Big Bucks for Dallas Stadium

We hear so much about the disparity of revenues in the NFL, especially with the Bills at the low end. I found this story to give you a black-and-white example. The Dallas Cowboys new $1.1 Billion dollar stadium will open in 2009. Experts believe the naming rights will set a professional sports record, netting Jerry Jones and the Silver Star boys more than $20 million a season. The would eclipse the record held by the Mets new Citi Field (2009 opening-20 years, $400 million) and the proposed new NJ Nets Barclays Center in Brooklyn (20 years, $400 million). That's a staggering sum, especially when compared to the Bills. Buffalo gets nothing for Ralph Wilson Stadium, a team decision based on their claim that they can't get any significant money for the naming rights. That's probably not entirely true, but a small-market, off-the-national radar team like the Bills may be lucky to get $1 million based just on the fact that they play inthe most popular sports league in the U.S.
Remember, the Cowboys get to keep all of that money. It is not shared with the other teams the way ticket revenues are. So Jerry Jones can use that to sign free agents, assistant coaches and scouts. That's the unfair advantage that Ralph Wilson complains about.