Jon Bon Jovi and the Buffalo Bills have one thing in common: neither has accomplished much of anything since the very early 1990s.
However, they are not on the same page. At all.
At Bills training camp today 13,000 letters to the team sent a clear message: Jon Bon Jovi is not welcome in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“Every single one of these letters says the same thing: we will not support the Bills if Bon Jovi buys the team because we know he’s moving it to Toronto,” said Charles Pellien, co founder of Bills Fan Thunder, a group founded to unite fans in a fight to keep the team in Buffalo.
“For Bon Jovi, this game is over and Bills fans have spoken: he is not welcome in Ralph Wilson Stadium and he needs to give up his bid for the team.”
He’s wanted. WANTED. Dead or Alive.
Well, not quite that dramatic, but he is being shot! down in a blaze of glory.
If the three hit wonder isn’t heeding the message, Pellien directed a plea to other ownership groups:
“We are also appealing to Donald Trump, the Pegula family and any other potential ownership group that has pledged to keep the Bills in Buffalo to please step up and outbid the Bon Jovi group. You have our solemn pledge that we, as fans, will back you 110 percent and help make this investment very profitable.”
Once the new Buffaloyal ownership group is in place, the Bills Fan Thunder founders said they will organize a series of “buycotts” to show their support – special online events where the 13,000-member group will be asked to buy team merchandise in the online store to show their appreciation. They also plan a pre-game event to show the new ownership group their enthusiasm and gratitude – what the downtrodden region has come to call “Buffalove.”
Well, they’re half-way there. And living on a prayer.
Ok not really, but Bon Jovi has so few hits, and I dislike his music so much that I really can’t work his lyrics in.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. He’s also a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, CBS, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)