Tag: Buffalo News

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 to boost economic development.” I wish someone would explain to me how this happens…in any way, shape, or form. The spokesman for the governor…

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 think that these types of statements will allow them to invest more into the community, they have quite the surprise ahead of them.

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 tell them basic things, and yet the team says there is a rush to this? How about the team tells us where the location…

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 a deal is done first. How can this be legal? We are talking about taxpayer money. We are talking about city officials and negotiators...the…

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 game day tickets?

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 small businesses in the development phase of the stadium. Right before the first meeting was scheduled to be held, several citizens and businesses told…

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.
Stadium

Buffalo Bills exec promises that, unlike last stadium, developers will flock to the new one

Last year, New York lawmakers gave the Buffalo Bills $850 million dollars in taxpayer money to help the NFL team build a new stadium. The New York Legislature managed to craft one of the worst stadium deals in recent memory. The $850 million dollar figure does NOT include a significant number of subsidies such as maintenance costs and property tax exemptions. Therefore, the bill will likely be at minimum $1 billion. Then again, since the deal was agreed upon last year, the price of it has already gone up 10%, so it could be even higher.

William Neilson Jr.