No More "Wind" Games in Buffalo

[TommyD4207]

Buffalo isn't Green Bay or Minneapolis. It's not that cold up there. Lots of lake effect snow though and the new stadium will probably still have its share of snow games like Highmark stadium does.

You have never been to Buffalo.

 

[sb1]

You have never been to Buffalo.

I have. I was comparing it to the upper midwest. Cold but not nearly as cold as it is out there.

 

[Real fan 02]

Page out

No more three pass game for Mac Jones.

That was a page out the 1955 NAVY playbook..

 

[upstater1]

I have. I was comparing it to the upper midwest. Cold but not nearly as cold as it is out there.

Yes, this is absolutely true.

We don't get those sub-zero days.

Also, the stadium is being built next to the old stadium, which is in the Lake Effect area where relatively few people live. The city of Buffalo itself (the vast majority of it anyway) rarely gets hit by Lake Effect snow blasts. I've been living here since 2002 and it has happened 3x.

Last year the city got hardly any snow, whereas the Southtowns (where the stadium is) got hit hard yet again, 70 inches total. In the city, we didnt go above 10 inches total for the entire winter. I have a snowblower and did not bring it out of the garage even once.

 

[everlong]

Can't wait till there's a stadium built somewhere which at the push of a button shifts panels around like a retractable roof to add wind to the opponent side of the field. Lol

The Minnesota Twins were doing this in the Metrodome where by opening certain external doors the ball traveled further. So home team is up they're open and the visting club they are closed.

 

[VrabelJr]

Yes, this is absolutely true.

We don't get those sub-zero days.

Also, the stadium is being built next to the old stadium, which is in the Lake Effect area where relatively few people live. The city of Buffalo itself (the vast majority of it anyway) rarely gets hit by Lake Effect snow blasts. I've been living here since 2002 and it has happened 3x.

Last year the city got hardly any snow, whereas the Southtowns (where the stadium is) got hit hard yet again, 70 inches total. In the city, we didnt go above 10 inches total for the entire winter. I have a snowblower and did not bring it out of the garage even once.

This matches my experience of growing up in Orchard Park. It was always amusing watching the school closing notifications scroll by on the TV in the morning as a kid and all the south town schools are closed with 5 feet of snow while Tonawanda got barely a foot.

 

[Vindicate]

I have. I was comparing it to the upper midwest. Cold but not nearly as cold as it is out there.

But it's windy AF. Statistically more windy than Chicago.

 

[Raccoonsuit]

Yes, this is absolutely true.

We don't get those sub-zero days.

Also, the stadium is being built next to the old stadium, which is in the Lake Effect area where relatively few people live. The city of Buffalo itself (the vast majority of it anyway) rarely gets hit by Lake Effect snow blasts. I've been living here since 2002 and it has happened 3x.

Last year the city got hardly any snow, whereas the Southtowns (where the stadium is) got hit hard yet again, 70 inches total. In the city, we didnt go above 10 inches total for the entire winter. I have a snowblower and did not bring it out of the garage even once.

The one time I was in buffalo was for "wind bowl" game where the uprights were going crazy. No one could get their grills started pregame in the parking lot too which is hilarious in hindsight.

I don't know how the city is now but downtown was dead back then. Granted it was December but places in the Midwest get bumping in the winter, as people have been comparing the two.

Is the downtown any better now? Stadiums can be a good bad situation depending on the downtown

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

It's going to be very cold. They can't avoid that.

The smart thing was really to build a dome, but it was way too expensive for the region.

They also needed to build it downtown but they blew that too.

Buffalo would have a greater advantage in terms of being competitive if it could actually draw more paying fans in December, then they could put more of that money toward retaining star players. That would be a bigger help than the cold.

They averaged the 11th most fans in attendance last year. I've been to plenty of Bills games in ****ty cold weather, always looked pretty sold out to me.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

You have never been to Buffalo.

I've been to many Bills game in the dead of winter and I've been to a wildcard card game at Lambeau. The temps in Buffalo aren't even remotely close to how cold it is in GB.

 

[stinkypete]

While I whole heartedly agree that it detracts more from the home team than the opposing team

We live in the cuddling age for big personas. I bet all Bills player HATE having to play in a stadium like theirs, with wind and cold and gelid temperatures, while Los Angeles is in the same league, and winning SBs

What can I say? Syndrome of our times

It’s a shame that snow games like we had in the early Brady days seems like products of a bygone era.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Seriously?

 

[upstater1]

The one time I was in buffalo was for "wind bowl" game where the uprights were going crazy. No one could get their grills started pregame in the parking lot too which is hilarious in hindsight.

I don't know how the city is now but downtown was dead back then. Granted it was December but places in the Midwest get bumping in the winter, as people have been comparing the two.

Is the downtown any better now? Stadiums can be a good bad situation depending on the downtown

I was at that game. It was weirdly 65 degrees in December.

As for Buffalo, it depends on what you mean by downtown. By canalside during the night, there is no one there. That's the business district. But if you go into the neighborhood strips like Elmwood or Allentown, it's a lot more lively. Buffalo doesn't really have condos or apartments downtown, it's just office buildings. Kind of like Boston used to be around State Street or Toronto currently, the business district is dead.

I'd say Buffalo has more action than Cleveland or Detroit, but less than Pittsburgh or Milwaukee.

 

[upstater1]

They averaged the 11th most fans in attendance last year. I've been to plenty of Bills games in ****ty cold weather, always looked pretty sold out to me.

#1 I wouldn't trust those numbers. Back when they were a losing team a decade ago, they are showing as many fans for the season finale against the hapless Jets than for the season opener. Ask any Buffalo fan if that's remotely possible.

What years did you go?

The crowds were so sparse in December, they had to send games to Toronto. This was done precisely because they were a middling team and the fan fervor would end with the cold weather (and poor record).

Since they started making the playoffs, this hasn't been the case. But before that it certainly was.

 

[upstater1]

They averaged the 11th most fans in attendance last year. I've been to plenty of Bills games in ****ty cold weather, always looked pretty sold out to me.

Also should mention that having the 11th most fans now when they are very good is almost immaterial to my point, especially when you consider the take per ticket. The Bills do not have many luxury seats. The stadium is top heavy, and season tickets could be had in the $600s. The average ticket in the entire stadium is around $1200.

If you actually controlled the weather better you would have more people competing for seats. I regularly get free tickets in December from friends with seasons who just dont want to sit in the cold.

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

#1 I wouldn't trust those numbers. Back when they were a losing team a decade ago, they are showing as many fans for the season finale against the hapless Jets than for the season opener. Ask any Buffalo fan if that's remotely possible.

What years did you go?

The crowds were so sparse in December, they had to send games to Toronto. This was done precisely because they were a middling team and the fan fervor would end with the cold weather (and poor record).

Since they started making the playoffs, this hasn't been the case. But before that it certainly was.

I live in Ontario, so I remember the Toronto games. I've been numerous times to Orchard park, but I can't remember all the years. I do remember one Dec game where it was sleeting pretty much the whole game and we had bad seats up top and there was empty seats around us. That's the only time I remember having empty seats around me. I haven't been since Brady left the Pats.

 

[Raccoonsuit]

I was at that game. It was weirdly 65 degrees in December.

As for Buffalo, it depends on what you mean by downtown. By canalside during the night, there is no one there. That's the business district. But if you go into the neighborhood strips like Elmwood or Allentown, it's a lot more lively. Buffalo doesn't really have condos or apartments downtown, it's just office buildings. Kind of like Boston used to be around State Street or Toronto currently, the business district is dead.

I'd say Buffalo has more action than Cleveland or Detroit, but less than Pittsburgh or Milwaukee.

I must have been in the business area cause it sounds exactly like you described