Every Fall Sunday the thruway jams up, devoted tailgaters ignite their hamburger grills, and the footballs fly in a friendly game of catch, all in support of the Buffalo Bills. Recent developments in the league's collective bargaining agreement, however, threaten the team's ability to compete and paves a possible road for the team to leave town for good.
The proposed economic agreement is unacceptable and could prevent large-market teams with higher revenues from sharing revenues with smaller-market teams like the Bills. This lack of support is the death-sentence that Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. has been dreading and has a greater potential to hurt more than the average football fan.
Whether or not they win each season, the Buffalo Bills stand out as a cultural and economical staple for the city of Buffalo. The team made upwards of $10 million last year and is a vital piece of the multibillion-dollar television enterprise. In the 2004 season, the Bills boasted a per-game average of 71,800 fans, which was significantly higher than the league average of 66,409. Although Buffalo's revenues are less substantial due to a smaller venue, strong attendance exemplifies the spirit of Western New York fans.
While the Bills have enormous community support, ticket prices are substantially lower than the league's average because Buffalo is not a wealthy community. As a result, even sold out seasons need financial support, which was previously provided by the long-standing revenue sharing policy.
The significance of the Bills is also seen in the actions of prominent politicians. They fear the economic perils of losing such a financial asset. Both Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Representative Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo) have advocated changes in the economic deal and are currently the forerunners in demanding change from the NFL commissioner.
It will be a sad day when such a famous franchise moves out forever due to financial problems, and the loss of shared revenue teams like the Bills may be the straw that breaks the economic back of Buffalo.
Segregation by natural disaster
Underprivileged minorities may not get their say in mayoral race
Through diligent construction efforts New Orleans is making a slow recovery from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, but the surfacing mayoral election may be the greatest challenge yet. For an election widely viewed as a turning point for New Orleans, the government needs to bulk-up in their efforts to make voting accessible to all citizens of the devastated city.
New Orleans had a population of nearly half a million people, with an astounding 70 percent being black. While 200,000 have returned, almost all of them are white, leaving most of the poor African-Americans who resided in the 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish left to find their own way to the polls.
The government is providing residents a chance to vote all week long in satellite voting centers located in various cities in the state, but the outreach to the black and still-out-of-state community has been outrageously overlooked. Transporting 112 refugees by bus from Houston and Austin with a city population of half a million is not a crowning achievement for democracy; it's only a drop in the bucket. Furthermore, absentee ballots don't make the cut for some residents because they fear using the unreliable mail delivery system of New Orleans.
New Orleans residents may see its first white mayor in one generation due to the temporary change of demographics, thanks in part to the displaced African-American community. Louisiana officials should increase their efforts to give those relocated by Katrina a better opportunity to have a voice in the future of the Big Easy.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
