New Stadium, who Dis? // By: Siclari // Sports

Why cant we have nice things? 

I don't get it. I am sick and tired of the "Blue Collar", we don't need nice things attitude that has been attributed to Buffalo. I like winning and good players. I don't need a player to be "...a hard worker who pulls up their sleeves and tries real hard". Yes, those things are important but it comes down to one thing, can said athlete play at a high level in their respective sport? I feel like this mentality is seeping into the new stadium talks.

"We don't need a new stadium downtown, the stadium is fine the way it is". -Random person I heard at the bar last weekend. Really? It is? Have you visited stadiums across the league? New Era Field needs a lot of work. It is not fine the way it is. I am leaning slightly towards downtown for reasons not to do with football, besides that I would be ok with Orchard Park or another location close to where it is now. I just want a NEW stadium. Why am I leaning downtown you ask? In a previous post I stated how much I hate the Subway system in Buffalo. If the stadium goes downtown there will have to be changes made to fix that problem with the influx of people entering the city. That is the #1 reason why I want the stadium downtown. Ill also add I think a new stadium would add a splash of color to the brown, dark, 1970's skyline Buffalo has going on right now. 

Its hard for me to talk about "tax payer dollars" and how much it will cost because that information is not available yet, but I am ok with it. I have been preaching I want Buffalo to become a better city, and I want more for this city. I understand those things cost more. Going back to the opening statement, how could you not want something nice for this city? How are you ok with the brown, small, enclosed concourses we have now? Wouldn't it be nice to have a State of the art video board? Not 2 small ones and 1 big one? Imagine an all glass dome right next to Key Bank Center? It would look amazing. Completely change the look of Buffalo. I will say, Tim Hortons raised their prices by .11cents. Tim Horton serves 2 Billion cups of coffee a year. Times that by .11cents. That .11cents has not stopped Tim Horton lines from being 20 cars deep in the morning. Do I think the Pegulas and the NFL should pay for it, 100%. I'm just trying to show how much money can be raised by only .11cents. 

The big complaint I hear about a downtown stadium is "It will ruin tailgating". I don't think it will. Rather than a large lot where everyone stands around it will be in parking lots and a little spread out. Most fans don't wander around the lots, you find your friends and you stay in 1 location. Tailgating is all about the fans and how they party. I don't think it matters where Bills Mafia is, they will party just as hard. 

*Picture below is my friends and I partying in parking lot at a downtown stadium, we're still having fun*

Lets have nice things! Lets get a multi-use stadium downtown. Lets shed this old, poduck, blue collar, its cute that they're there but they will never do anything aroma that we have. I am not saying we need this to succeed, i.e. Cleveland, but it would be nice for once, just once.