The Buffalo Bills, after years of playing home games at the old Highmark Stadium, officially cut the ribbon on their brand-new facility this week.
Several prominent figures spoke at the ceremony, including team owner Terry Pegula, and Mary Wilson, the wife of former owner Ralph Wilson. Oh, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, not exactly the most charismatic or popular politician in the sports world, took the opportunity to try and get the crowd hyped up, even attempting to lead a cheer.
It did not go well.
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Hochul appeared in a Bills hat with team-colored clothing, taking the stage and starting off with a rowdy, “Alright, let’s get this party started, let’s go!” And got what sounded like a handful of clips in return.
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Apparently unable, or unwilling, to take the hint, she kept going, yelling, “Buffalo, let’s go!” and attempting to start a call-and-response chant. She even pointed to different sections of the arena, hoping to coax fans into joining in. They didn’t.
Clearly frustrated by the complete silence, Hochul addressed the crowd directly: “Alright, seriously? You want to win a championship season with that kind of enthusiasm? Men and women of labor, you know what I’m talking about,” before trying to start another chant.
And got nothing in response, again. “We gotta give this place some good karma, right?” she then said, referring to the new $2.1 billion stadium. As if Kathy Hochul is the politician everyone thinks of when they want to bring “good karma” to a new facility.
The Bills will open the 60,000-seat facility with a “Return of the Blue & Red” training camp practice on Aug. 8. The stadium is 99.75% complete, according to Bills Senior Vice President of Design and Stadium Operations Frank Cravotta.
Stadium architects Populous designed the building with underground heating coils to allow the natural grass to avoid freezing, along with lights specifically designed for growing grass. There’s also a snow-melt system, and a canopy that blocks wind to keep fans more comfortable during the brutal Buffalo winters.
Sounds like a pretty fantastic facility. As long as Kathy Hochul isn’t there to ruin it.
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