Bills, Bills, Bills - Shawn's Sense with Shawn Loughlin

There is a quotation that I likely cite far too often. However, as the rich get richer and the power in the world is getting increasingly centralized in the hands of a few, it really does seem to be more and more relevant as the weeks and months go on. The quote comes from famed television executive Don Ohlmeyer and it goes a little something like this: “the answer to all of your questions is money.”

 

This, it feels, is especially true these days in the era of Donald Trump and his cabinet of billionaires, the world’s first trillionaire and more. But, for me in the past few weeks, this came about with all of the talk of the Buffalo Bills introducing the singing of the Canadian national anthem before its home opener the other night against the Detroit Lions.

 

Now, not to be cynical to the point of distaste, but I couldn’t help but wonder what the real motivation was behind wanting to do this. Buffalo is just a stone’s throw from the newly-minted Lake America, of course, and the Lions are another border city - sharing the shores of Lake Erie with Buffalo - and while we’ve heard from border-town residents of their love for Canada over and over again, the owner of a National Football League team - Terry Pegula, get this, a billionaire - is usually focused on profits and winning. So, why the change of heart? Was he visited by three Canadian ghosts in the night? Leonard Cohen, Catharine O’Hara and Norm Macdonald offering him poutine, butter tarts and back bacon as he tried to sleep? Or - hear me out - was he looking at a hit to his pocketbook?

 

Between 10 and 15 per cent of Bills’ season ticket holders are Canadian and 20 per cent of those on the season ticket holder waiting list are Canadian. That doesn’t even account for the gameday fans who stream across the border for games on Sunday. Perhaps that particular stream is drying up a bit and Pegula thought that extending a Barenaked Ladies-shaped olive branch northward might be the key to once again unlocking those sweet Canadian profits. 

 

So far, Canadians have eaten it up. They’ve deemed the Buffalo Bills as classy neighbours on whom they knew they could always rely. And yet, for me, it feels a little bit business-y. Michael Jordan - the best basketball player of all time and the man who revolutionized the world of running shoes - famously said, when asked about his politics, that “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” 

 

Now, I’ve been to Bills games. I’ve been there at least four or five times, including for the season opener and for Monday Night Football and have had nothing but a good time. I’ve always found the people of Buffalo to be lovely. So, this isn’t a shot at them, it’s more of a continuation of the age-old story that no business person - at least above a certain level - does anything unless it’s profitable. If, all of a sudden, Canadians feel a little less guilty about crossing the border for a Bills game this season, the money paid to the Barenaked Ladies for that opening night ditty will feel like peanuts in the grand scheme of things and Pegula’s savvy move will have done its job.

 

It should also be noted that the Buffalo Sabres (I’ve also been over to a Sabres game as well) have made our anthem part of their pre-game ritual for years. Hockey is clearly a much more Canadian sport, so maybe it makes a little more sense, or maybe it’s an acknowledgement that our funny, colourful Canadian Tire money does a pretty good job of paying the bills down south as well.