The debut of the Bills’ new stadium a week ago has been the talk of the town. I have some thoughts.
If you’ve been following our work for some time, you know Investigative Post raised a lot of issues when taxpayer support for the stadium was being debated. (Our reporting ran counter to the cheerleading that characterized much of the coverage in other local news outlets.)
We reported, for example, that stadiums typically generate little new economic activity, about as much as a Target store. That subsidies to build and maintain the Bills stadium are richer than what taxpayers in New York and other states typically spend. That the stadium’s design falls short of the green standards found in many sports venues. And that the lease has an easier escape clause for the team than most other stadium leases negotiated in recent years.
In short, I wasn’t keen on the project, especially given the stadium was going to be built in Orchard Park, not the City of Buffalo, where it could have had more of a benefit to the community.
With that in mind, I headed to the stadium last weekend to take in the Bills open practice. I have to say, I liked what I saw.
I was impressed by the engineering and construction (the building is MASSIVE), the sight lines and the many small touches, including naming the numerous concession stands after city neighborhoods.
Concession prices are as high as they are at Sabres games, in some cases even higher. I mean, $19 for a souvenir popcorn or $24 for super nachos?
Parking isn’t cheap either, starting at about $60 in stadium lots.
This past week a vocal minority of fans have raised a fuss, in particular about the size of the scoreboard and seats with obstructed views. The Athletic published a couple of interesting stories (here and here) that addressed the complaints, along with what it called the stadium’s “wow factor.”
On balance, I think the complaints are minor, although if I was a fan who shelled out big money for tickets and a personal seat license only to get a seat with an obstructed view I’d be plenty upset.
If people have a legitimate cause for complaint, it’s the cost. Tickets. Parking. Concessions.
The folks I sat with for the open practice are paying $300 a ticket to sit about 35 rows off the field on the 30 yard line. Good seats, but yeesh. I sit six rows off the ice for the Sabres and pay $75 per seat.
Investigative Post has received several calls from folks with tips on other stadium shortcomings that we’re looking into, so I’ll reserve final judgment. But based on early returns, I’ll stick with my positive first impression.
