• Loading stock data...
Friday, November 8, 2024
DEADLINE EXTENDED: The Best Employers in Sports survey is now open through Nov. 13 Learn More

Goodell: No Stadium Groundbreaking ‘More Meaningful’ Than Bills

  • Event formally begins development on $1.54 billion project
  • Team seals naming rights extension with Highmark
Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills formally broke ground on their new $1.54 billion stadium in Orchard Park on Monday, officially launching a project big on both dollars and emotions.

The stadium — set to open in 2026 and whose development involved more than two years of political wrangling – includes $850 million in money from the state of New York and Erie County, the second-largest public subsidy ever for an NFL stadium behind the newly finalized Tennessee Titans project.

For NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, though, the event meant much more given his own Western New York upbringing: “I’ve been to a lot of groundbreaking ceremonies in my time at the NFL, and none of them are more meaningful.”

Bills owner Terry Pegula followed with his own tearful remembrance of victims of last year’s deadly mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.

The stadium represents a major asset for the Bills — who play in the NFL’s second-smallest media market — to remain economically competitive.

New Building, Same Name

The $690 million contribution to the stadium project from the Bills and the NFL will be buttressed by a newly finalized extension of the team’s existing stadium naming rights deal with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. The new facility will be called Highmark Stadium, the name of the Bills’ current home since 2021.

Highmark had first right of refusal to keep the naming rights. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“It was really important for us to have that continuity,” said Ron Raccuia, Bills’ executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Brett Favre and Donald Trump

What Donald Trump’s Win Means for Welfare Probe, Brett Favre

Favre spoke at Trump’s rally last week in Green Bay, Wis.

NFL TV Ratings: Can Amazon Keep Up Record ‘TNF’ Pace?

Thursday night games are averaging 13 million viewers.

Chiefs Eye Perfect Season, Three-Peat, and Capitalizing Off the Field

Despite injuries and an abnormally low average margin of victory, the wins keep coming for Kansas City.

CFP’s 12-Team Debut: How NIL, Realignment Shape the Bracket

Miami is ranked No. 4 as aggressive NIL spending has no doubt helped the Hurricanes to their 9–0 start.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Joey Logano Talks NASCAR vs. F1, Pursuing Third Championship

0:00

Featured Today

NFL Center Connor McGovern Is the Heir to a Potato Empire

The NFL vet’s family provides potatoes for McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and others.
Vanderbilt Commodores fans head to the south end zone as the goal post is taken down by exuberant fans after beating No. 1 Alabama 40-35 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
opinion
November 2, 2024

Something New in College Football This Year: Parity

Upsets, surprises. CFB is more fun on the field than the NFL.
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump waves flanked by former Georgia Bulldogs player Herschel Walker, recording art Kid Rock, professional golfer John Daily, Alabama senators Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R) during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
November 1, 2024

Mission Swing State: College Football’s Political Advertising Battle

Trump, Harris, and the PACs that support them are utilizing the sport.
October 31, 2024

The Untapped Revenue ‘Powder Keg’ of Women’s NFL Fandom

There’s a “boatload” of money at stake for brands and the league.

Cardinals Return to DSG at Reduced Fee, but Company’s Issues Remain

The team’s revised rights deal includes a lowered fee and newly added streaming rights.
November 5, 2024

Sorry, Sacramento: Your MLB Team Will Only Be Known As the Athletics 

The club’s new “brand transition guidelines” remove any reference to a place.
November 5, 2024

Twins At Crossroads: Team Sale, Media Shifts, and Rising Competition

Team officials look to maintain “business as usual” amid growing uncertainty.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
November 3, 2024

Embiid’s Clash With Reporter Sparks NBA Probe, Concerns for Sixers

The former NBA Most Valuable Player angrily confronts and shoves a local columnist.
October 26, 2024

Las Vegas Aces Cut GM Amid Front-Office Restructuring

The 2022 and 2023 champions lost to the Liberty in the WNBA semifinals.
October 25, 2024

Inside The Wall at L.A. Clippers’ New $2B Home

FOS went inside the “contagious” energy at the L.A. Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run with New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino (left) and pitcher Jose Quintana (right) in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field.
October 24, 2024

OMG: Indie Designers Cashed In on the Most Gimmicky Mets Season Ever

The Mets’ meme-laden season lives on well beyond their playoff run.