Sports

Buffalo wants to ban Bon Jovi for maybe moving the Bills to Toronto

by Tyler Munro

Jon Bon Jovi is going to buy the Buffalo Bills. Ask any tabloid reporter who covers sports and they’ll say it like it’s already happened; the rumour has been spinning for years and has only picked up steam in the wake of owner Ralph Wilson’s death last March. The $1 billion-plus price tag on the not-so-storied franchise is surely steep for the cock rocker, but as far back as November there have been rumours that he’s built a team consisting largely of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment executives to help pad the piggy bank. An NFL team in Toronto? Rob Ford’s been clamouring for one, but Bon Jovi could make it a reality.

And Bills fans are pissed.

By now, the reports are widespread. A Bills fan group called 12th Man Thunder is working to make Buffalo a Bon Jovi Free Zone, petitioning bars, clubs and businesses to stop playing classics like “Living on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life.”

Crazier still, it’s working. Yesterday, USA Today reported that more than 60 business had already signed onto the position. The petition’s website, meanwhile, boasts more than 6300 supporters. And while the list of those boycotting is largely populated by cover bands, DJs and a textbook exchange store, the uproarious camaraderie this has sparked speaks volumes to the city’s love of the Bills.

Even if sold, the team couldn’t leave the city until its lease is up in 2020 without incurring a $400 million fine. Even then, a prospective ownership group would have to fork up $28 million to break the agreement. Still, Bills fans are scared—with good reason.

As cities go, Buffalo is basically nothing. Without the Bills, it’s less than that. Sorry, Sabres.

A wasteland of discount big box stores, Buffalo is essentially built around Ralph Wilson Stadium, with houses lining the streets towards the home of the Buffalo Bills peddling $15 front-lawn parking. And here’s the thing: While The Ralph is widely considered one of the best tailgating experiences in the NFL, it’s still by all accounts a tin-can of a building that hosts a team with a playoff drought so lengthy it hasn’t seen post-season action since its prized first round draft pick Sammy Watkins was gearing up for his sixth birthday.

So you can imagine why there have long been rumours that the team might move. That it can is years away, but add in that the initiative is spearheaded by Bon Jovi, a charismatic Arena Football League owner you might better know for his tenure fronting some band and the threat feels all the more real.

The Bills have the longest playoff drought in the NFL. More than fan-led petitions, ending that is the first step in securing the team’s future in Western New York. Otherwise? Move over, Argos.