Bills GM "Reviewing" Toronto Games

((HT: Sportsnet))

And going 1-5 in games at Rogers Centre will do that for you...

Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon spent some time on WGR-AM550 to discuss the fact that the attendance for this year's game in Toronto between the Falcons and Bills was only 38,969- short of the NFL capacity of 46,470.

Here's the Brandon interview...
"

One would think that the Bills would want to spend their Decembers in the absolute cold-home field advantage of Ralph Wilson Stadium. But the team has only won once in the time that their decisions have led to December games in Toronto...

There is no debate that the games have been financially viable for the franchise. So the front office will have to weigh the idea of making money regardless of attendance versus the idea of not making as much money and possibly making the playoffs for a change...

Oilers Name New Arena, Shocking No One With Sponsor...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Edmonton’s new hockey arena is getting a new name, and keeping in line with everything going on with the hockey universe these days in Canada, it will be called Rogers Place.

The Katz Group gets all revenue from the naming rights since they negotiated the deal in the first place...

Just in time for the 2016 NHL season...

"This is a great day for Edmonton's downtown and our city," said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. "Rogers Place will become a beacon in our downtown, one that will foster a new sense of energy that will further attract development and investment in the heart of our city."

Here's a fly through that the powers that are put together on how it might look...
((HT: CTV News Edmonton))


And here's the interview with President and COO Pat LaForge on "Prime Time Sports" talking about the deal and other Oilers stuff...

Rogers Gets The Next 12 Years Of The NHL Up North...

((HT: Sportsnet))

And this is huge in a few ways...

1) The dollar figure- C$5.2-billion over 12 years... the largest deal in league history...

2) Sportsnet gets the "Hockey Night in Canada" brand, but can sub-lease it back to the CBC for four years...

3) It completely boxes out TSN nationally- the top-ranked cable network in the country and puts CBC under the thumb of Sportsnet- as it barely hangs on to any kind of sports branding...

Any kind...

Which means that the future of Don Cherry is in flux right now... and he can't even tell you what his future is...

4) CBC, run through public funding, can't flip the profits they make from hockey and turn them into other shows...

So, Sportsnet outspent everyone and CBC continues to fall behind in sports programming, but one of the first things the commissioner had to do was survive "Prime Time Sports" with Bob McCown....

Here's The Bettman with Bobcat...

Bon Jovi To Bills: I'll Be There For You (?)

((HT: CBS Sports/LaCanfora))

So, Jon Bon Jovi, eh...???

Well, the HQ knows his relationship with owning football things- it goes back to the Philadelphia Soul arena franchise... Here's the Soul catching their 2008 indoor title...
((HT: ESPN on ABC))


No secret that Bon Jovi would be going head-to-head with Rogers Communications for the Bills (since the team already plays in SkyDome), but LaCanfora asserts that Tim Leiweke and AEG could be working with the rocker for the chase...

Here was Jason LaCanfora's appearance on "The Other Pregame Show" and talked about the idea of Toronto and the city continuing its relationship with the Buffalo Bills...
I guess there's only one more thing to say...