NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is attending the Buffalo Bills – Philadelphia Eagles game in Buffalo today, and stopped to give a few comments on the NFL and its long term plans.
The future of small market teams, and what the new CBA means to the teams in smaller markets like Buffalo, has been much discussed. Goodell commented, “we have a sharing of our revenue that has been expanded from where it was prior to the CBA.”
Goodell referred to the league’s Supplemental Revenue Sharing agreement which enables smaller market teams to receive additional revenue from the higher revenue teams, essentially sharing more of the “non-shared revenue” as defined under the CBA.
“What it means most to fans is competitive balance,” Goodell said. “Teams like Buffalo will have the same ability to be competitive as they are in New York, Chicago or San Francisco.”
While there can be no assurances as to the future, the commissioner expressed strong support for the Bills in Buffalo. “I have every bit of confidence that small market teams are going to continue to be successful,” he said.
“One of the reasons I picked this game to sit out in the stands is because I think it’s a great experience to be here with the Bills fans and the sidelines are great.”
Goodell also discussed the Bills international connection and games in Toronto. “I think we can do it better, and so do the Bills,” he explained. “We want to try and make that better for the fans that go from Buffalo up to the series, and also for the fans there in Toronto.”
“What I think it does, is it regionalizes the team,” he explained. “I see the Toronto series as expanding now into southern Ontario where I think the Bills are selling 15 percent of their tickets into southern Ontario, again that’s helping make the team here be more successful and more stable here in Western New York.”
