Entries tagged with “Buffalo” from Global Sports Buzz

Syracuse, Binghamton, Cornell, Siena, Niagara and Buffalo could all be in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  What a great year for Division I Upstate New York basketball in a terrible year for the economy.

Although UB needs to win the Mid-American Conference Championship tonight to punch its ticket and Niagara must wait for Selection Sunday, all of the aforementioned teams have had tremendous seasons and deserve to be in the Big Dance.

Even if UB and Niagara do not make it, the economic impact created by the buzz around all these teams will be interesting to measure, especially with the current state of the economy. How many more tickets were sold? How much more merchandise was sold? How many more meals and hotel rooms were sold? How much did applications increase at those schools because of national exposure? How many more dollars did alumni donate?

The answers to the above questions will provide the quantitative proof of the impact of success on the basketball court, but what could be of even more importance is the measurement of the enhancement of community image and visibility. Sports teams are highly visible images of universities, communities, cities and regions. Success of sports teams have proven to provide millions of dollars worth of positive public relations in addition to direct economic dollars.

With Upstate New York, especially Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton, being particularly hard hit during this recession and unemployment approaching double figures in many cities, Division I college basketball success just might be the stimulus package its communities are looking for.

The Buffalo Bills are hopeful to expand their fan base into Canada by playing a preseason and regular season game in Toronto. Most of the Bills fans are located in Central and Western New York and this would be an attempt to capitalize on the close proximity to Toronto. There is a chance that the Bills could play a preseason game in Toronto next season and a regular season game there the year after. This comes a year after Willis McGahee said that the Bills should move to Toronto because he didn't like the city of Buffalo. The Bills have said that this is to expand the fan base and not a first step in relocation.
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SI.com Reports:

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- The Buffalo Bills intend to play a few games in Canada, eh?

That's the plan after the Bills, on Thursday, announced they are seeking approval to play a preseason and at least one regular-season game in Toronto as part of the franchise's attempt to expand its market base beyond western New York.

"The team hopes to capitalize on the increasing interest of fans in the Canadian market by playing a regular season game in Toronto," the Bills announced in a release.

The Bills hope to play a preseason game at Toronto next summer with plans to play a regular-season game as early as 2009. The games would be played at Rogers Center, a downtown stadium with a retractable roof that serves as home to baseball's Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League Argonauts.

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The Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play the first

outdoor game in the United States in N.H.L. history on January 1, 2008, in a game that should have playoff implications. The game should generate media coverage, as it features the Sabres (last years President's Trophy winners) and superstar Sidney Crosby. Not only that, but it should also set the record for highest attendance at a game in N.H.L. history. That bodes well for the Sabres and Penguins financially.

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NEW YORK - The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins will make National Hockey League history on New Year's Day, 2008, when they play in the AMP NHL Winter Classic, the League's first regular-season outdoor game in the United States. The game features several of the game's greatest young stars, including Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, and will be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills.

Attendance at the contest is expected to surpass the NHL single-game record, set Nov. 22, 2003 when the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers drew 57,167 to The Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Ralph Wilson Stadium capacity exceeds 73,000.      Read On...

According to SportsBusiness Daily Pepsi's AMP energy drink will be the title sponsor for the game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. The game will be held at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY on January 1st. This is the second NHL game to be held outside and the attendance could reach 74,000 people. The game will start at 1pm and will be broadcast by NBC in the United States and CBC in Canada.

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Conde Nast Portfolio:  

The citizens of Buffalo will probably need more than energy drink during the scheduled New Year's Day outdoor National Hockey League game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Pepsi's AMP energy drink will title sponsor the outdoor affair on Jan. 1, the league said.

"We're making history with a game that is sure to generate great interest and excitement," said Ralph Santana, VP of sports, media and interactive marketing, Pepsi-Cola North America. "The incredible energy, power and speed of hockey will be on display, making this event a perfect fit for AMP Energy."

The AMP NHL Winter Classic will feature the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins and be televised by NBC.

"Many of our players have great memories of playing outdoors when they were growing up," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said today. "This game provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase our great players, honor hockey's heritage and ring in the New Year with the best fans in sports."

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