Bills In Toronto - This Is So Wrong

Why do people like me love to drive all the way to Buffalo to watch a losing football team? It's all about the passion those fans feel. Kinda reminds me of what it's like in Toronto when the Leafs are winning (how does that feel again?). You meet people from everywhere (I always seem to run into a group of Quebecers who drove all day Saturday and stayed in 'amburg (Hamburg, a small town near the stadium)), you tailgate (you barbeque in a parking lot and always share and make friends with your neighbour) and then you enter this stadium with 75,000 other idiots and yell on every defensive play all game. There's a guy named Pinto Ron who's been to every Bills game home and away for 16 years who has a permanent parking spot close the stadium where he cooks the mashed potatoes, peas, gravy and meat on the hood of the car. This guy is certified!

I understand the reasons the Bills needed to come to Toronto. Not that Ralph Wilson, the owner (the original owner, since 1960!!) was losing money - he just wasn't making enough money. So like any prudent business owner, he looked for a way to spruce up the bottom line. In steps Ted Rogers, and just like that, old Ralphie boy has another $70 million in his pocket.

How many real fans will come out to the games? About the same number as at the Leafs games in Toronto. With VIP seats reportedly priced in the stratosphere and regular seats at about $300, the only people who can afford to go are the probably the same "suits" who own all the prime seating for the Leafs at the ACC (Air Canada Centre). And this will take place in a baseball stadium, the Skydome (whoops, sorry it's now the Rogers Centre) that has horrible sightlines for their CFL tenant, the Toronto Argos. So you end up with a bunch of people who really don't care about what goes on on the field but will be able to say they saw the NFL in Toronto.
Kinda like when the Blue Jays were winning their world series.

Worst of all, what game is awarded to these uncaring Toronto fans? Miami. The game all Buffalo Bills fans look forward to every year. What a kick in the teeth!

Bottom line, the loyalty Bills fans in Buffalo feel for their team rivals what Toronto fans feel for their beloved Leafs - but you will have a tough time finding real Bills fans when they enter the Skydome.