“What About The L.A. Buccaneers?”
August 26th, 2011
Longtime Orlando Sentinel columnist and Orlando sports radio host Mike Bianchi has ripped off a pointed blast at the Tampa Bay area and its fans, calling out national media types for suggesting the Jacksonville Jaguars are doomed to relocate to Los Angeles when it’s the Buccaneers that are the stain on Florida’s NFL landscape.
“What about the L.A. Buccaneers?” Bianchi writes. You can raise your blood pressure and read the whole thing by clicking through the link above.
What troubled Joe most is the revelation of further evidence of the Bucs’ falling off the media radar in Orlando. The Orlando Sentinel abandoned daily beat coverage of the Bucs before the 2010 season. And Bianchi claims the Bucs have no local radio outlet in town.
“The fan apathy toward the Bucs is even more baffling because Tampa has always fancied itself as a football town. But I would argue Jacksonville is much more passionate about its perennially mediocre Jags than the Bucs are about one of the hottest young teams in the NFL.
“Here’s all you need to know about how far the Bucs’ popularity has fallen not only in Tampa but throughout Central Florida: As I am writing this column, the Bucs do not even have a radio outlet to broadcast their games in the Orlando market. Radio stations in Orlando used to fight over the Bucs, but now the team has gone through much of the preseason without its games being broadcast in this thriving market.”
Now Joe hasn’t confirmed whether or not the Bucs can be heard in Orlando via radio, but they aren’t carried by either of the two top sports stations in the market. And that’s rather sad. On his radio show, Bianchi interviewed CBSports.com NFL writer Pete Prisco yesterday and the Bucs weren’t even discussed, as if they weren’t coming off a 10-6 season and played 90 miles away.
Frankly, Joe believes Orlando media types are just extraordinarily bitter that the Bucs pulled out of holding their training camp at Disney World. And they’re under the false notion that fans out there don’t care about the Bucs anymore because the team doesn’t sweat there in August.
As for the the Bucs moving to Los Angeles, Bianchi’s a bozo and might want to treat his readers by investing a few minutes to find something to write about that might actually happen.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
How about LABucsFan?
August 26th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
So…. why don’t we cover up some seats with tarps?
Anyone?
August 26th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
First let me start off by saying I am not from Florida, rather Kansas. With that being said it is sickening to watch the game every week and see 2/3 of the stadium full when the team is brimming with talent and potential and the locals could care less, and have a “Ill show up when were relevant again” attitude. I made it to the 1srlt preseason game and unfortunatlly it will be the only one I make this year because of location. But if LA is willing yo support the team, why not? If Tampa isn’t willing to support its team go elsewhere. Kansas City is probably about the same size city as Tampa and the Chiefs have one of the most devoted fan bases in the NFL, even though they haven’t been relavant in years. If moving it what it takes, by all means do it!
August 26th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
jax had no black outs last year. ’nuff said.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Bianchi is a troller. All he ever does is write flamboyant crap to get a rise out of people (makes sense that he has become an local radio host a la Deumig and Scilio). He spends most of his time writing about how awful USF is as well and how our fans are a problem and USF is the reason that UCF hasn’t been invited into a BCS conference yet.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
If you look at the 3rd rate orlando sentinel you will see that it is giving far more coverage to the dolphins and Jags than the Buc’s. They ignore the Ray’s and the Bolt’s as well but give at least two pages daily to high school sports.
The type is so small, box scores can not be read without the aid of a magnifier.
Usually boxes are a day late as well. Orlando is an emerging city but they need a first class paper, first class broadcast stations and real reporters. Bianchi and others show lack of class when they fail to support the Tampa Bay Area teams because of an apparent envy.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
I used to live in Orlando. Bianchi used to say the “Orlando” Buccaneers when writing. He’s a jackass.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
The article makes a few good points and to dismiss them because the bucs don’t train at disney is dumb. In the jacksonville market, untill 2 years ago, the bucs were the fox game but they have switched to the falcons now. It is sad that the BUCS are the least atteneded game in the entire nfl.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
I moved to Tampa from Orlando last year and Bianchi used to slobber all over the Bucs. What a two-faced jerk. There’s loads of Bucs fans in Orlando. No question about it.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
The bottom line here is that this guy is right about Bucs fans being some of the worst in the NFL. It pains me to say that as a fan, but to be honest and looking at this from an unbiased view, our fan base is a complete joke. While most fans don’t want to think this way, it is what it is. I’m actually embarrased for our players. But as for the Bucs moving to LA, there is no way that will ever happen.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
trolling for attention at its finest……
August 26th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
We have four season tickets for the bucs. We drive from Fort Myers for every game. A total 4 plus hour round trip. It is sad to see an empty seats at a buc game. I pray this is the year the ends our black outs. Our future pro bowl players are on the field….we need to support them!!,,,
p.s. We need a new players with sound effects like the a-train whistle or a cadilac screeching tires……even ruuuuuuuuuuuuud. Maybe we can play funeral music for the grim reaper.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Jrock:
Blackouts are honorable compared to that stunt.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Who gives a rats ass? It’s Orlando for Christ Sake! If it weren’t for Mickey Mouse they’d be nothing more than Orange Groves not to mention it’s the most PLASTIC City in America! The fact that the Sentinel continually bad mouths the BUCS and the Tampa Bay Area in general just proves their bad case of ***** Envy!
August 26th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Joe –
I can appreciate that Bianchi might be a bozo, but I’ve been wondering why the Bucs are never in the LA discussion myself. I lived in Tampa for 15 years, and even though I now live in LA, I’d be distraught to see my old hometown team leave Florida – even if it meant they became my new hometown team.
I haven’t run across a headline in the archives that jumps out to me as a “this is why the Bucs would not move to Los Angeles” article – so, what are the reasons the Bucs would not move? The Glazers seem savy enough to me that if they continue to have issues selling tickets in this market with a winning (and exciting) product on the field, they’d be the first in line to move and raise the value of the franchise exponentially in a larger market.
I’m not trying to hate – I’m just looking for the reasons.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
First off, piss off Travis. I feel better. Orlando is just mad we dont hold our trainning camp out there anymore. But this guy has a point I dont know about the rest of you fellow buc followers, but every day I-4/275 and 75 are jammed packed. Tampa’s community has jobs. You cant whine about the blackouts if you did not but a ticket. C’mon man buy a ticket, take the family to a game. Otherwise this jackass in Orlando trash talk could be a reality. Tampa….BAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 26th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
I like how “Travis” glossed right over the fact that Joe mentions in his article that the “historic” KC Chiefs are having problems selling tickets too. As to the folks that claim we have some of the “worst” fans, it’s such a tired and ridiculous argument. When the Buc’s had an established winner and the economy was thriving there were thousands on the season ticket waiting list. Several years of losing and a bad economy attendance goes down, that’s not the “fanbase” that’s just sports in any city in America. My family has had Buc’s season tickets since the Ray Perkins days, and we have considerably more fans now then we had then even in down years. Also, please spare me the Yankees, Jets, Red Sox, and other large market garbage about how they support their teams no matter what and always sell out because that is a total fabrication. Back in the early 90s you could walk up game day and buy all the tickets you wanted from the box office to Red Sox/Patriot games. They started selling out when they started winning/winning often.
The fact is these larger market teams with larger historic fanbases can support their teams a little better in the attendance category, is because they literally have more physical bodies (Multi-million person cities) to attend the games, added with multiple generations of fans passed down from their parents parents that also broadens their base. The Bucs will be fine; they sure as hell ain’t going to L.A., and with Freeman and Co. a season ticket waiting list will be back in a few years, mark my words. Sports like life/economics has it’s peaks and valleys, the Buc’s are no different.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Ouck Frlando.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Living on the east coast near the 740 am station and reading the Orlando Sentinel quite a bit I can tell you Bianchi is an idiot and always has been plain and simple. Tune in some time to hear his stupidity.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Travis and others that think we suck as fans
So, the waiting list for season tickets in 2007, that was 100,000 plus, was a farce?
I had season tickets for several years, at different times, in the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, but with this economy and hours cut, I just can’t afford it anymore.
BTW KC Chiefs are 16 years older than the Bucs.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Chris:
Team Glazer has a sweetheart stadium deal.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Hey Joe, Bianchi as shortsighted as he is does bring up a GREAT point. On the east coast we now have NO radio station to pickup the games. I know a ton of Buccaneer fans but that is embarrassing!!!! Anyone know why the Bucs can put their games on ANY Orlando stations???????? Its frustrating enough to be blacked out but to not even be able to listen to it is unbelievable.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
i live in St.Louis and pray every night that the Rams (or Lambs as i call them) move back to LA. i wish i could go to every Bucs game but the commute would be a hassle lol. what about the St.Louis Bucs? j/k BUC IT IM OUT!!!!!!!!
August 26th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I’m from Tampa, however I live in the DC area. I’m a buccaneer fan tried and true. I make sure I make it to every game the Bucs play at FedEx field. If I was in Tampa I would try to make every home game as well, that being said I’m not ready to criticize the fans in Tampa. Yes there are knuckleheads who refuse to go to games for silly reasons but there are far more “true” fans. I know there are a lot of people who like to compare the Redskins fans and many other teams fans to the Buccaneer’s fans but that is ridiculous. Let’s compare Tampa to where I live. First of all the unemployment rate is much lower. Second of all this is a tourist town. Third of all there are many businesses here that have season tickets. Fourth the Skins have been around forever. And lastly, the most important thing, MASS TRANSIT! I can take the train anywhere in DC I want to go. I can park at the metro station for free on Sundays take the train 2 stops for 1.85 per trip. When I go to the games in Tampa it is a damn hassle between traffic and parking, not to mention the expense of parking. The Metro extends into VA and MD, so the Skins have a district and 2 states worth of fans to draw from. Tampa has a few cities and many of the Tampa fans live in other states such as myself. My point in this is that I wish people would stop blaming the fans, and quit blowing the attendance out of proportion because everyones circumstance is different.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Nick2:
All Bucs games, no matter where you live, are available on SiriusXM Radio, all with Gene Deckerhoff.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I hope it’s not true but believe it a possibility. If the Glazer kids determine that it would be more profitable for them to give up their stadium deal to capture the bigger market revenues. Adios.
They do not care about this market. Further, it is possible that the hiring of rah, refusal to utilize free agents, decision to stop buying unsold tickets to avoid blackouts, exporting home games to London – were all done to create apathy and an excuse to consider LA.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
I’ll tell you guys one thing, if the Bucs have a down year and only win 6 or 7 games (I don’t think that’ll happen, this is a what-if situation) then the attendance is absolutely screwed. People will say “I told you so! The Bucs are frauds they only won because of easy schedule, I’m not paying for that stuff!” The Bucs NEED a successful season this year more than I can ever remember in order to sell fans on the product. A 10 win season this year will validate what Raheem and Mark have built here. They don’t even need to make the playoffs, just win 9 or 10 games and in my opinion you’ll sell a lot more people.
I’m a fan with a lot of friends that are Bucs fans, and I can tell you for a fact that A LOT of people do not believe that last year was legit. They just don’t buy it. A winning year this year will remedy that problem, and sell a lot of tickets next year. I think a fast start would sell tickets later in the year as well.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Hell, if we have a good season this year we may even get that clown Thomas to go to a game! Wouldn’t that be wild?
August 26th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
And mike florio thinks that they are bound for London. Interesting. . .
August 26th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Anyone who talks about the Bucs moving has no clue about the lease the Bucs have… it would be impossible for the Bucs to break that lease. Add in the massive investment made in the training facility (paid for in part by the Community Incestment Tax) – and its not even a question of “if” the Bucs would ever move in the next decade. Its simply not possible. It is a non-story. Jacksonville is also a non-story.
The only teams that could even consider moving to L.A. are teams that have the ability to get out of leases – like the Chargers, Vikings and Raiders.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Leases are broken everyday. May there penalties? Possibly. Until you have read and researched the lease, you have no clue.
August 26th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
“All Bucs games, no matter where you live, are available on SiriusXM Radio, all with Gene Deckerhoff.”
With a 5 Min delay. Also 620 talks up the iHeart Radio App, but neither 620 or 103.5 transmit the play-by-play during the game, over the internet. i asked them why, but the never replied to me. Can’t understand why they wouldn’t want out of town fans to tune in, I’ve had to resort to listening to the other Team’s feed, & that’s a royal pain.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Clear Channel — which owns IHearthRadio — doesn’t have the rights to retransmit NFL broadcasts on IHeartRadio or online. NFL.com, Verizon and Sirius have the exclusive online/app rebroadcast rights.
That wasn’t the issue. The issue was why someone couldn’t get the radio broadcast in Orlando. It’s already available. If people want to synch the audio with the video, that should be easy to do with a DVR.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
How many times does an NFL team have to fail in LA for owners to understand they couldn’t care less about football? Football is a blue collar sport in their very large white collar city!
August 26th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Every small market NFL team is starting to feel the pinch (exept the Packers) You might not see blackouts this year, but they are coming in the very near future unless they go to a pay per view system.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Thomas,
They do not care about this market? Don’t they have a damn children’s foundation and museum set up in the city? What exactly have you done for the city of Tampa? I would venture to say less than the Glazers. Calling them bad owners is one thing, but saying they don’t care about the community is another thing entirely.
As for them moving to make more money, could you blame them? You claim that there are many fans just like you who refuse to support the Bucs. If this is true, they should move (although I believe the number is very small, just like the number of friends you have). So ultimately, the team would be moving as a result of pieces of trash like you, yet you expect them to support Tampa when you won’t support the team (you have stated many times you can afford tickets). Unbelievable! Sometimes you need to look in the mirror (as scary as that probably is) and stop blaming others.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Joe thinks he scared the neighbor’s dog laughing so loud at that one.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
I actually have studied the lease the Bucs signed – and it is widely regarded as one of the top 5 or 6 leases in the NFL. It is a sweetheart deal for the Bucs and the City of Tampa, the TSA, and the County all bent over backwards for the Bucs.
Should the Bucs ever try to break the lease – they would have to prove in court that they are suffering irreperable damage by being forced to stay in the stadium and the lease. They would have to point to a flaw in the stadium (i.e. luxury boxes) or the lease – and even if they could convince a court to allow them to break the lease – they would have to pay an enormous amount of damages, they would leave behind a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art training facility and headquarters, and they would likely have to give at least 30 percent ownership to the AEG Group (assuming LA is the destination) because that is what AEG is demanding. They also would not have nearly the sweetheart lease with AEG as they do in Tampa.
So before you call me out about the lease – why dont you go study it in more detail like I have.
The Bucs are NOT going anywhere – even if every game is blacked out for the next 10 years. It is a NON-ISSUE.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
We get 103.5 in Orlando. We don’t need the internet to hear the radio broadcast.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Traew: the only interesting point that you have made that I haven’t considered is the training facility. I do not know who owns the land and structure, how it was financed etc. I doubt that a training facility would be a substantial consideration if the remaining part of the deal was considerable enough.
First of all, your facts are mixed-up. No court will permanently stop them from moving their company. A court could hammer them with substantial damages if the lease was wrongfully broken. Nearly all lease disputes are resolved well after the lessee has vacated and the courts don’t force entities to physically stay where the lease provides. I cannot conceive of a way that they could be blocked from moving. They would be taking a huge risk that the damages could be large, but dependent upon the deal they may viewvit worth it.
Do I think a move is likely in the near future? No. Do I think that many of their recent decisions are inconsistent with firing up your fan base and filling your stadium? Yes.
If they have another lackluster year with no playoffs or god-forbid worse, you will see nobody 25k at these games late in the year and the possibilities of this team’s future will be endles.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
And no Hawaiian, I firmly believe that they are free to do anything legal to make more money if that is their priority. It’s their business.
I am not sure that it would be legalnto move the team. Nor would it be legal to intentionally diminish the fan base to create a reason to move. I am not saying they did that but they did admit that their “plan” would be painful – evidencing a knowledge that they would not be good for a while.
If I had Glazer money, I hope that I would do more for the Tampa community (not London). But I will admit that I have no clue what they have and have not done nor do you. For example, they do have a nice children’s museum downtown but I don’t know how much money they donated and whether or not it came with a tax benefit etc. I know that they participate in charitable events but I don’t know how they compare to other NFL / similar size companies with percentage of charitable giving or what percentage goes to Tampa charities.
August 26th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
So basically you have money envy: “If I had Glazer money…”. What percentage of your income do you give to charities? Any charitible event has a tax benefit moron! I feel like I am arguing with a teenager, one who thinks they know everything and is always right. To even suspect they are intentionally diminishing their fanbase is scary stupid, even for you.
More importantly, why don’t you address your flip-flopping on the preseason. I know you saw my post yesterday, yet you choose to run from it like you always do. Man up.
August 26th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Bucnjim Says:
“How many times does an NFL team have to fail in LA for owners to understand they couldn’t care less about football? Football is a blue collar sport in their very large white collar city!”
L.A. is very large… but it’s much more blue-collar than you’d think. The majority of the people who work in the entertainment industry are blue-collar craftspeople or lower middle class desk jockeys.
August 26th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
The Bucs are moving to England. Who else has played 2 games there at the other Glazerhouse stadium. Its as plain as the nose on your face!
August 26th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Thomas –
If a court found that the Bucs were still under a valid lease in Tampa – not only would the team be responsible for the payments due under the lease, as well as all the lost revenue resulting from the relocation, but also for substantial penalties – which would be enormous.
In addition, no other city would ever sign a new lease with a team that is found by a court of law to still be bound to their lease with their former municipality. That city could be found guilty of tortious interference with a valid contract. The Bucs could only relocate if they were able to reach a financial settlement and somehow be allowed out of their lease in court.
And finally, in order to move a franchise in the NFL – you have to be allowed to move by a vote of NFL owners. It requires a 3/4 margin. An NFL team would have to show fellow owners a significant reason to approve such a move – such as below-par stadium that is not financially viable. Simply not selling out games, or worse – just wanting to get richer – would not be enough. The main reason that attendance is down in Tampa is the economy – and that is not a valid reason to break a lease and gain the approval of NFL owners to relocate. Relocation is a last resort for teams that have below par stadiums.
Now – that is just one side of the equation. Getting out of one city.
The other side of the equation is finding a city to go to.
Right now, the only major city in the country that has anywhere near the plans and ability to build an NFL stadium is LA. And they are still a ways off from that. In addition, AEG – the company financing the LA downtown stadium – is requiring a 30 percent stake in any team that relocates to Los Angeles. Free. Just for the right to have the stadium.
No way in hell Glazers agree to that. Why should they?? They have an amazing stadium deal in Tampa already. Simply moving to LA will increase the value of a franchise to some extent – but with the way revenue is shared in the NFL – it really does not matter what market you are in – whether it is Green Bay or New York. Los Angeles has already had two NFL teams leave for much smaller markets (Oakland and St. Louis). It is all about the deal you can strike for a stadium – and the deal the Bucs have in Tampa is one of the best in history.
So honestly — you make it sound like they can just pick up, move, and pay some sort of penalty – and no one can stop them. That is simply not the case at all. Far, far from it.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
BucnJim…Welcome back…While I agree that the NFL has learned that LA is not a good spot for them, it is not a “white coller citty”. Plenty of white coller guys there, but if you have ever been it is also a huge blue coller city. It sucks to get anywhere there though, worst traffic in the country…worse than NYC and Houston.
Bucs are not moving, relax.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Also Thomas, the other owners like Tampa as a Super Bowl City. If you do not know that giant charitble contributions do not come with a giant tax benefit, then you are a fool. Do you really think Bill Gates does not get a huge shelter from the gates Foundation. I know I said I was no longer responding to your stupid arse, but geez man…really…are you kidding or are you really this big of an ass?
August 27th, 2011 at 8:14 am
I dont have that kind of influence for you to suggest that I am responsible for the area’s collective disinterest. I did respond. Haley was not playing at full strength or speed due to injury concerns bc of no offseason and little camp. Rah just senselessly didnt prepare, if you cant see the difference, sorry. Yes, preseason wins and losses and records are meaningless.
August 27th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Apparently teams make quite a bit of money regardless of record. It seems the Bucs may be following the Bengals ‘lose cheap’ model rather than Packers ‘build through the draft’ model. Google “gregg easterbrook tmq How to win big by losing cheaply”.
December 11th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Please let me know how I can help you?