Tag: Buffalo Bills

Stadium

San Francisco 49ers owner, Jed York, continues spending millions to sway local politicians. When will it be called out nationally?

Recently, San Francisco 49ers owner, Jed York, created “two new political action committees” so that he could sway the public into electing a 49ers-friendly mayor and city councilmen. The team handed over $645,000 and $335,000 to the committees supporting the 49ers' preferred candidates. Nobody should be surprised by this. York has spent millions on every election since 2014, the year that the 49ers' stadium was built in Santa Clara. But it still surprises me how…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena Ballpark Stadium

Buffalo is struggling to limit city leaders access to the luxury suites at the Bills new stadium

Last year, the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC playoff game. The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, billed taxpayers for almost $600 worth of wine and a total bill that day of $1923 and change. As the Buffalo News reported, it would eventually come out that taxpayers had paid “more than $6300” for the governor to attend four different games. According to the state and county, this luxury suite is “meant…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena

Years later, Columbus taxpayers continue to be used and abused by the Blue Jackets

Just last year, the FCCFA spent $13.1 million in taxpayer money on arena projects such as a roof replacement, a cooling tower installation, a fire alarm system replacement and more. Yet if we come back to today, the FCCFA executive directory admits that recently released plans are “still being worked out” in negotiations that have involved the “team, its private partners and city, Franklin County and state officials”...just not the public. When asked by WOSU about…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

Now that the Buffalo Bills have a new stadium, they want locals to please shut up and be happy with whatever the team gives them

One of the local leaders who helped draft the CBA is now outright stating that the Buffalo Bills are going against what is found in the CBA. It is difficult to see how she isn't correct here. The Bills would not stop talking about how much they would include the community when it comes to giving back to the area. Now? Shut up and take whatever it is that we give you. If the Bills…

William Neilson Jr.
Ballpark

How many times will MLB threaten a minor league city and then walk back that threat when the deadline passes?

Lately, we have seen virtually every minor league team tell their local jurisdictions that they require millions of taxpayer dollars for upgrades to their ballparks. They require it quickly too because Major League Baseball has given us a date…or else! This forced many cities to give money to the teams without much, if any, examination of the actual details. As Ballpark Digest noted in a story, this is why a number of minor league teams…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

The new stadium for Buffalo’s new USL soccer team was promised to cost $15 million and built entirely with private funds

Several days ago, Marlette spoke to the Buffalo Common Council’s Community Development Committee and again stated how excited they were to start soccer. He also reminded the city that he wants to see the new USL team playing during the 2026 season. But what really surprised me was when Marlette told the commission with a straight face that “there is a time crunch”. Time crunch? The city and state are waiting for the team to…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena Ballpark Stadium

The absurdity of non-disclosure agreements, sports and taxpayer money

The San Antonio Spurs want a new arena. That isn't new or shocking news. But if you want actual news on this subject? Good luck.  For the last year or so, the Spurs and city officials have kept every possible detail out of public view if it pertains to a new arena. No discussions. No interviews. Just silence. Now, will taxpayers end up paying quite a bit? Sure. But they won't know about it until…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena Ballpark Stadium

Yet another “historic” community benefits agreement…this time in Chattanooga

In July, the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league baseball team, reached an agreement with the city to build a new ballpark. Although the price was originally going to be $79.5 million, the final price tag was actually $120 million. Not to worry, though, as the public contribution amount is capped at…$112 million? Ever since 2022, local groups in Chattanooga have been pressuring local officials to make sure that the community was represented whenever a community…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

The Buffalo Bills promised fans that their PSL’s would “never” price fans out, yet they are doing exactly that

The owners of the Buffalo Bills have a net worth of almost $6 billion. Think about that for a second. Since buying the team, the Pegulas have made almost $300 million from operating income, all the while the team's value continues to skyrocket. Why are taxpayers giving them a single dime? Why on earth are taxpayers giving them $850 million of their money yet also being asked for ridiculous payments just to try to buy…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

Can we give a round of applause to the Buffalo Stadium Community Inclusion Task Force?

When the Stadium Community Inclusion Task Force started, numerous local businesses mentioned to them that they were concerned about the construction companies' previous outreach, confused about the application website, and worried about how cumbersome the prequalification process would be. In addition to addressing the above issues, the task force still had to elect a chairman, draft a letter asking for the latest minority business numbers, and review a draft proposal on best practices to include…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena

Philadelphia CEO has numerous “facts” showing how good a new Philadelphia 76ers arena will be for local residents. Then provides nothing whatsoever.

Like most parts of this proposal, local anger about public transportation comes from the lack of answers by the Philadelphia 76ers. The team initially stated that their transportation plans for the new arena would involve no new parking additions due to “existing lots and garages (being) sufficient”. How on earth could the 76ers think this? Well, they released an estimate that the new arena would bring in 3,700 cars per game, which is quite low.…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

Albuquerque will try to build a new soccer stadium for the 12th time thanks to support from fake groups

Over the last few years, the New Mexico United owners have really increased how often they push for a new stadium. But when you read old stories of these pushes, it is odd how often AHC is somehow involved in it. The team began play in 2018, but actually started their stadium push in 2020. In that same year, the city of Albuquerque released their yearly “Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy”. This report took input from…

William Neilson Jr.
Arena

Philadelphia 76ers pinky swear they will prioritize minorities even more

The idea that this Philadelphia 76ers deal can be looked at as privately funded is crazy. Nobody can say whether this project is actually privately funded until all the details of the project are released by the team. We don't know who is paying for the land where the new arena would sit. Furthermore, the 76ers still intend to demand a “tax increment financing deal” that would cut their property tax rates and allow them…

William Neilson Jr.
Stadium

The Buffalo Bills forgot to involve minorities and locals when building their stadium. Whoops.

The Buffalo Bills public answer to all of this continues to be part laughable and part tone-deaf. On one hand, they continue to put out this idiotic PR language that just makes them look like idiots. The construction group for the stadium told the Buffalo News that, contrary to almost all evidence currently, they are in fact “working a well-developed plan.

William Neilson Jr.