As Buddy Ryan said when he became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, “You’ve got a winner in town.” (Of course, that winner continued to be the visiting team.)
For folks in New York City, it’ll be an invading team. On Wednesday, the Bills announced their 23-affiliate radio network for 2026. And the collection of stations includes ESPN New York — smack dab in the middle of the market belonging to the New York Jets. (And the New York Giants.)
Since the 2017 season, the Jets and Giants have combined for one playoff appearance. In that same time period, the Bills have been to the playoffs eight times.
And the Bills aren’t encroaching only on turf belonging to the Jets and Giants. Buffalo games will be aired by ESPN West Palm, roughly 70 miles from Miami. (The Dolphins have had two playoff appearances since 2017.)
It’s a bold move. But the Bills have a following that justifies radio broadcasts far from the site of their new stadium. And if the Jets, Giants, and Dolphins don’t like it, they should perform well enough that folks in or near their markets will choose to listen to their games and not to Bills games.
Or they could go full-blown spite store and find radio affiliates in Buffalo. But who in Buffalo would listen to those games? In New York City, plenty of folks likely will.
Besides, the Bills are the only NFL franchise that plays its games in New York. Why not have their radio broadcasts available in New York, New York?
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