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118 Comments
- zunkus, on 02/12/2008, -4/+27I say why the hell not? The weather is pretty much the same and Toronto is a bigger city. I would rather be in Toronto than Buffalo as a visitor.
- m3th0dm4n, on 02/12/2008, -0/+22In Canada, however, the NHL reigns supreme.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -4/+22Isn't Canada already happy with the CFL? I know several Americans who live in Canada and really get into the CFL, and barely know what's going on in the NFL anymore.
- m3th0dm4n, on 02/12/2008, -0/+17Two different things. You can appreciate both.
- moo113, on 02/12/2008, -3/+20We have the CFL for the ones who don't enjoy watching the hockey. But then again, who doesn't like to watch the hockey?
- RoninKengo, on 02/12/2008, -2/+12The tricky thing for the CFL is remaining viable if the NFL takes off in Toronto. TO is the CFL's largest market... and if an NFL team comes in and starts kicking ass, the CFL will suffer. I feel bad for Buffalo and the Western New York region... it's been economically depressed for ages... broadening their market for the Bills makes sense... a lot of Southern Ontarians already regularly attend Bills games...you have a market of some 7 million people less than a 2 hour drive away... why wouldn't you take advantage of that?
Whether or not the Bills leave Buffalo is still up in the air... but if the team did get sold and move to Toronto at least it would still be close for the fans. - ozid, on 02/12/2008, -1/+9There are no Canadian Football League teams in the United States.
- delooka, on 02/12/2008, -1/+8I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Orchard park is about an hour away, as is Toronto. So for me geographically it doesn't matter too much as to where the team lands. As much as I'd like to see an NFL team come to Canada, I feel that it is a traditional American game, that deserves to stay over in the states, as most the fan base is south of the border. The Argo's would simply collapse if an NFL team arrived, and even though the CFL does not have anywhere close to the talent of the NFL, I do enjoy the fast-paced, Canadian game.
J.P. Losman sucks. Go Bills. - Titan416, on 02/12/2008, -1/+7Some of the wealthiest men in Canada have been bidding for an NFL team for a long time. The only thing really stopping them is the NFL. If the NFL gave the OK for a team North of the border, the Texans wouldn't exist right now. Toronto is one of the largest cities and sporting markets on this continent, and the GTA is home to 7 million+ currently. Now that the dollar is on par with the American one, it makes no sense to have an NFL team anywhere except here. over 10,000 Canadians take a trip to see each Bill home game. Thats a huge number. Especially when you realize they don't sell out. It might suck for Bills fans but thats your own fault for not supporting your team. You don't see the same thing done here. The Leafs haven't won a ***** cup since 1965 and they still sell out.
- PhilMoskowitz, on 02/12/2008, -3/+9Personally I loath the CFL. The league structure is ass and the game itself is a kick fest. If we have to have a football league we should integrate with the rest of north america into a proper league.
- kgibby, on 02/12/2008, -0/+5This isn't anything new. I didn't read the article, shame on me, but this has already been approved by Goodell, so yeah...
Its a genuine effort to expand the smallest sports market in the league. the bills front office wants to fill some of the executive suites, which they arent really doing right now. this will provide a larger fan base (hopefully) and sell more tickets (likely). - Couchy, on 02/12/2008, -2/+7I'd like to see the NFL in T.O. I watch alot of sports so an NFL team is just an added bonus.
- delooka, on 02/12/2008, -1/+6If you're referring to teams such as the Shreveport Pirates or Baltimore Stallions, you're living almost 15 years in the past, turd...
- smacksaw, on 02/12/2008, -1/+6I found it hard to tolerate the Bills for a long time after having them tank 4 Super Bowls, but when I was living in Cape Cod there were a lot of Western NY transplants there and I changed my mind. Great fans, but Buffalo really is "America's back door" as Canadians like to say - pun intended. Of course they are saying Niagara Falls is their front door, the difference is stark.
Buffalo really can't support a team due to the fact the economy is shot and they don't sell luxury suites to corporations, etc. But that's not really true since the Packers are just fine. In fact, the NFL owners hate the Packers because they are owned by the city. That's what Buffalo fans should be doing right now - forming a corporation to buy the franchise for the city.
I don't think playing games in Toronto is going to change anything. The NFL would rather have franchises in both places. When the NFL sells a franchise for ONE BILLION DOLLARS all of the owners get a cut of that. They don't if it's moved. I wouldn't be too worried about it moving.
The reality is that Western NY needs to take responsibility for itself. It should buy the team as a community like the Packers or Roughriders, but more importantly if they want to make some money selling luxury boxes they need to attract some businesses that actually want to go there. People need to get educated, get some skills, all of those decrepit hovels that sell for $10k need to be razed, tax breaks need to be made to lure business, they need to quit tolling roads and driving people away before they get there.
If Buffalo does lose the team it's because it's a dismal place to be. People need to take care of America's back door. It's an indictment on the state of the area when the team could leave such great fans and stellar support. That's nothing to do with the people who pay to see a game and everything to do with a region that needs a massive retooling. - PullingTeeth, on 02/12/2008, -4/+9Do us Torontonians really want the Buffalo Bills? I mean come on, the Bills? Really?
- mapez, on 02/12/2008, -4/+9I would hate to see my little Canadian Football League disappear. I really cannot stand the commercialization of the NFL and how glitzy it is. Boo.
- davewashere, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4It's called "American football" because the term "football" confuses people in the rest of the world who refer to a much more appropriately named sport as football. Also, I don't know too many people who refer to NFL games as "American football." That term is usually used by foreigners for the sport in general and not for a specific league.
- livestradamus, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4***** head. reported
- bigbadgoat, on 02/12/2008, -0/+41967.
- CaptainNoPants, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3I was under the impression that the Giants Dolphins game at Wembley was attended by mostly fans from the U.S. I only know one person that did go to the game and he said it was a good mix of Americans and Brits, but a lot more Americans. They have rugby and soccer over there, I don't see American football going too far.
- musters, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3yes, the cfl is more powerful than the nfl... *sarcasm*
- Twisty, on 02/13/2008, -1/+4Wow my mistake... you don't have to be a dick about it.
- DannyDriffs, on 08/25/2008, -0/+3Lifelong Bills fan from Rochester. If the Bills move, I'd be crushed. I can't speculate on what I'd do as a fan. But I would be depressed for the rest of my life. Anyone who's experienced it knows that to Western New Yorkers, the Bills are more than a football team, they're a way of life.
Thurman Thomas said it best in his Hall of Fame induction speech -- "I've heard a lot of comments over the years that this city has the best fans or this city is the most enthusiastic. Buffalo Bills fans are the greatest fans in the world. They don't make a whole lot of money there, but every week they spend a lot of money to come and cheer us in frigid cold temperatures. Those are the best fans in the world right there."
Mr. Golisano, please buy them. Hell, anyone that has a soul buy them! Just keep them in Buffalo! - xtremesniper, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4Somehow I doubt that anyone in the West would support Toronto. They seem to have some undying hatred for anything Toronto, seemingly without any grounds. I guess making fun of the popular kid makes them feel better.
edit: And I realize this kind of comment is probably what makes the West hate Toronto, but whatever. I even went to Ottawa and they were blabbering about how Toronto sucks over the radio. With that kind of unfounded talk, I don't really care anymore. =) - mrsark, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3u dont need a passport to cross the cdn/us border (at least not yet) just gov't photo id (driv license)
- musters, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3I can't believe some people think that bringing NFL to Toronto would destroy the CFL.
First off, 99% of the people in Toronto don't even realize there is a CFL team. We're all too busy trying to get tickets to go see the Leafs or Toronto FC. Next, CFL fan are not NFL fans, the game plays out different. They are unlikely to switch.
The NFL in Toronto is just for the rich in Toronto who would like to see some quality football. They are not diehard fans like the people in Buffalo. Sadly though, there are likely many more people in Toronto willing to pay to see the game. - NnyCW, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3This, Green Bay consists of only 102,313 people (as of 2000). It's more of the entire states love affair with football. Milwaukee, which used to host some Packers home games until 1994, could even get 14,000 to 15,000 people to attend AFL games back when the average then for the league was 8,500.
It's something rare and quite special that any team can do this in this day and age, and I believe they are the only team in all of American pro sports at that level to be owned this way. I'm pretty sure with areas as highly populated as the Bills have near, if they were ever to be owned this way, it'd have happened long ago. Same goes for countless other teams across the country in all of the pro leagues we've got. - nbcaffeine, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3I was going to make a dickish retort, but then, I decided you are right. Thankfully the team won't be sold while the owner is still alive. Sadly, he is 89 years old...
- Xyleene, on 02/12/2008, -2/+4Fair? It's about money.. and Buffalo just doesn't have enough anymore. The owner is doing it so that he can get more fans and hopefully keep the team in Buffalo for the next little while. Sorry to say but it is inevitable that they will eventually leave the city
- bigbadgoat, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2LA hasn't had a good team since they had Gretzky in 1993.
- navster15, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I don't see why the SkyDome (Rogers Centre for all you corporate twits) wouldn't work. The Argos play there now and CFL fields are bigger than NFL fields. It would be easy to change the dimensions to accommodate the Bills.
- PapaJones, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2no, its 8...
- goreyend, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2That game in London was really boring. the weather and jet lag was not good. Toronto would honestly not be that bad, but i am a bills fan so in that regard it is *****. There's no way in hell they would be called the bills if they move to Toronto. What would they be called.....Lets see the Toronto Ruff Riders
- CraigMNCF, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2that was pretty lame
- tehnico, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Toronto is the fifth largest sporting market in N. America.
- Huangism, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2no that's not the problem, where do you think the Bills is going to play? the problem is CFL, NFL comes to toronto = death of the CFL.
- nbcaffeine, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Change the logo to a stack of $100 bills, then it will make more sense than the Buffalo Bills
- kingcam, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Knowing Toronto City Council, they would put up some money to help build a stadium, even thought they are swimming in debt.
- goreyend, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Lord Stanley's cup love's US Teams
- sloetjes, on 02/12/2008, -2/+4Doesn't Toronto have an NBA team named for the Jurassic Park era of the 90s which they were born in?
- Viper281, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Community ownership is now against NFL rules. The Packers ownership situation was grandfathered in.
- bigbadgoat, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3I pretty covinced that any hardcore leafs fan has a mental disorder for supporting the most ***** up, backwards, poorly run team in the league. Leafs fans can say "***** You" when you end your 41 year Stanley Cup drought (and counting).
To do that, first you got to make the playoffs, and sitting second last in the east isn't going to help.
-Devils Fan - ChronoMojo, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2No... then you're going to have four divisions with five teams and four divisions with four teams. It's perfect the way it is. The only way to really do it would be to add eight more teams, but 32 really is plenty.
- OSX1337, on 02/12/2008, -3/+5The Toronto Argonauts generate an insane amount of revenue for the CFL.
NFL in Toronto=less money towards the CFL=A collapse of the CFL
Thats how big a chunk of the total they represent.
I say bring it on, but say goodbye to the CFL. Which is a shame. - goose28in, on 02/21/2008, -0/+1I'm a lifelong Bills fan as well and would be crushed if they were sold or moved. According to Jim Kelly he is doing whatever it takes to keep the Bills in Western New York. I sure hope he can pull this off.
- LeCollectif, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Never gonna happen. I'm reminded of a certain NBA franchise that didn't do so well.
- wildthing202200, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Won't happen 32 is the magic number, so either the Bills goes there or they won't.
- say2k, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1The Maritime provinces have been BEGGING for a CFL franchise, so maybe they can nab some NFL action.
- Huangism, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1so if your team sucked really bad you would just not follow them and pick up a different team? please, don't call yourself a fan if you are going to jump wagons
- Coolkidchris, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1If the Winter Olympics are successful in Vancouver, i'm sure the mlb might show an interest. the nba might think about returning.
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