When Ralph Wilson passed away in March, the Buffalo Bills essentially went up for sale. The team has potential buyers, and some of them are interested in possibly relocating the team, according to ESPN's Mike Rodak.
Buffalo Bills face potential move with upcoming sale
The Bills could be headed out of town if the price is right.
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
In the wake of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers being sold for $2 billion to Microsoft wizard Steve Ballmer, there are questions about a potential spike in value for NFL franchises. That includes the Bills, which despite playing in one of the smallest markets in professional sports could command a value upwards of $1 billion or more.
Should a prospective buyer who wants to move to Los Angeles, Toronto, London or somewhere else bid on the Bills, it is likely to be for a far greater sum of money than a bidder looking to stick around. All these factors could make it hard for the trustees to accept an offer which would not include eventual relocation. Per Rodak:
“I’ve spoken to [Bills CEO Russ] Brandon, I’ve spoken to [Bills CFO Jeffrey Littmann]. They know my request, which is to pick the owner that’s going to keep the team in Buffalo. But I don’t know if that’s going to be the decision that the trustees will end up doing,” Poloncarz told WBEN. “If they end up getting a bid that’s so much higher than anybody else, I don’t know if they can turn it down. They may have the fiduciary duty to accept it.”
Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz was instrumental in helping to pour $130 million into Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2012 when the team signed a lease for seven more seasons. However, Poloncarz talked about the financial difficulties of the region and the problems a new stadium could pose due to a lack of funding, per the Erie government site.
“This new lease ensures that the Bills continue to be a part of our community for the next decade and also prepares for the future of a new stadium to ensure the Bills remain in Buffalo for many years to come. Everyone understood the economic realities facing our community, and that’s why we have developed a more affordable capital improvements plan to invest $130 million into Ralph Wilson stadium over the next several years, not the more than $200 million originally discussed, and that includes a $35 million investment from the Bills’ organization.”
To date, the highest price tag ever for an NFL team was when Stephen Ross bought the Miami Dolphins in 2010 for $1.1 billion, the only team to crack the billion dollar mark. Ross also told Yahoo Sports that he believes Los Angeles will have a team in the next five years.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank recently told Peter King of Sports Illustrated that he could envision not only one team in London, but possibly more.
“I think it will start with an increased number of games. That will be translated into a very successful series of games, and eventually, I think a franchise. And maybe more than one. London’s a big city,” Blank said.
Blank’s optimism stems from NFL games being consistently sold out overseas, including the three slated for 2014. Whether London would support a team week after week is still up for debate, but there is no arguing its fervor for NFL contests on a limited basis, having sold out every game played on their soil.
“The approach that the international committee and the commissioner have taken is, ‘Let’s do London right, and then move from there to potentially somewhere else.’ I’m sure there are wonderful cities in Europe, and elsewhere,” Blank said.
Toronto is also an option, only three hours north of Buffalo. Should a move Toronto happen, it would be the first time a Canadian city has been the primary host of an NFL franchise. Buffalo has been playing one game at the Rogers Centre every year since 2008, winning only one of the games.
There is a Toronto-based group which includes rock legend Jon Bon Jovi, but Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports that the group might be backing off a bit.
Los Angeles has had a rich football tradition in the past. The Rams were the first team in town, moving there from Cleveland under then-owner Dan Reeves back in 1946. The franchise remained there until 1980 when it bolted to Anaheim, despite retaining the Los Angeles name until its most recent move to St. Louis in 1995.
The Raiders also played in L.A. from 1982-94, winning the Super Bowl in 1983 before returning to Oakland under the ownership of Al Davis. Currently, the city has three potential areas for an NFL stadium, per Sports Illustrated's Tim Newcomb.
All that said, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks does not believe the city of Los Angeles will be seeing another NFL franchise anytime soon.
“I’ve finally, personally come to a conclusion,” Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks told Graham. “I have to resign myself to the fact the NFL is not coming. . . . After you put 10 years into something with nothing in return. . . . If this was a marriage, you’d be divorced.”
Parks also stated he believes the NFL would prefer the Bills to stay in Buffalo since they are the only team which actually plays its home games in New York. Should the team attempt to leave, Parks thinks New York politicians could go after the league’s broadcast antitrust exemption.
“The NFL doesn’t want to risk upsetting the political structure,” Parks told Graham. “The league is facing critical issues. They don’t want to litigate these things.
“In many ways, they’re like the old Mafia. They just want to make money and don’t want to do anything that will disrupt that.”
There are several steps before the Buffalo Bills could potentially move, but the recent purchase of the Clippers for such a large sum of money and an empty Los Angeles market add some intrigue to the possibilities.
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