Rumor: Proposal DLeague to Buffalo

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Super Fan

ABARedWhiteBlue what have you heard anything please share? Because this is the first I have heard of any of this with Buffalo and the D-League. Rich Jacob doesn't have that kind of money does he? Who is his money person? The D-League cost money to get into any ideas. I ask you ABARedWhiteBlue because you seem to be pretty connected in minor league basketball circles.

Also where would the team play if Buffalo got D-League? Also would it start next year or in a year or two? Also if anyone else knows more please share. Because this is the first BSF has heard of this. If it is true great news and BSF will buy season tickets for D-League NBA affliated basketball in Buffalo. Let's Go Buffalo

I have heard nothing - that was the point of my post; the OP referenced a two year-old article. I don't see the D-League moving to Buffalo in the near future - they seem to be targeting smaller markets like Hamilton, ON for example.

Just a quick aside, but why to you refer to yourself in the third person ("BSF")? Wouldn't it be just as easy to say "I" or "me" instead?

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Thank you for the updated ABARedWhiteBlue. Because I have heard nothing at all about D-League in Buffalo. As far as I know Buffalo will have no minor league basketball team in any league in 2010-11. I mentioned D-League months ago as a possiblity but that was just me throwing my opinion out there to think about in the next 5 years when the Buffalo Bills NFL will most likely will be moved to the huge Los Angeles market along with the Jacksonville Jaguars again that is just a educated guess on my part.

My thought process with D-League in Buffalo ABARedWhiteBlue is Buffalo will have more sponsor dollars and room in its sports market place because of the Buffalo Bills NFL most likely vacating the Buffalo sports market place that was my thought process nothing more. That is why I threw out there D-League but my thought process was looking down the road not now today.

Plus that thought process could be for any league it doesn't have to be the D-League it could be MISL or NASL etc. Basically all second tier leagues in general are a possiblity that won't cost the local Buffalo business person alot of money to get into with start up. When I say alot of money meaning I don't think a local Buffalo business person most like will ever be coming up with $30 or $40 million for UFL or MLS after given it alot of thought.

Buffalo to in my opinion has the type of local business person that will look for a league where they can get in with a few million dollars expansion fee plus start up not $30 or $40 million plus start up. But that is just my opinion for what it is worth.

The Buffalo sports market place is most likely going to change in this decade going from a two sports major league city to one for now. But even that could change with the economic realities our city Buffalo are and will be facing in the future. Buffalo in my opinion is going to go from a major league market place to a minor or second tier sports market place in the next decade.

Kinda of like when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left for the coast. With the difference being New York got the New York Mets from the NL in there place. Buffalo won't get that luxury but will get teams in the Buffalo Bills place from some of these second tier leagues in my opinion.

That is why I am posting I think D-League, AFL and AHL etc have a place in Buffalo's future with the 18,690 seat HSBC Arena as there home kinda of like the Des Moines, Iowa with D-League and AFL in the Wells Fargo Arena which is a 16,980-seat multi-purpose arena. Think of Buffalo more like that in its future than oh Buffalo isn't Dallas, Miami etc. Of course were not we are much smaller and shrinking every decade.

I am not ashame to admit that but we have great fans. Buffalo has been losing population long before I was born and the problems aren't simple to fix either. My point that I take issue with on this board are the ones that say no second tier sports teams for Buffalo because there a major league market or once were. What are we suppose to do have nothing in there place if the Buffalo Bills NFL and Buffalo Sabres NHL leave the market place? That makes no sense to me that Buffalo should go from NFL and NHL to nothing.

Football of some kind is a given for Buffalo in my opinion. Buffalo would be perfected and what those leagues are looking for in my opinion. Because Buffalo's problem isn't ticket sales or sponsorship sales. It is we Buffalo don't have enough huge corporations to support the NFL long term in my opinion because of where the NFL is going in the future and where my Buffalo is going in the future opposite directions.

The NFL has basically out grown cities like Buffalo. But that isn't the case for Buffalo as a second tier expansion city in any of these second tier sports leagues in my opinion.
Will the second tier football or basketball league succeed in Buffalo? The answer is who knows but in my opinion it will be tried again by someone.

Just because Buffalo had a NFL football if the Buffalo Bills do leave also doesn't mean AFL will be successful either I realize that. Same could be said for D-League in Buffalo. Just because Buffalo had a NBA team doesn't mean the D-League would succeed.

I guess my long winded point business people are going to see a opening or a chance to get those dollars out there that once went to the Buffalo Bills if they do leave the Buffalo market place.

Buffalo is the better choice over Hamilton in my opinion because it is 90 minutes away from a NBA team in Toronto with a boarder to cross so Buffalo is far enough away to not have a NBA option within a 1/2 hour drive like Hamilton. And Buffalo is more than 3 hours away in Cleveland.

Buffalo has no high level college basketball in the area. All of Buffalo's colleges and universities are mid major level basketball at best so there is no Duke or North Carolina BCS basketball programs in Buffalo to compete with. The closest major BCS university to Buffalo is Syracuse Orange three hours away right now that don't get covered by a beat reporter in the Buffalo market place like is the case in Rochester. See that is why I bang the drum for D-League in Buffalo because there is no major NCAA basketball or NBA real close by to compete with for the potential Buffalo D-League team.

But I realize second tier sports league don't in many cases think that way it is more do you have the money and who cares if the city can realistically support it or not. Also what competition basketball wise will the D-League have to battle with in the sports market place for said city. Let's Go Buffalo

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Super Fan

in the next 5 years when the Buffalo Bills NFL will most likely will be moved to the huge Los Angeles market along with the Jacksonville Jaguars

They'll both move to LA? That'll be fun.

again that is just a educated guess on my part.

Well, it's a guess, anyway.

[robster2001]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

They'll both move to LA? That'll be fun.

I'm quoting Sam but aiming this at BSF. Sorry.

BSF,

Moving two AFC teams to the same market simply cannot happen under the current network television contracts.

I'm not even sure the NFL really wants to give itself another New York-style scheduling headache by moving one NFC and one AFC club to the Los Angeles area -- although the economics of building a new stadium in earthquake country probably will, in the end, require it.

We shall see. Personally, I think the LA market best serves the NFL as a threat to existing markets that don't want to build a stadium -- until one of them calls the league's bluff.

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Originally Posted by robster2001

I'm quoting Sam but aiming this at BSF. Sorry.

BSF,

Moving two AFC teams to the same market simply cannot happen under the current network television contracts.

I'm not even sure the NFL really wants to give itself another New York-style scheduling headache by moving one NFC and one AFC club to the Los Angeles area -- although the economics of building a new stadium in earthquake country probably will, in the end, require it.

We shall see. Personally, I think the LA market best serves the NFL as a threat to existing markets that don't want to build a stadium -- until one of them calls the league's bluff.

Thank you for the information robster2001 I did not know that. But still Jacksonville or Buffalo could possible switch to the NFC. Remember we are talking NFL and profits nothing would surprise me with the NFL. Plus is tv going to care trading two small markets Buffalo and Jacksonville for the huge Los Angeles market?

I was just putting two and two together and seeing a empty Los Angeles football market with money to be made for the NFL. Jacksonville was a mistake in my opinion to begin with. And with my city Buffalo just economics of the NFL out growing Buffalo. NFC I don't see anyone other then maybe the Minnesota Vikings. But honestly I don't see the NFL leaving Minnesota but I didn't see the NFL leaving Cleveland either when they moved to Baltimore so who knows.

Also with NFL fans thinking about Toronto for the Buffalo Bills. If you ask me what I think could happen with Toronto and the NFL is this. Toronto is huge city with money but it doesn't seem to be ready right now in my opinion. I think Toronto is longer range down the road for the NFL just a guess on my part. I could see like a NFL team called the Toronto Canadiens playing all the home games in Toronto selling the franchise as sort of like a NFL Team Canada might work for televison reasons in canada so all of canada can feel apart of it aka sell more merchandise etc that way in canada? Red and White uniforms with a red maple leaf on there helmets. The CFL is another thorny issue to also think about with Toronto. But not impossible to work something out down the road.

I might try that idea too with the Toronto Blue Jays to drum up more interest in the Toronto Blue Jays also after the Montreal Expos left because the Toronto Blue Jays are struggling badly at the gate. I never thought I would see some of the attendance numbers I see coming out of Toronto for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Looking at the lukewarm response for the Buffalo Bills in Toronto and like Buffalo no new NFL stadium talked about or on the table at this point for either city. I could see NFL in Toronto down the road well after the Buffalo Bills moved away.

Like what happen after the Buffalo Braves NBA left the Buffalo market. The Buffalo Braves NBA played some games in the 1970's up in Toronto during the regular season. Much like the Buffalo Bills it was luke warm response from Toronto. Then years later after the Buffalo Braves NBA long since gone did the NBA put a team in Toronto the Toronto Raptors NBA. I could see that happening with Toronto with the NFL we will see. Because I still think Los Angeles is first with the NFL. That just my take on things with the NFL and future markets. Down the road the NFL will proablely be in both Los Angeles and Toronto. Let's Go Buffalo

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

They'll both move to LA? That'll be fun.



Well, it's a guess, anyway.

Sam I just see the NFL needing two LA teams to get some kind of stadium in Los Angeles plus promises of some future Super Bowls for the numbers to work privately for investers in my opinion. I just picked the two logical NFL candiates that made sense with old owners whose teams could be available soon in my opinion for sale. But yes it is just a guess at the end of the day. As a Buffalonian and a huge fan of the Buffalo Bills I hope I am wrong as ususal. I would be very happy to read a post from Sam Hill posting in five years I was wrong about the Buffalo Bills leaving Buffalo.

Getting back to the topic at hand anyone out there hearing anything more about D-League possibly coming to Buffalo please let us Buffalo fans know. Because it is a surprise to me because I have heard and read nothing at all in Buffalo other than this board. Let's Go Buffalo

[skippy]

I hear these whispers, and these whispers are becoming louder, and they will continue to grow until they are yelled from the rooftops of Buffalo.

"D-LEAGUE BASKETBALL IS ALL THAT CAN SAVE US!"

It's happening BSF, count on it.

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Originally Posted by skippy

I hear these whispers, and these whispers are becoming louder, and they will continue to grow until they are yelled from the rooftops of Buffalo.

"D-LEAGUE BASKETBALL IS ALL THAT CAN SAVE US!"

It's happening BSF, count on it.

Like I said I hope D-League comes to Buffalo skippy but I have heard nothing at all locally here in Buffalo. I am only a Buffalo sports fan I have no inside knowledge at all never did just Buffalo sports opinions. If you have any inside knowledge skippy please share with the rest of us.

I am a huge basketball fan and will buy season tickets if D-League indeed is coming to Buffalo. There are alot of old Buffalo Stampede PBL fans on this board that would like to see minor league basketball work in Buffalo like the Bills, Sabres, Bisons and Bandits. Let's Go Buffalo

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Anyone hear anything more with the potential of D-League in Buffalo? Are we talking this year in 2010-11 or next year in 2011-12? Anything or is this just a internet rumor with nothing to stand on?

Skippy you say count on it share what you know with all of us if you can because I know nothing about this and I live in Buffalo? Who are the money people in this potential franchise? Mark Hamister? He was once interested in ABA2000 for Buffalo but couldn't get a lease at HSBC Arena. Share skippy if you know anything. Let's Go Buffalo

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Super Fan

Thank you for the information robster2001 I did not know that. But still Jacksonville or Buffalo could possible switch to the NFC.

Unlikely. So, what, you'd have 17 teams in one conference and 15 in the other?

You do know that FOX pays for one conference's games and CBS for the other's right? You know that somebody's going to get hosed in a move of one of those teams to LA, right?

The reason LA has no team is because LA can't get its act together with regards to a stadium. The most talked about and easiest move is San Diego to LA because the Chargers are unlikely to get a new stadium in San Diego.

But, no, the NFL won't move two teams to LA (even though having two teams there makes a stadium deal more attractive - hey, maybe Al Davis would move).

That would defeat the TV purpose because there'd be a game in LA every week and unless they changed TV rules, Los Angelenos wouldn't be able to see as many games on TV as they enjoy now.