Maybe this Toronto Thing Will Work

A couple of news items today on the Buffalo Bills, that may indicate that moving one regular season game to Toronto might not be such a bad idea. First of all, the news that the Bills are approaching the 50,000 mark in season tickets sold for the 2008 campaign is great. There are a variety of reasons for the high season ticket count--most importantly the fact that Western New York has a long-standing love affair with the Bills and the NFL. In addition, the team seems to be on the upswing, and the season ticket prices are a little cheaper this year. Moving one preseason game, and one late-season game to Toronto, elminates two of the tougher selling games on the schedule. I know, it's Miami, but it's also December, and it's the worst opponent on your schedule. And season ticket holders have complained for years about being "forced" to buy two home preseason games each year, now they're down to one.
The other news item involves the pricing of the tickets in Toronto. The Bills eight-game series at the Rogers Centre will aveage $183 per seat, more than three times the average cost at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It remains to be seen whether Canadian Bills fans will cough up that kind of money for more than one game per season. But during this five year, eight-game Toronto initiative, we can let the novelty of Bills football in Toronto help subsidize the team in Buffalo. That doesn't even include the opportuniity for corporate sponsorships in Toroonto that might further cement the Bills future in Western New York. Let's see how this all plays out. Moving one game to Toronto might do exactly what the Bills want it to do--solidify the team's financial status in Buffalo.