The taxpayers don't own the team. So the taxpayers don't get a share of the team's profit.
This deal is for the stadium, not the team. The stadium can be used for other things, and those other things might lead to a profit.
But government is not intended to be a profit-making enterprise, so there will be no profits. The revenues will be plowed back into operations of the stadium.
Here's how the governor explained how it will make back its money:
This deal is being described as a public-private partnership, which is exactly how the FCC views its relationship with radio station owners. The public owns the spectrum, the private companies own the license to operate the facility. Using your logic, the taxpayers should get a share of Radio One's profits. But the taxpayers don't own your station, just as the taxpayers don't own the Buffalo Bills. That's why taxpayers are not entitled to profits from the team. These kinds of things are popular around the country, and in New York State:
But sure, if it makes you feel better, you should campaign against the Erie county politicians who voted for this money. Make it an election issue. See who wins. Will you accept the decision of the people?
Ok. It’s semantics.
Well, if I did one thing with my post, it got tbolt909 and Buddy Shula to agree on something. DavidEduardo, I respect each and every point you made. All valid. But you’re an outsider! You’re looking at it objectively. I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve been listening to Bills games since I first tuned into the legendary Van Miller for the AFL Championship game in 1964. Buffalo is not San Diego. The Bills are truly embedded in our community to the point it’s unhealthy (re: smashing tables). I KNOW how important they are and how emotionally we’re attached to this team. So do a few other natives who post on this board. The Bills playing deep into January this past season took the sting out of one of the worst months of the year in Buffalo. Losing the Bills would be a huge blow to our community’s collective psyche. Of course, Buffalo would survive it. But there would be an everlasting hole in our hearts on Sunday afternoons. Buddy makes that very point in his argument that Buffalo business grounds to a halt when the Bills are playing. If the Bills weren’t important, that wouldn’t happen. Again, I happen to disagree. Bars and restaurants thrive on Bills game day. The retail sector might suffer a bit with lower customer traffic. But supermarkets are packed the morning of and the day before Bills games.
I’ll admit being perplexed by the poll that shows even Western New Yorkers oppose the stadium deal. I attribute that to people being naive or ill-informed about the realities of the NFL. Sure, we all wish the Pegulas would have ponied up all the money to build the new stadium. We all know they could afford it. But the owners hold all the cards, especially in small markets like Buffalo. Yeah, it sucks. Taxpayers are footing 2/3rds of the cost of the new stadium, allowing billionaires to make even more money. But does our community want an NFL franchise or not? Despite what’s being said in this thread, I know the answer is yes!
Now, to bring this discussion to what this board is all about — radio — I’ll conclude with this. WGR is a top five radio station in our market because of the Buffalo Bills. Sure, the Sabres contribute somewhat to the station’s overall numbers. But WGR would lose much of its audience if the Bills leave. During the team’s playoff drought, WGR would see its strong fall numbers drop into the 2 to 3 share range in spring and early summer. Why? The Bills were losing, and people just lost interest in talking about the Bills during the offseason. This year, at least through the recently released March numbers, WGR is maintaining its audience. Because the Bills are playing great. Listeners see the Super Bowl possibilities. They want to talk about it.
And that’s why I was astounded by Buddy’s letter to the editor. Big WECK is all about Buffalo. Heritage personalities and all that. Buddy is entitled to his opinion that the stadium deal is bad. But make no mistake here. No publicly-funded stadium deal? No Buffalo Bills! Bye bye! They’re heading to Toronto, Austin, Orlando or a host of other cities that would welcome the Bills with open arms. Do most WECK listeners want that?
Big WECK is all about Buffalo, not just the Buffalo Bills.
It’s unbelievable to me that this city thinks the Bills are the only thing good about Buffalo, even when they are bad. I realize we are not paying for the team, we are paying for the stadium….in an indirect way, we are paying for the team. Like extortion.
Then, as a cherry on top, they leave the stadium without a roof! Obviously they are not thinking of anything but football with this stadium, knowing you can’t have rock concerts outside when it’s 4 degrees with 12 feet of snow!
I think there is a misconception that I do not like the Bills. I do! I am consumed by football on Sundays. But the economics are different. We pay way too much in taxes in this area now. We are shutting down hospitals because of funding. Now, taxpayers, without our consent have to pay for a stadium with limited use so that the billionaire owner can let his team play there? I have no idea what you think is right about this.
The fact that we are being talked about on Sundays? We’ve been talked about on Sundays for decades and how has that affected our population? It’s going down the shitter!
Taxes are great when they go to the right causes and people, but for a stadium so that a billionaire can put a team of millionaires on the field is not right or fair.
I go to Bills games. We get a lot of pub nationwide from them. People peeing off rafters, jumping thru tables, having sex in the open, puking in parking lots, fighting in stands….it’s like a third world country.
My biggest problem is taxpayers to a large extent are funding this stadium without a say, because if we had a say, there would be no new stadium.
If we have to pay taxes, like everything else public, we should be able to use it however we want, and we should get a dividend on stadium profits.
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