I was asked if I was going to talk about Donald Trump’s bid to buy the Buffalo Bills this week and I initially declined to talk about it. I actually declined to talk about any potential buyer for the Buffalo Bills until rumors have turned into substantiated facts and someone actually signs on the dotted line.

What I do want to talk about is the downward spiral our region is going to be dragged into during this entire process. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the only thing of value that we have here in Western New York is the Buffalo Bills. The NFL’s stranglehold on the American psyche means that any city with an NFL team is going to get a lot of attention. When America’s favorite punching bag has its NFL team up for sale, all hell breaks loose.

One thing I do want to say is that everyone needs to lighten up on Jon Bon Jovi. The Buffalo media, so far, has created the illusion that Bon Jovi wants to buy our team and move it to Toronto. The last time this rumor came up, and Bon Jovi himself was asked about it, he said he wasn’t interested in our team. So far, Jon Bon Jovi himself has yet to comment on the latest rumors that he, once again, wants to buy our team and move it to Toronto. Until Bon Jovi himself actually says something, people need to relax.

Here is something else people need to remember: the Bills are here until 2020. I was reading people on Facebook saying that rich people can get around any kind of contract stipulation if they want to. The reason that the Erie County executives are so fond of the new lease is because Ralph Wilson was a very rich man and he knows the tricks that rich men use. Those tricks are countermanded in this new lease and the Bills are not going anywhere until 2021. At that point, all bets are off.

There were rumors that the Bills may want to build their new stadium in Lockport or Niagara Falls. I am uncomfortable with the taxpayers giving one thin dime to a new stadium project when we are currently paying for $265 million in renovations at the Ralph. I am well aware that the newest proposal is going to use mostly private funds. It is the “mostly” part I am concerned about. I would rather see public funds go to businesses that hire local people for high-paying jobs and not kids right out of college who would rather go anywhere but Buffalo.

Western New York is so desperate for a positive national image that we tend to get star-struck with sports celebrities. Look at the commotion caused when Terrell Owens signed with the Bills. Every person who knew anything about football knew that bringing T.O. to Buffalo was a mistake, but the mayor gave T.O. the key to the city. Then T.O. went on to have a terrible season and skipped town as soon as the season ended.

While I would love to warn my fellow WNYers to be careful, I know that warning people will do no good. Is Donald Trump interested in buying the Buffalo Bills? No, he is interested in running for governor. A bid to keep the only New York-based NFL franchise in the state of New York will get him attention and votes.

Let’s be honest; no one outside of WNY cares about us. All of these rich out-of-towners will use the Bills to get national attention. These people will make promises to us they have no intentions on keeping because, in all reality, our opinion and standing in the national community means nothing. Donald Trump can do what he is doing because he knows it will get him attention. It already has. If he hurts us in the process, no one cares but us.

The next owner of the Buffalo Bills will probably be someone we have never heard of. It will be a corporate billionaire who wants to own a sports team and see what he can do with it. Will the Bills be here past 2021? My guess is probably not, even if we build the team a new stadium.

This process of finding a buyer will bring all sorts of celebrities out of the woodwork who want attention. They will use the prospects of buying our team as a headline grabber, make us promises without even looking us in the eye, and then disappear into the night. Our status as star-struck dreamers means that we will fall for everything these people say. It is just the way we are.

In the end, we will get made to look like fools (again) and we will probably lose our team in the process. Whether it is Donald Trump or Jon Bon Jovi, it really doesn’t matter. The truth is that we will become the ignored pawns in a game played by rich and psychotic celebrities, and the local media will keep pushing us until we bust.

We will gain absolutely nothing from this process. We won’t be given any respect, we won’t be given any kind of professional courtesy, and we won’t be shown any kind of mercy. Maybe it is time that we stopped putting our hopes into the promises of celebrities and started fending for ourselves. After all, no matter what Ralph or anyone else says, it is our team.

Nick Oliver is a Niagara County resident, huge Bills fan, and detractor of Donald Trump. His column appears every Wednesday, whether Trump reads it or not. He can be reached at nickoliver@writeme.com.

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