Jon and the Buffalo Bills
 

Interesting letter from Jon to the Buffalo Bills fans:

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bi...bills-20140803

The part that buffles me is this:

"My family and I are prepared to make this life-changing commitment to be part of the Bills. This is not a hobby or an acquisition. Building a winner on and off the field will be job one and I intend to spend as much time on the ground in Buffalo as needed to accomplish that goal."

Job one? Doesn't sound like he's ever gonna invest as much time into making music and/or touring again like he did in the past :-(

Ohhh woooow!!!So he cares more about football than about music? I've never ever seen this one coming. Come on - now we have it black on white. The last album and tour were just lame excuses to get the spare cash he needed. And Richie is the evil guy...Bleah. Makes me sick.

I really can't understand the mind-set of someone who wants to buy a random football team unless it was one you supported.
How can you call yourself a Giants fan but then go all out to buy another team you have no connections with from the same city.
I know in America it's different to what we're used to in the UK. Football in the UK is not about the 'franchise' (unless your the MK Dons)! The clubs are very much a community thing and you support them for life however shit the teams are. If your a Birmingham fan and you were a billionaire you wouldn't then go and try and buy Aston Villa as you would never be accepted. (Although it's clear Jon won't be accepted but for different reasons).
He also always used to say when he owned the Soul that he would never by an NFL team because they are already well established and he wouldn't be able to have the influence over it.
It's hard to see what exactly his motivations are for this. Is it just a vanity project?

Good grief man.

:D arrg fair enough. I got over it very quickly - just proves I don't really care. And come on - what is the famous quote from Jon: "When my peers waned to be on the cover of Circus or Kerrang! I wanted to be on the cover of TIME". One step closer. Again - kudos to him. He is so rich and famous and respected outside the music industry, why try harder to prove something musically. There's nothing to prove. He's done and dusted. He was the greatest frontman in the world for about 2 years at the end of the 80s and maybe for another year in the middle of the 90s. No one can ever touch that. He can't touch it himself. And I'd rather he stopped all together with the music than having to listen to his embarrassing little pub band gigs he does with the KOS. Music is not his priority any more and I totally respect it (and against what I said before, it does NOT make me sick). However, what does make me feel uneasy is the fact that we were sold an album and a tour as part of a creative and expressive artistic process - when it was just a big 'cash-in' exercise. Jon must think 'Look at those ****ers! They fell for it!'. Again, I say this with all sympathy.

Aloha !

No, it gives him a steady financial income when he's not touring/recording and doing whatever he was good at. Seriously, when has Jon ever had any integrity? If it makes money, Jon's willing to do it. It just needs to make him loads and loads of money, and buying a team might just do that. Who gives a shit what team it is, it just needs to be one that's relatively close to his own house.

I mean, just look at the Arab buying Man City. Pumped lots of money in the team and it's suddenly one of the better/best teams in the U.K. A better team will lead to more sponsors, will lead to more money will mean his business will do better. I very much doubt Jon's making any financial decisions himself but he'll love to brag about owning a team and go around saying he's the quarterback of the whole thing.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

And if it does not work out it helps to safe taxes pays

They'll make a film about this one day. The crippled ex rockstar who wants one more shot of hitting the big time. The locals are unsure at first but JBJ's charisma and blinding white teeth win them over in the end and Jon takes the Buffalo Bills to the Superbowl. But at half time the bills are down ten points. The team are dejected and coach Buck doesn't know how to turn the game around against the mighty Boston Beavers. That's when Jon (played by Al Pacino) bursts into the dressing room and performs a stomping version of This Is Our House which reduces grown men to tears. The team immediately take the energy and power from Jon's performance and go on to win the game 123-10. The team are then renamed the Bongiovi Pasta Sauce Bills and everyone is fine with it because Jon saved them from mediocrity.

It has Oscar written all over it.

Aloha !

:D

Jon won't be played by Al Pacino. Jon's ego way too big for that. The only person capable of playing Jon is Jon himself. And he'll then win 5 razzies.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Bon Jovi says his objective is for Bills to succeed in Buffalo

John Wawrow

CANTON, Ohio — The Associated Press

Published Sunday, Aug. 03 2014, 10:55 AM EDT

Last updated Sunday, Aug. 03 2014, 1:04 PM EDT

Jon Bon Jovi is hoping he’s written a hit with Buffalo Bills fans in a bid to stem concerns of whether his prospective ownership group plans to buy and potentially relocate the franchise to Toronto.

In a letter published by the Buffalo News on Sunday, Bon Jovi wrote that it’s his ownership group’s objective “to make the Bills successful in Buffalo.” The letter, titled “Why We’re Bidding on the Buffalo Bills,” marks the first time the New Jersey rocker has publicly discussed his plans regarding the franchise.
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The team is for sale after Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson died in March.

“There has been a lot of conjecture, so we think it’s important to clarify our intentions to the fans of the team and people of Buffalo,” Bon Jovi wrote. “I know how much the Bills mean to the people of this region. So I want you to hear this from me: I’m not risking it all to let you down. If we are given the chance to be the next owners of the Buffalo Bills, I promise you that we will bring the same passion that you do every Sunday, every day.”

Calling it his intention to “carry on Ralph Wilson’s legacy” in Buffalo, Bon Jovi said his group is committed to working with state and local officials and the business community to identify a new stadium site in the region.

At no point in the seven-paragraph letter does Bon Jovi name his two partners or mention they are both from Toronto. His group is rounded out by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the Rogers family which controls Rogers Communications.

The Toronto group’s intentions have been met with skepticism in Buffalo.

Two weeks ago, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told The Associated Press that he has no doubts regarding the group’s long-term intentions to move the team to Toronto.

Under their lease that runs through the 2022, the Bills are essentially locked into playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium through the 2019 season. There is a one-time exception that would allow them to break the agreement for just under $28.4 million in 2020.

The deal also includes a strict non-relocation clause in which the Bills — including Wilson’s estate — are not allowed to negotiate with anyone, who to their knowledge, has an intention of relocating the team during the term of the lease.

The Bills Fan Alliance, a group of fans and business leaders, questioned Bon Jovi’s intentions in a statement released Sunday.

“While we appreciate his sentiment, it’s worth noting that nowhere in his letter does he write or directly state that he will ’not move the Bills from Buffalo,“’ wrote the Alliance’s directors, Matt Sabuda, Brian Cinelli and Steve Brady.

The group urged Bon Jovi to back up his statements with actions by signing a binding pre-purchase agreement to waive the one-year buyout clause.

“Anything short of formal action taken on their part will be viewed as nothing more than rhetoric,” the Alliance directors wrote.

Fans have also organized a ban on Bon Jovi music being played in Buffalo. The group has printed T-shirts and posters with the motto: “Bon Jovi Free Zone.”

Numerous fans were spotted wearing the shirts and carrying placards at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies on Saturday night, when former Bills receiver Andre Reed was among the seven inductees.

Reed is a member of the Fan Alliance. He drew cheers during his induction speech by saying: “Oh yeah, and the Bills will stay in Buffalo, too.”

NHL Buffalo Sabres owner Terry and Kim Pegula and New York real estate mogul Donald Trump are also in the running to buy the Bills.

Prospective groups are set to begin making formal bids to buy the team in the coming weeks. A potential owner could be identified by as early as Labor Day.

The Bills most recently were valued by Forbes at $870 million but are expected to sell for at least $1 billion, partly because NFL teams rarely go on the market.

In his letter, Bon Jovi noted his interest in buying an NFL franchise grew when he founded the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He sold his interests in the team a few years ago.

“My family and I are prepared to make this life-changing commitment to be part of the Bills,” Bon Jovi wrote. “This is not a hobby or an acquisition. Building a winner on and off the field will be job one, and I intend to spend as much time on the ground in Buffalo as needed to accomplish that goal.”

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