Buffalo Bills in Toronto?

Question

Tonight the Bills and Steelers are playing an exhibition game in Toronto, Canada. There are doomsayers stating this is only the beginning of eventually seeing an NFL team (i.e. the Bills) in Toronto which would spell the end of the CFL. Would it?

Answer 1

IF the NFL really came to Toronto it might spell the end of the Argos playing at the downtown stadium.

I say IF for a reason.  I do not believe the Bills will ever relocate to Toronto because the city isn't going to shell out money to build them a stadium.  I firmly believe this is a ploy of the Bills owner to leverage his position in Buffalo.  He wants a new stadium in Buffalo and he wants the taxpayers to foot the bill.  He also plans on selling the team soon as he is very old and his heirs have no interest in running the team.  If he can establish that there's a nearby market willing to take the Bills out of Buffalo he may get the new stadium and a better price for the team when he sells them.

The CFL is very strong in a few cities and so it's unlikely that if one NFL team were it to come to Toronto (which I sincerely doubt) that the league would suffer much.

Answer 2

The fact that the CFL doesn't have a decent US TV deal is a bigger cross border problem than one Buffalo Bills game in Toronto this year.  Many more potential eyes are lost by only being on America One and ESPN 360.  FWIW, Toronto has the lowest home average attendance in the CFL.

Answer 3

It might mean the end of the CFL in Toronto.  Fortunately, the rest of Canada doesn't care about Toronto.

Answer 4

The Bills are playing some games in Toronto for one reason, to suck money out of Canada to support the team that isn't making ends meet in Buffalo.  

I offer the following to support my assertion.  The average take in Buffalo is approximately $5,00,000 per game.  Rogers is giving them close to $10,000,000 per game, so of course they are happy to suck that money out of Canada.

I really don't understand why people want to pay $180 per ticket for a valueless PRE-SEASON game.  Since the game didn't sell out, obviously I am not the only one to think that way.

It would be a cold day in Hades before the NFL actually allowed the team to move when there are major centres in the US without teams.

Answer 5

lalala who cares about toronto