Taking the Tailgate to Toronto

For what seems like forever football fans in Toronto and surrounding areas of Canada have made the Sunday pilgrimage to Buffalo to tailgate and watch the Buffalo Bills play. The tailgate is a huge draw for scores of Canadian fans I've visited with since the CFL just doesn't have the tailgate culture the NFL (or America) has.

Now they can tailgate on their home asphalt.

The NFL announced today that the Bills are going to play an annual regular season game in Toronto beginning this year.

In his pre-Super Bowl address to reporters, (Commissioner Roger) Goodell said the Bills' plan, first presented to league owners in October, "was done thoughtfully to help regionalize the team even more broadly.

"I think this will be great for all fans because I think it will give the opportunity for the people of Toronto to have a game in their market and it will also give Buffalo Bills fans a chance to go to that game," he said in Phoenix.

The news brought cheers north of the border, but Toronto's FAN 590 radio station hit fans with some reality, too:


The station also reported that the average ticket price for games will be $250, and buyers would have to buy tickets for all eight games to be played in Toronto through 2012.

That's a significant increase over ticket prices at Ralph Wilson Stadium, which average about $46 each.

Wow! That's the cost of a playoff game ticket.

Even so, I think this is a good move for the NFL and may pave the way for the often-rumored NFL team for Toronto to become reality.

Source: FOXSports.com