As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

The Bills are targeting southern Ontario in a far deeper way, formally aligning with Canada’s most powerful sports entity to expand their footprint there.

The NFL team and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment formally unveiled a multifaceted deal Tuesday, one aimed at enlarging the Bills’ presence in the province and promoting American football in Canada.

Before this, the Bills have long sought to have deeper ties in Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe region that stretches around the west side of Lake Ontario. The team in particular played a series of games at Rogers Centre between 2008 and 2013, but that pact was not renewed amid waning game attendance there and rising questions about the Bills’ long-term future in western New York.

The new pact, however, arrives in the midst of a much stronger and more secure status for both entities. The Bills are in the midst of building a $2.1 billion stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., formally putting any relocation rumors to rest. MLSE, meanwhile, is now majority owned by Rogers Communications, forming one of the most powerful sports ownership entities anywhere in the world. 

There is also now greater clarity surrounding the Bills’ marketing rights with the 2022 debut of the NFL’s Global Markets Program. Toronto is within the 75-mile radius of the NFL team’s normal territories for home marketing, but the international border created some questions for the Bills. As of May, Canada is a designated territory of the Bills in that international program, creating a clear platform for the Bills to conduct various business and fan development activities there. 

Initial plans include youth camps, watch parties, and merchandise collaborations, among other efforts. When including the Toronto area, the Bills’ market territory transcends from one of the NFL’s smallest to one covering one of the most populous areas in North America.

“Canada, Ontario, and specifically the [Toronto area] will play an even more significant role as we look to grow the Bills’ international fan base, starting right here in our backyard,” Bills COO Pete Guelli said Tuesday at an event at BMO Field. That venue is the home of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC, controlled by MLSE.

That event also featured former quarterback Doug Flutie, who starred in the 1990s for both the Bills and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, owned by MLSE as well. Also appearing were former Toronto sports stars Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Jozy Altidore, now Bills minority owners.

“To think that the day would come that the Argos and Bills have created a partnership, with MLSE, to grow this incredible game … is truly heartwarming,” MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said. “We are going to grow the game of football using the power of the Buffalo Bills, the Argos, and of MLSE together.”