The Buffalo Bills and the 2022 Elections

Posted by sasha on 30 October 2022

I thought I'd be able to separate sports from politics, but I can't. Lee Zeldin decided to touch a third rail that is a sensititve spot for Western New Yorkers. And that includes a New York City and Hudson Valley native like myself now living in Western New York and who has been a Bills fan for a decade now.

The Republican candiate for governor, who is currently polling better than I think he should, made statements during a debate with Governor Kathy Hochul last Tuesday that made every Bills fan squeam. In the debate, the Congressman from Long Island said that if elected, he would reopen negotiations with Bills ownership for a deal that is less of a burden on taxpayers. I second the Buffalo News on their op-ed from yesterday stating that Zeldin's comments on the stadium negotiations are troublesome, for lack of a better term. It's no secret that the Bills could take their business elsewhere, and I saw a comment on Twitter suggesting that Western New York doen't even deserve the Bills. I ask this question: why do communities need to compete against each other for sports teams, airline service, you name it?

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the current deal that is pretty much settled is the best we can do. Buffalo is a small sports market and because of that we need to contribute more to cover the costs of the new stadium for the Bills. Highmark Stadium is in need of replacement and the estimated $1.6 billion for a new stadium is peanuts compared to proposals made by other cities. Not mentioned by our rivals Tennessee Titans is that their new stadium will cost well over $2 billion. The new stadiums in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area for the Raiders, Rams and Chargers are astronomical.

So if you are like me, a member of #BillsMafia, make your choice for Governor wisely. Although the NFL is a business (unfortunately), to Western New Yorkers and ex-pats, the Bills are a massive part of Western New York identity. I don't trust Zeldin to serve the interests of Upstate voters, only the Long Island business community and downstate voters who are xenophobic. For the first time we have an Upstate governor who has all New Yorkers at interest and to take that away would be a terrible thing.

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