BUFFALO -- Despite assurances from their aging owner that he has no plans on moving the team, people in Buffalo have been worried for many years now that their beloved NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, will soon move to greener pastures.
This year, the Bills will end a five-year deal that calls for them to play one of their home games, each season, in Toronto -- which is about two hours away. Now, team officials says they need to make major changes to their aging stadium, which is named after their owner, Ralph Wilson.
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Estimates are the renovations will cost at least $200 million, and probably closer to $300 million. And when you're talking that kind of money, taxpayers throughout the state of New York will, almost assuredly, be asked to pay a substantial part of the cost.
The Bills will soon give Erie County officials a full report on Ralph Wilson Stadium; their lease with Erie County runs out next summer.
There's been little talk in Western New York about building a new stadium, which would probably cost nearly $1 billion. Bills' officials say they want their fans to have more elbow room; the average NFL stadium is 1.6 million square feet, while buffalo's stadium is only 900,000 square feet.
