Terry Pegula's Interest in Bills Concerns Northern Bidders

[Bob Koshinski]

Terry Pegula's interest in buying the Buffalo Bills has bidders in Toronto concerned. Story at All Sports WNY.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Saving everyone the click:

Sources inside Rogers Communications have indicated that the reported serious interest by Terry and Kim Pegula in the Buffalo Bills has that bidding interest concerned. As reported here at All Sports WNY months ago, Edward Rogers III and family are worth over seven billion dollars and have the deepest pockets among potential Bills bidders, but the emergence of Pegula threatens that strength.

Media outlets continue to connect the Rogers Communications group with the Bon Jovi/Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment team, but the Rogers family stand on their own in this pursuit. Rogers Communications already has a relationship with the Bills through the Toronto series and a long standing interest in owning an NFL team. Rogers could afford to overbid for the Bills to win the day, but they would undoubtedly want to move the team to Toronto with their other business interests reside.

It has largely gone unreported, but the Rogers family pose the biggest threat to move the Buffalo Bills out of Buffalo. There would be owners like Jerry Jones who would relish the opportunity for the NFL to move to a metropolitan area like Toronto and the millions of people who live in the immediate vicinity. While rock star Jon Bon Jovi has gotten the attention it is Ed Rogers who has the financial clout to move NFL mountains.

Inside the Rogers Communications Corporation there has been a quiet confidence that at the end of the day it would be Rogers who could outbid any other groups. That confidence has been tested as Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula could match any reasonable Roger’s offer to buy the Bills. Plus, as a Buffalo based interest Pegula could match the reported NFL criteria that the team remain in WNY.

If Terry Pegula built a new stadium, say as a partner with the Jeremy Jacobs family, then that would be a very tough hand to beat in this game of high stakes NFL business.

[WNYresident]

Thinking about it, who would be the best person to buy the team if Erie County's best interest played a roll?

[nogods]

Thinking about it, who would be the best person to buy the team if Erie County's best interest played a roll?

The City of Batavia. That way we have no local taxes involved, Rochester and Syracuse become viable Bills marketplaces, and the Canadians who don't want to drive an extra 20 minutes can go back to watching the Argonauts. The NFL shouldn't be invading Canada anyway, eh?

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

The City of Batavia. That way we have no local taxes involved, Rochester and Syracuse become viable Bills marketplaces, and the Canadians who don't want to drive an extra 20 minutes can go back to watching the Argonauts. The NFL shouldn't be invading Canada anyway, eh?

Locating a new stadium in the City of Batavia is one of the dumbest ideas I have read. Rochester and Syracuse are already markets. Putting a stadium in the middle of nowhere would not increase that.

Not only would anyone with an ounce of common sense thing your suggestion is stupid...any potential owner would not even let the word Bata..... get completed in the presentation before saying NEXT.

[300miles]

The Bills aren't moving to Toronto. People need to give that whole bogeyman story a rest.

[WNYresident]

Other than the companies that currently do business with the Bills does it really make a difference where a stadium is built? Especially if it ends up being for 8 home games anyways?

[WNYresident]

Don's piont of view

Is a new Bills stadium another dreaded ‘silver bullet’?

Generalizations not backed by evidence, pronouncements without a premise, conventional wisdom that doesn’t sound smart.

The idea doesn’t make any more sense to me now than when it was first floated, yet the “new stadium” drumbeat just gets louder.

http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/d...ullet-20140621

One business executive, whose company shells out $140,000 annually for a suite, was told the price in a new stadium might bump it up to $250,000.

“I can’t speak for anyone else,” he told me, “but we’re not paying that.”

There are companies in other cities that don't have an issue spending that much for a suite.

4. Buffalo doesn’t succeed because people don’t dream big: Actually, Buffalo stagnated for years because we didn’t have confidence in our own resources, because we looked to outsiders to tell us what to do and because we kept chasing – with taxpayer dollars – big, dumb ideas that did us more harm than good. Some, unfortunately, got built – and the ones that weren’t wasted precious time and energy.

That sort of rings true.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Don's point of view

Is a new Bills stadium another dreaded ‘silver bullet’?
http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/d...ullet-20140621
There are companies in other cities that don't have an issue spending that much for a suite.

Don is a tool. Everyone knows that.

In typical fashion, he quotes one business owner (without even sourcing) and tries to paint that as a reality for all business owners.

How about do a poll of companies in the region that includes Toronto > Buffalo > Rochester > Syracuse and ask them what is the likelihood of purchasing a suite if the stadium is located in a DT core near hotel rooms....rather than out in nowhere in OP.

[WNYresident]

Tool or not he makes some valid points. Seriously I think having a football team is cool but on the other hand I don't see why property owners/NYS should foot the bill for a stadium.

What other cities have built a stadiums sort of near their downtowns and spurred growth without subsidizing it each year?

[WNYresident]

IF you are going to do it you need to be at this level or better.

Stadium Specs

Seats: 68,000, expandable to 78,000 for special events like the Super Bowl or NCAA Final Four
Location: Downtown Los Angeles at the current West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center, alongside the STAPLES Center and L.A. Live.
Size: Total new Event Center would be 1,700,000 gross sq. ft. with a retractable roof.
Funding: $1 billion investment for the development of Farmers Field, all privately funded (this means no debt for the City of Los Angeles).
Parking: 32,000 parking spaces within a 15-minute walk to Farmers Field are already in operation.
Traffic: To limit congestion, Farmers Field will utilize four freeways and over 20 interchanges (on/off ramps), and continue to use the successful traffic and parking model employed by STAPLES Center, L.A. LIVE, and the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Our Vision for the Stadium and Convention Center
Attract the most iconic events

Biggest and best domestic and internal conventions that attract thousands of visiting attendees annually.
Sporting and entertainment event that showcase the best athletes and stars.
Finally bringing the best game in America — professional football — back to L.A.

Redefine the LACC product to attract the biggest and best conventions

Contiguous hall space is critical to the success of exhibits and tradeshows. This is our chance as a City to fix the LACC once and for all.
Increased square footage

Retain existing business

Remodeled New Pico Hall with be open before the West Hall is constructed into Farmers Field making sure that no events currently booked are disrupted.

Adhere to our environmental standards and guidelines

AEG strives is committed to making Farmers Field one of the most environmentally friendly stadiums in the world.

http://www.farmersfield.com/

Our Plan

We're working to build a state-of-the-art sports stadium, entertainment, and premier convention center in downtown L.A. by 2016. The Farmers Field project will create jobs for our community, boost our economy, and finally bring NFL football back to our city.

LA Fans support Farmers Field Downtown Los Angeles: It's about Jobs - Bring Back NFL Football to LA



Why did they lose a team in the first place?



Interesting comment

Aaron Garcia
1 year ago
in reply to sabresrock234

The Raiders left because they wanted the city to build a new stadium. In my opinion tax money should never be used to build stadiums. Rams left because after the owner died and left the team to his daughter. The Daughter had no intention to stay in the OC and wanted Anaheim to again pay for everything. The teams left not because there was a lack of fan support, they left because they couldn't get tax money to pay for new stadiums. Which is the same thing thats going to happen this time

[nogods]

Other than the companies that currently do business with the Bills does it really make a difference where a stadium is built? Especially if it ends up being for 8 home games anyways?

Yes, it matters. Putting it in the City of Batavia makes the most sense. The Batavia Bills sounds better than the LA Bills.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Tool or not he makes some valid points. Seriously I think having a football team is cool but on the other hand I don't see why property owners/NYS should foot the bill for a stadium.

What other cities have built a stadiums sort of near their downtowns and spurred growth without subsidizing it each year?

Can you do me a favor and point out all of the threads you started when NYS funded the new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Or how about the money for Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center?

It's NYS money and most of it is not coming from WNY and only pennies of it is coming from you.

[WNYresident]

Can you do me a favor and point out all of the threads you started when NYS funded the new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Or how about the money for Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center?

It's NYS money and most of it is not coming from WNY and only pennies of it is coming from you.

I don't agree with those either. It boils down to principle. I'm pretty sure the NYS founding paper work prohibits tax payer money to be given away for to a private entity/subsidizing entertainment businesses.