Will the Buffalo Bills move to Toronto (1 Viewer)

[Saintman2884]

As most of you well know, the Buffalo Bills have always been looked at as a very small market team in the big worll big market of the NFL these days. But as their staduim lease tro my knowledge gets closer to expiring and the owner Ralph Wilson is not getting any younger, is their a possibility that the Bills may consider a move to Toronto and the Skydome, the city of Toronto has been given a college football game this year called the International Bowl to be played annually starting this year and the NFL has announced that it will start playing in places all around the world very soon, so what about the possibiltiy of the Bills making the move to Toronto?

A lot of Bills fans cme from Toronto and the owner of the Bue Jays has been adamant in his desire for an NFL team in his city and his staduim.

It would seem a logical choice maybe not now but the idea would be a good one, the Skydome is retractable roof and is football available if it need be.

Can it ever happen? Toronto would be a good NFL city, it has the market to be a good NFL franchsie and be able to support it as in a fan base.

Sure they have the Arganants and Doug Flutie is a living legend in the CFL and he even played for the Bills in the late 90's as a QB, could he in support of it, a NFL team in his home country?

 

[King Mello]

Major sport franchises never make it in Canada.. i dont kno when these people will ever understand that.. from Baseball to Basketball.. they give em a team and next thing u kno they're on their way out.. but out of all the Provinces i think Toroto has held the strongest..

 

[jasonl55]

The NFL has been saying for years that if any team was to move it would be into the LA market. No other place has a chance until LA has a team

 

[Saintvan]

Major sport franchises never make it in Canada.. i dont kno when these people will ever understand that.. from Baseball to Basketball.. they give em a team and next thing u kno they're on their way out.. but out of all the Provinces i think Toroto has held the strongest..

If you consider the NHL a major sport, than many of the Canadian teams do well. Also, up until a the MLB strike, the Blue Jays were setting attendance records. If any city could support an NFL team, it would be T.O. (even though I wish it would be Vancouver).

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

If you consider the NHL a major sport, than many of the Canadian teams do well. Also, up until a the MLB strike, the Blue Jays were setting attendance records. If any city could support an NFL team, it would be T.O. (even though I wish it would be Vancouver).

Yeah and by putting a single team in Canada they automatically become "Canada's team" That translates into a huge TV audience.

 

[Saintvan]

Yeah and by putting a single team in Canada they automatically become "Canada's team" That translates into a huge TV audience.

Good point. Much like how the country got behind the Jays when they won the World Series.

 

[voodoo_blues]

Major sport franchises never make it in Canada.. i dont kno when these people will ever understand that.. from Baseball to Basketball.. they give em a team and next thing u kno they're on their way out.. but out of all the Provinces i think Toroto has held the strongest..

Totally wrong. Like someone else mentioned. NHL teams make it in Canada. As does MLB. The Raptors also seem to be doing just fine in Toronto. Some of the other Canadian cities definately can't support teams like Winnipeg and Quebec City. But Toronto totally could support an NFL team. It won't be the Bills though. Buffalo supports the team to much to move anywhere.

 

[Hoyasaint]

The biggest problem with Canadian franchises is the currency differential. With the dollar being weak lately this isn't as big of a deal, but when the dollar surges again it causes big problems being competitive, $$$$ wise, to the American based teams.

 

[CanuckSaint26]

Major sport franchises never make it in Canada.. i dont kno when these people will ever understand that.. from Baseball to Basketball.. they give em a team and next thing u kno they're on their way out.. but out of all the Provinces i think Toroto has held the strongest..

This is an extremely flawed statement about Canadian Sports and Toronto, though you claim Toronto is the strongest, by what standards. Toronto is one of the best sports cities in all of North America.

The Toronto Blue Jays used to draw huge crowds when they were the World Series Champions and competitive, when they went into a dive, the crowds gradually left but this past season, people started returning to the park as they once again fielded an extremely competitive baseball team.

The Toronto Raptors, despite a run of horrible seasons, are still one of the top drawing teams in the entire NBA. When comparing wins to attendance, they probably average the best crowds for a very poor team. They have revamped their entire squad this past offseason, and I truly expect them to sell out nearly every home game. The Raptors are a very healthy team when it comes to fan support.

Another Toronto based team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have an insane amount of demand for their tickets, and sell out every game with relative ease. The NHL isn't entirely popular in the United States, but it's still a major sport, and a major sport that Toronto has absolutely zero problem supporting.

On top of these three teams, the major teams of Toronto, we also have a lacrosse team, the Toronto Rock, who for long have had one of the largest fan bases in the entire NLL. We also have the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, who draw pretty well by CFL standards, continually getting pretty solid crowds. I think we also have a Major soccer team, but I am truly unsure of that, but I would wager that they draw pretty well relative to the other teams.

Anyways, just wanted to correct you on your statement, because it couldn't be anymore ignorant or incorrect to the city of Toronto and it's fans.

 

[guillermo]

Several misconceptions around here:

1) Major league teams are viable in Canada, the factor is to get a team in a market where the sport is very popular.

2) Having a team on Toronto would not make it immediately Canada's team. Rest of Canada mostly would not care. Although, Toronto-Hamilton-London is a big market to support any pro-sport team.

3) Canada's market is 30 million people, compare that to Los Angeles or even Mexico City. Size of the market is not the only factor to acquire a franchise.

4) It is true the problems generated by currency, a factor that will be less important in years to come. The important difference will be taxes. Both teams and athletes would have to pay way more here than in the States.

5) Federal and provincial money would never be authorized to promote any professional sport.

Finally, moving the Bills to Toronto would be a slap on the face to the North New York market and to the CFL. I am not sure the NFL would be willing to do that, they are very image concious.

 

[King Mello]

If you consider the NHL a major sport, than many of the Canadian teams do well. Also, up until a the MLB strike, the Blue Jays were setting attendance records. If any city could support an NFL team, it would be T.O. (even though I wish it would be Vancouver).

is that not what i said?..

 

[GDAWG]

I can see an ownership group consisting of former Buffalo Bills players stepping up and buying the team from Ralph Wilson.

 

[Richard]

I dislike all franchise movement. I would rather see Toronto given a franchise when the NFL expands into Los Angeles.