Could Connecticut Bring Buffalo Bills to Hartford, UConn Gets New Stadium?

[KembaKek]

It's "Big 4", though the MLS is catching up.

I was having optical illusions when I read that post.

I still debate whether or not to include them. I'd say it's still too early considering the NHL wasn't even really included until 2005 or so

 

[Adios]

I still debate whether or not to include them. I'd say it's still too early considering the NHL wasn't even really included until 2005 or so

The NHL has been a premier league for as long as I can remember. "Big 4" was coined by the media recently.

MLS is not even a top 5 soccer league and, unless Europe unifies and does create a Super League, will never be a top 5 league.

 

[goskis2018]

The NHL has been a premier league for as long as I can remember. "Big 4" was coined by the media recently.

MLS is not even a top 5 soccer league and, unless Europe unifies and does create a Super League, will never be a top 5 league.

For the record, the MLS is not even close to a top 5 soccer league. It's not the best league in North America and probably doesn't make the cut for top 5 in the Western Hemisphere. As far as Europe goes, the Turkish and Austrian leagues can easily poach players from the MLS, the amount of money being thrown around by the 5 biggest leagues in the world (England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy) is unimaginable for the MLS.

The NBA, the MLB and the NFL are a tier above the NHL in terms of their pull and cultural significance in this country but the gap between hockey and whoever you put at #3 is substantially narrower than that between the NHL and the MLS.

That being said, I do hope the MLS catches up one day but that day is still in the distant future.

 

[Waquoit]

That being said, I do hope the MLS catches up one day but that day is still in the distant future.

They will never catch-up. Their only hope is if other leagues fall.

 

[businesslawyer]

For the record, the MLS is not even close to a top 5 soccer league. It's not the best league in North America and probably doesn't make the cut for top 5 in the Western Hemisphere. As far as Europe goes, the Turkish and Austrian leagues can easily poach players from the MLS, the amount of money being thrown around by the 5 biggest leagues in the world (England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy) is unimaginable for the MLS.

The NBA, the MLB and the NFL are a tier above the NHL in terms of their pull and cultural significance in this country but the gap between hockey and whoever you put at #3 is substantially narrower than that between the NHL and the MLS.

That being said, I do hope the MLS catches up one day but that day is still in the distant future.

What relevance does the success of foreign soccer leagues have to what the gap in importance is between the NHL and MLS.

 

[WestHartHusk]

What relevance does the success of foreign soccer leagues have to what the gap in importance is between the NHL and MLS.

What does any of this have to do with the Hartford Bills?

 

[CL82]

What does any of this have to do with the Hartford Bills?

Because the state of Connecticut is going to pay for them to relocate? I mean doesn’t the state pay all of Hartford’s bills?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Phoenix with no real ice has a hockey team out in the God forsaken West Valley no less.
Yet with a population of 1,000,000 Mexican America’s who love soccer we don’t have an MLS team.
How is that possible?

 

[Sky ball]

The Bills will need to change their name first. The Williams of Connecticut would be offended.

 

[WestHartHusk]

The Bills will need to change their name first. The Williams of Connecticut would be offended.

Or keep the name and change the symbol to be $-based. The branding for that team would be lucrative.

 

[kingdobbs]

Phoenix with no real ice has a hockey team out in the God forsaken West Valley no less.
Yet with a population of 1,000,000 Mexican America’s who love soccer we don’t have an MLS team.
How is that possible?

Despite the outward appearances, given the seeming explosive growth of new MLS franchises over the last half-decade, MLS does take its time and due diligence in evaluating prospective investment bids (getting an MLS franchise is not precisely like becoming an owner of a franchise in the other major leagues or most other American sports leagues down the line; you're an "investor-operator" who buys into the league and has the exclusive rights to OPERATE a franchise, but all the league's teams are owned by the umbrella MLS and the league's profits shared amongst them) for likelihood of success upon joining up. Most of the cities that have gotten expansion have had sustained and notable success in lower leagues to help their bid along.

Phoenix Rising FC, the local team, has been making a push for the last several years for consideration. Just hasn't seemed to come to any real fruition yet. While they've been pretty decent in terms of success and attendance, they also haven't been measurably better than cities who've been tapped for MLS (St. Louis, Nashville, Cincy, Charlotte; also counting Sacramento here, even though they dropped their bid earlier this year).

MLS does seem to be on track for getting to 32 (Austin was 27, Charlotte and St. Louis will be 28 and 29 when they join, and Sacramento was due to be 30th), so Phoenix might just get a look-see.

Also, just to be fair and candid: just having a large soccer-mad population doesn't necessarily translate into strong interest for the local product, especially if, say, the population there is Mexican-American and may very well have stronger interest in Liga MX teams even though they're expats.

 

[Fishy]

The Buffalo Bills are rumored to be considering relocation if Buffalo doesn't build them a decent new stadium. Why not try what Gov. Roland attempted to do with the Patriots but with the Bills. Bring them to Hartford. It would sure help Hartford's economy. The Bills' current lease expires in July 2023. UConn could share the facility and get a 64,000 seat stadium. It would show Connecticut is serious about football and would send a message to the P5 or P4 conferences about UConn football. That we are serious. We deserve a membership.

Erie County official eases fears of Bills relocating

Erie County's Mark Poloncarz responded to speculation the Buffalo Bills would relocate if a deal can't be negotiated for public funds, saying, "We will get a deal done. It's just got to be a fair deal for all."

www.espn.com

 

[CL82]

Or keep the name and change the symbol to be $-based. The branding for that team would be lucrative.

The Hartford (Dollar, Dollar) Bills ?

 

[Vowelguy]

The Hartford (Dollar, Dollar) Bills ?

1st corporate sponsor of the Hartford Bills: Beyonce & Jay-Z

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Our mascot, should the Bills make the unlikely decision to come here, should be a pizza slice or some brisket. Time to put our best foot forward.

 

[gopher2]

The Hartford Bills just doesn't sound as good as the Buffalo Bills....maybe Hartford Harrys.

The Hartford Tax Bills? The Hartford Homicides?

 

[WestHartHusk]

The Hartford Tax Bills? The Hartford Homicides?

Greater Hartford Hartford Haters?

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Vowelguy]

Well that solves the NHL's problem of which of the 9 western teams next year would not be in the Pacific division.
Move to Quebec? Houston? Toronto?

 

[spsct]

Well that solves the NHL's problem of which of the 9 western teams next year would not be in the Pacific division.
Move to Quebec? Houston? Toronto?

I think they already planned on moving Arizona to the Central division.

 

[Kolumbo]

forget bills.

The New England Bulls. or better yet, The Northeast Bulls

 

[Vowelguy]

forget bills.

The New England Bulls. or better yet, The Northeast Bulls

View attachment 69322

The bull sharpening his horns with cue chalk was pure genius.

 

[BlueDogs]

I still think there was a chance the Patriots would have come to Hartford back when Roland was governor. Their home state just came up with a better offer. One problem with Connecticut: we always think we are not good enough to compete nationally in many things, be it attracting a pro team, getting UConn into P5, or turning UConn into a world-renown research (AAU) university. These things can be done.

100%. We suffer from a perpetual small thinking complex. Hardly a thing we do isn’t compromised, downsized or done half way. There is no vision. Hell, our flagship university can’t even establish a top 100 computer science program in the midst of a digital revolution underway for the last 25 years.

 

[Waquoit]

100%. We suffer from a perpetual small thinking complex. Hardly a thing we do isn’t compromised, downsized or done half way. There is no vision. Hell, our flagship university can’t even establish a top 100 computer science program in the midst of a digital revolution underway for the last 25 years.

As far as the Pats deal went, it wasn't small thinking that scuttled the plan; it was the lack of execution. And just to repeat, the home state did not come up with a better offer.

 

[ZooCougar]

If the Bills left Buffalo you might see an entire city commit suicide.