games are largely broadcast on satellite TV that requires a subscription. The majority of fans have been watching since the early to mid-Eighties when the NFL first hit our screens. Many 'real' UK fans, including myself, think that the London games are anaemic and cheapen the fixture list somewhat. It's important the the NFL doesn't mistake the curiosity of UK fans regarding the Superbowl and the sporadic London games as genuine interest in a franchise. There have been plenty of other sports that have placed a team in London (rugby, NFL Europe) which have failed miserably over a short period of time. I don't doubt that a London team could sell out 8 games a season but I have some doubts that it could be sustained. I hope the NFL is keeping a close eye on the London attendances in the next few seasons as I think apathy will set in at some point if they overcook the number of fixtures.
By what mechanism can NY State "never allow them to move"? Kelly, Pegula and Golisano also have nothing to say with authority. Wilson is the CEO of a company that tells its customers what they want to hear. It may not be happening, but not because of most of the "reasons" you posted.
The 10 year lease, which was signed in 2012, has a $400M penalty provision so if it takes a good 10-12 months to close on the sale of the team, then a year or so to narrow down the possible sites they may want to move to, a couple of years to negotiate with the final selection and then they agree to a move in 2020 which would result in a much lower penalty of $28.4M. Maybe even add a couple of years to get a new stadium built at the new location. NY State can in no way stop them from moving, they can only delay the move in the way of monetary penalties and by 2020 the penalty is much lower, by 2022 the penalty would be nil. Not saying they will move just that by the time they would be ready to move the penalty would be minimal relative to NFL team costs.
I don't think the Bills are moving any time soon. That said, a $400M penalty that declines over the next half decade really isn't going to be much of an impediment if the owner wants to move the team. He'd just have to have a location where the Bills were worth substantially more at which point he could write the penalty off as a business expense and wait to collect the return on the move as he built up the brand elsewhere. The Bills aren't moving to Toronto while the penalty cost is high. Are there other places where they could be worth substantially more than in Buffalo? How could there not be? As an example: the Baltimore Ravens have been much more profitable than the old Cleveland Browns were. They are worth $1.227B in Baltimore and the current Browns are worth $1.005B in Cleveland. The Bills are worth $870M in Buffalo. They could gain the $400M penalty fee back in franchise value alone by moving to the right venue to sell the product.
The Browns were valued at about the same price, yet were sold for over $1 billion. The $870 is just a Forbes estimate of worth, which isnt market value due to the fact that there is no competition, bids, etc.
The bills will be sold for a lot less than $1B holy shit. The Cleveland reference doesn't fly because A) they have a new stadium and B) they weren't "for sale" at the time so it would take an over market value to purchase them... I don't think they will move but I also don't think it's that far fetched that they could. There is an out in that lease in year 7. Not to mention if some gazillionaire wants to make it happen (sentimental reasons or long term business reasons) he could. If I was a bills fan I'd be hoping for a scenario with Donald trump/upgrading the current stadium/facilities where it sits. That's the most viable scenario in the long term. Trump would keep them relevant that's for sure and he's an underrated delegator. Worst case scenario they sell to some guy looking to invest in a football team and a new stadium... That's where they could run into issues. I'm familiar with Pegula and I have serious doubts that he's the hero buffalo thinks he would be. Same thing with the Delaware north guys, but to a lesser degree because I think they would be good in the short term at least But if they try to build a new stadium in that city they are going to screw themselves. That city has terrible political gridlock and both parties are to blame. They can't even build a bridge in the city.it is so unrealistic to think they will ever get a stadium built..
Browns were valued at $977M just before the sale and dependent upon which source you use the sale price was $987M or $1B Bills current value is put at $870M and while it looks like they are currently in a little better shape financially than Cleveland was at the time of the sale I doubt they sell at much of a premium over current estimated value.
Trump will never ever ever obtain the approval of the NFL owners!!! Besides being on of the world's biggest fools and a complete asshole, he is blacklisted forever and is clearly on the NFL's most hated list. You are all forgetting what he did when he owned the USFL NJ Generals. He bought the team, convinced the other owners to move their season from the spring to the fall to compete with the NFL, and convinced owners to ignore a strict salary cap so that the USLF could compete with the NFL for some players and prospective players. This competition drove up costs for the USFL while they could not compete with the NFL for fans and exposure. Many USFL teams began to financially fail and fold or move to small markets. His one and only goal in buying the Generals to pressure the NFL to merge with the USFL and give him a franchise. When that wasn't happening, he was the driving force behind the USFL's multi-billion dollar anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL in the mid 80's. During that trial, it became known that Trump offered to drop the suit if the NFL awarded him a franchise. The NFL told Trump to take a hike. The USFL "won" the lawsuit, but was awarded $1 in damages (trebled to $3 under antitrust laws). The court found that the NFL may have had an illegal monopoly, but the USFL was not a viable league and its demise was brought on by bad decisions and management (all Trump driven) and, as a result, the monopoly did not harm the USFL teams economically. If the USFL had won that lawsuit, it would have been a disaster for the NFL. Many of today's NFL owners - I think about half the current owners - were owners then. While people may have forgotten this chapter in pro football history, I sincerely doubt these NFL owners have. Trump needs 24 votes. I'd be shocked if he received 10 votes. He should stick to his failing casinos and his stupid reality television show. He has absolutely no shot at owning the Bills.
Its a valid trip down memory lane but I disagree, Joe Willie. Most of those owners from that time either aren't in the picture anymore or they are dead. There has been a big changing of the guard and these new guys don't get a shit about the USFL battle. Also, you are harkening back to when the NFL had integrity. That ended with the goodell era. They'd be psyched to have a Donald trump in the league because it would bring even more publicity. They'd sooner have a Kim kardashian as an owner thn deny a guy like Donald trump in my opinion..
I'd take a middle ground here. I don't think the current NFL owners will take Trump's USFL shenanigans as personally as the old guard would have, but they're still business men. In the end the USFL and Trump cost the NFL money, players, etc. I don't think today's owners would, in any way shape or form, want to give the impression that you could attack the NFL one day and be welcomed the next (even if it was MANY days later). The NFL has never had better revenues and more value and they'd never want to jeopardize that by giving hope to a potential rival league. I think accepting Trump might have that effect.
side issue- but I don't think the owners should even have the right to vote on who owns teams. That doesn't seem right at all. If a team is for sale and someone makes a fair agreement to purchase it then the matter should be finished. It's not a country club it's a business venture.
NYS cannot "force" anything, but NYS will do anything they can to keep the Bills here. Check this out: "NYS hire law firm to help keep Bills in Buffalo" http://news.wbfo.org/post/nys-hires-law-firm-help-keep-bills-buffalo
Not really. The owners have every right to vote on an approve the new owner. Theses aren't 32 independent businesses, it's one very big business with 32 partners. They do not compete with each other (except on the field), they are invested in every other clubs success and profitability. They've got profit sharing that goes beyond success on the field, they damn well better know who the next exclusive partner is in their exclusive club. It's analogous to a country club, in reality. If a potential purchaser puts in a fair offer, is that all that matters? What if he has criminal ties? Has financed terrorists? Is he a sketchy character? Is he a known pain in the ass? Is he a flamboyant character? Is he going to be a good partner? Is he going to be a bad partner? The list goes on and on. The other owners absolutely have the right to choose who they will do business with. Fair price just gets you a look-see. _
