Bills In Toronto Series Officially Dead

[Toppy Vann]

Points well made, Toppy. Without doing some research, they match my recollections of different issues.

Well what are you waiting for? We'll give you until tomorrow at this time to determine what would prevent or not the NFL from arriving in Toronto - the city of losing teams in recent years. Well not always the Argos.

[notahomer]

I have to admit if an NFL game were played here in BC Place or I happened to be in Toronto when a game was being played there, I woulda gone. Seems unlikely at this point. I certainly enjoyed my ONE NFL game just down the road in Seattle. Sure, my bias as a CFL fan is glad the Bill's Toronto experiment seems over, IF it hurt the Argos.....

[WestCoastJoe]

Points well made, Toppy. Without doing some research, they match my recollections of different issues.

Well what are you waiting for? We'll give you until tomorrow at this time to determine what would prevent or not the NFL from arriving in Toronto - the city of losing teams in recent years. Well not always the Argos.

LOL

No research needed. The Ghost of Pierre Trudeau will save Canada from the NFL. Protectionism. Oh yeah, and a stadium not suited to NFL football. Oh yeah, fear of trust busting in the USA. Enough? That's all you get.

[Coast Mountain Lion]

Interesting to also note that a couple weeks ago when Buffalo was hit with a massive snow dump and a home game had to be moved to another venue it was not moved to Toronto but instead it was moved to Detroit

It would have been more work to set up Rogers Centre quickly for an NFL game than the Silverdome or whatever it's called. I find it more interesting that they went to Detroit and not, say, Cleveland, which they would have had to drive through on the way to Detroit.

[DanoT]

The irony of the Bills In Toronto series is that is was a opportunity for NFL football fans in the GTA to show the NFL by buying tickets that they support NFL football and that Toronto should considered for a future franchise. So by not showing up even for free tickets it shows the NFL all they need to know about football fans in TO...there aren't many.

[cromartie]

Points well made, Toppy. Without doing some research, they match my recollections of different issues.

Well what are you waiting for? We'll give you until tomorrow at this time to determine what would prevent or not the NFL from arriving in Toronto - the city of losing teams in recent years. Well not always the Argos.

How about you let the American handle this one.

First, there's the cost. Whether it's purchase or expansion, you're looking at around $1.2 billion American.

Next, you'll need a stadium, because the SkyCasket won't cut it. That means you have to find land, infrastructure and build a stadium up to NFL standards. That's another $750 million to a billion US.

Let's talk about television revenue. Whether it's an additional team or an expansion franchise, the new team now has to split a portion of the US domestic television revenue with US based franchises. Having a team in Toronto does nothing to enhance the value of the single largest revenue generator, the US domestic television contracts. 31 other teams are now splitting an equal share of television revenue with a franchise that does nothing to enhance the value of said contracts. So a non growing pie now has another seat at the table.

There's no team in Los Angeles. You aren't getting anywhere before you get this situation resolved.

The domestic Canadian television rights need to be rejiggered to accomodate the arrival of a Canadian team. Unless you're buying Sunday Ticket, you can cut the number of broadcasts of NFL games on television in Canada by close to half when the Toronto team is playing. "Canada" gets treated, as a whole, like any individual NFL city television wise. When the Toronto team plays, that's the only game on. This does not grow the domestic Canadian television package.

Has anyone taken a look at the exchange rate lately? Tack on another 10% of overhead to deal with that when the Canadian dollar is weak.

Kiss the CFL goodbye. Even if the league could survive without Toronto, it would lose the PR and marketing war. How would you like to own the franchised that kills a national cultural tradition?

When you build this shiny new stadium in Toronto, one of the most geographically sprawled markets in North America, how do you intend to get people to it? (Ironically, this is also a Los Angeles problem).

You're going to have to write the Bills a check for taking a significant chunk out of 20% of their fanbase. There's also a good chance you bleed the Bills dry. Can't see the NFL allowing that.

Finally, Toronto, as a sports town, stinks. It's a Leafs town and that's it. While an NFL team may turn a profit based on inertia , it's a fools errand to all but the GTA boomer doofuses that salivate toward this in the first place.

Far more negatives than positives in the whole NFL to Toronto thing.

When it comes to Toronto, if there's one thing I side with Richard Florida on, it's that Toronto really isn't Toronto, it's better characterized as Torbuffchester. From a media and trade standpoint, the region of Toronto-Hamilton-Buffalo-Rochester itself effectively can support one NFL team. With that being said, it makes sense to keep the current arrangement, with the Bills and a new stadium in Buffalo. Geographically, Buffalo sits at the center of this, draws fans from its own metro, the GTA, the Hammer and Rochester. This should be good enough for the NFL.

It would have been more work to set up Rogers Centre quickly for an NFL game than the Silverdome or whatever it's called. I find it more interesting that they went to Detroit and not, say, Cleveland, which they would have had to drive through on the way to Detroit.

The Silverdome closed in 2005. You're thinking of Ford Field.

Playing a game in Toronto involves moving a significant amount of equipment and players across an international border which you can't arrange on short notice.

You also can't move said players and material through eight feet of snow, which would have impeded you from getting from Buffalo to Cleveland. I-90 was closed from South Buffalo to the Pennsylvania border, so you couldn't drive to Cleveland from Buffalo if you wanted to. Plus, Ford Field is indoors, FirstEnergy Stadium is outdoors, and Ford Field had hosted another neutral site game (after the Metrodome roof collapsed) in the past.

Would Canada step in if the Bills or other team were to move to Ontario? Past actions as far back as PM Pierre Trudeau suggest yes. When the WFL was trying to go to Toronto Trudeau threatened legislation and they went away.

It's worth noting that the Canadian Football Act proposed back then never formally passed. And ultimately, a WFL game was played in London, Ontario in 1974 (in front of 2,000 people). Jim Pattison also tried very hard to get a WFL team, even after John Bassett gave up and moved the Northmen to Memphis, and Robert Harris wanted to move the Portland Storm to London.

[Lions4ever]

Interesting to also note that a couple weeks ago when Buffalo was hit with a massive snow dump and a home game had to be moved to another venue it was not moved to Toronto but instead it was moved to Detroit

Peter King's MMQB had a complete breakdown of how Detroit was chosen:

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/11/24/odell-bec ... -12-nfl/2/

[TheLionKing]

Was Buffalo compensated for the lost revenue ?

[Toppy Vann]

Cromartie - great post. Agreed there are mega-problems but the CFL does not need to strengthen the narrative out of Toronto.

For the life of me I can't see why they aren't fired up about Quebec City. To me that is a good football province. A great city like that should be in.

WCJ... very disappointed that you failed to do the assignment in full...lol.

[notahomer]

It does make one wonder how much longer Los Angeles will be without an NFL team. Of course the stadium part of things is just a piece of the game......

I wonder also how many teams have been able to parlay movement from their present host city into making adaptations for stadiums using the 'we can always move to L.A.' as their trump card?
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I used to really like the Bills and tried to catch their games when they began their streak of knocking at the Superbowl door but never getting to celebrate a victory.

[WestCoastJoe]

Cromartie - great post. Agreed there are mega-problems but the CFL does not need to strengthen the narrative out of Toronto.

For the life of me I can't see why they aren't fired up about Quebec City. To me that is a good football province. A great city like that should be in.

WCJ... very disappointed that you failed to do the assignment in full...lol.

Yeah, well, Toppy, I have an attitude problem towards would-be authority figures. Ha ha ... And I am independently wealthy. You failed to make it worth my while.

At some point in the future, perhaps we will see the CFL survive and thrive without the would-be "centre of the universe," Toronto.

[cromartie]

Cromartie - great post. Agreed there are mega-problems but the CFL does not need to strengthen the narrative out of Toronto.

For the life of me I can't see why they aren't fired up about Quebec City. To me that is a good football province. A great city like that should be in.

WCJ... very disappointed that you failed to do the assignment in full...lol.

To be fair, I've been having to speak slowly to Toronto NFL fans on this topic for the better part of 15 years now.

Personally, the next commissioner, in my eyes, has two responsibilities: solve the Toronto problem and get a team in the Maritimes. This should be a coast to coast league.