The Bills' efforts to make themselves more profitable and financially competitive in the era of free agency have now gone international.
But will playing a series of regular season games in Toronto 75 miles away in Ontario, Canada save the franchise? Or does the deal guarantee the team's departure upon the death of 89-year-old owner Ralph Wilson, making the move seamless now that a relationship has been established with well-heeled businessmen north of the border?
As expected, the team's announcement that it will play eight games (including three exhibitions) over the next five seasons starting in 2008 has touched off a cavalcade of reaction, speculation and outpouring of emotion by devoted Bills fans.
Wilson said the move is being made to cultivate new fans and corporate support in North America's fifth largest city, making the Bills more viable in Buffalo and Western New York.
However, he reiterated what he has said in recent years concerning the long-term fate of his team after his passing: his heirs will sell it to the highest bidder and he can't guarantee the team will remain in Buffalo.
It's logical to assume one of those bidders will be Wilson's new Canadian friends, the team of Ted Rogers and Larry Tanebaum.
Rogers owns the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Communications that owns the Rogers' Centre, where the Bills will play. He is Canada's third-richest man with a net worth of nearly $5 billion. Tanebaum is chairman of the board of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL's Maple Leafs and NBA's Raptors.
Both men have the blessing of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to explore future ways to strengthen the NFL's presence in Canada, and perhaps one day, bring a franchise there.
"I can't speculate what's going to happen in the future. But don't worry. Don't worry right now," Wilson said, directing his response to anxiety filled Bills fans who have supported his team with a steady stream of sellouts despite eight consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs.
The Canadian contingent isn't hiding that its long-term desire is to land an NFL franchise for Toronto and this five-year test drive gives it a foot in the door.
"This is going to be a great partnership," Rogers said. "We're going to charge high rates. We're going to have all the seats sold -- standing room only out to Queen Street -- and the best is yet to come."
There are roadblocks to the Bills re-locating to Toronto someday, such as a rumored re-location fee that would add millions to what figures to be an $800-million price tag for the team. The Canadian Football League is also poised to legally fight for its turf. A new football-specific stadium would have to be built for long-term viability.
Furthermore, New York politicians, businessmen and citizens, led by Jim Kelly and Buffalo Sabres billionaire owner Tom Golisano, are prepared to fight hard to keep the Bills in Western New York.
In the end, it will come down to what the NFL wants. Owners aren't likely to have much sympathy for Buffalo if the grass is greener -- as in money -- in Toronto and they will vote on who gets the team. Any new Bills owner will be shackled with something Wilson doesn't have -- debt -- making operating in Buffalo all the more difficult in the future.
In the short term, games in Toronto will provide the Bills with a welcomed infusion of cash at a time when the salary cap is scheduled to rocket skyward again with new stadiums set to go on line for three other franchises (Dallas, New York Jets and Giants).
Essentially, the Bills are leasing their product, charging a flat fee to the Rogers-Tanenbaum group. With an average ticket price of $250 at the 53,000-seat Rogers Centre, a sellout would produce $13.25 million in ticket revenue alone. That dwarfs the $3.5 million in ticket revenue the Bills generate at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. The Bills have been promised they'll be made "whole" and then some without any of the hassle and cost of actually staging the game.
The games in Toronto will be played in December, after the conclusion of the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup.
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