Art Wander
DON’T GET ME STARTED thinking what the Bills fans must be thinking as the sale of the Buffalo Bills is getting started.
Naturally, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Silence is Golden” has been sung to all prospective owners of the franchise. Yet, things have a way of leaking out.
First it was reported that the Associated Press disclosed that the Bon Jovi people have been looking for sites to build a stadium within proximity of Toronto that would signal the moving of the franchise to the Canadian City.
If that happened the NFL would have to change to the IFL – “International Football League.”
Anyway back to the warbling of Bon Jovi. No sooner had the AP story floated around, the Bon Jovi chorus began harmonizing that the intent is to keep the Bills in Buffalo.
When all groups review the finances, they will see that the Bills make quite a bit of money. The holdup to a group wishing to move the franchise, they would have to pay $400 million if they move the team before 2020. In that year, it would only cost them under $30 million to make the move.
So how does everything work out? If Bon Jovi gets the franchise, they can keep the Bills in Western New York until 2020. In the year 2019, after the season tickets are paid for, they could announce that they would be moving the team to Toronto and immediately start building a stadium.
Since Bon Jovi’s people are loaded with dough…….they can sustain crowds of around 50,000 in the 2019-2020 season while their new play pen is being built around Toronto. If, in 2020, the stadium isn’t finished, they could play games at the dome in Toronto – charging big bucks to attend the game while they pay the under $30 million penalty.
Alright, you ask……..how does the NFL come into play. If Bon Jovi gets the franchise and decides to move it……the NFL will then determine a re-location fee Bon Jovi and his people will have to pay. It could be around $200 million so that the current owners would get several million dollars. Of course, the NFL could charge much more if they desire. Bottom line is that the current NFL owners would reap many millions of dollars for themselves if somebody moves the Bills.
How does Western New York take in all this information? Enter Mary Wilson and the trust. Mary Wilson could tell all prospective owners that she will sell the team to the person or group that promises to keep the Bills in Buffalo/Western New York and that the person/group winning the widow’s vote would have to sign a 30-year lease with the City, County and State that includes another 10 year option on the latter politicos. If the new owner breaks the lease and moves…..that person/group would have to pay $500 billion to the city of Buffalo.
That scenario practically ensures that the Bills will stay where they belong….Western New York on Don’t Get Me Started.
Filed under: Don't Get Me Started
Tagged with: Bon Jovi, Buffalo Bills
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