Buffalo Bills fans are already lashing out at the team for the exorbitant price of a personal seat license, and now, a case has been filed against the State of New York over the use of public taxpayer funds for the new Bills stadium.
According to the Yonkers Times, a lawsuit was filed by Westchester residents Tony Futia and Bob Schulz, as well as two other New Yorkers, against the State of New York, arguing that the state and Erie County violated the NYS Constitution by using public funds towards the stadium.
The suit cites Article VII-Section 8.1 and Article VIII, Section 1 of the NYS Constitution, which “prohibits the giving or lending of State and County money “in aid of any…private corporation…or private undertaking…” While New York courts have rejected the argument — and a lower court dismissed the case — the United States Supreme Court has accepted the case.
The USSC asked for a rebuttal to the filing by the State of New York, though the Solicitor General for New York, Barbara Underwood, filed a documents to waive the state’s right to submit a response. Although the USSC has the case on a docket, they must decide if and when they would like to hear arguments from the case. If they do proceed, the court will ask from briefs from both sides, as well as an oral argument in front of the court.
If the USSC decides the case is timely, the justices would hear the case before the summer recess. However, the case might not even get that far, as the USSC could decline to move forward altogether.
Shulz, however, told the Yonkers Times that in his 45 years of experience working on cases like these, he’s “never felt so confident.”
“The USSC only hears cases that are unique, where important Constitutional rights and arguments have not yet been made,” Shulz said. “I feel very confident that whey are going to hear the case.”
Additionally, Futia told the publication that most New Yorkers don’t realize that the public financing for stadiums used for private use is illegal in the state, and the state funding for the new stadium was included in last year’s state budget.
Already, work has begun on the Bills’ new stadium in Orchard Park. The new facility is going to have a capacity of up to 62,000 with an open-air plan and will be built on a 242-acre site, which will make it the biggest project constructed in Western New York. It will replace the Bills’ current home, Highmark Stadium which dates back to 1973, as the option of renovation was put aside due to high cost.
| READ: High Demand Increases Buffalo Bills Season Ticket Prices |
Fans are outraged at the news, considering that personal seat license prices are already sky-high. Bills fans reported that they will be paying between $15,000 and $50,000 for a PSL fee. This poses the question of why the team would charge such high PSL fees when the state has already allocated $600 million and Erie County put aside $250 million for the stadium.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Bills fans would see an increase in ticket prices this year following a record-setting season. According to the team, ticket prices will rise by an average of 10%. General admission packages are going for an average of $1,146 for a 10-game package (two preseason and eight regular season), while club packages will cost an average price of $3,180. Single-game tickets are reportedly costing fans 77% more than the season ticket cost.
During the 2023 season, the Bills sold 63,767 season tickets, which just beat the previous year’s sales of 62,302. The team had an average attendance of 70,615 in 2023 (including preseason) — an increase from 70,428 in 2022.
| READ: New Buffalo Bills Stadium PSLs Will Lock Some Members Out |
These prices, however, are locking out some longtime fans. In an opinion piece published by a Buffalo Bills fan last year, Jacqueling DeChiaro shared the story of her family and its relationship with the team, dating back to the club’s early years. While they are longtime fans, the seats she currently holds are projected to have a PSL price of $16,500 per seat, and a single-game ticket price of $450 each. That means a PSL fee of just shy of $50,000, just to buy seats she has already “owned” (and would still have to pay for).
The story is a familiar one to fans across North America, as prices have continued to spiral to what many consider out of control levels.
