
‘Big money, big times' as Bills' new stadium harkens memories of 1970s rollout
But if you want a quick reminder of how much things have changed since the last time the Buffalo Bills opened a new ballpark, then we can simply refer to Page 4 of the first game program. That's right: You could buy a brand-new Datsun 1200 Fastback from Tunmore Oldsmobile for $2,195.
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That was August 1973, when Rich Stadium opened in Orchard Park. It cost $22 million to build, which would be $174.2 million in today's dollars, almost exactly half of what the Cleveland Browns paid to all their players last year.
At a working figure of $2.2 billion, the stadium being erected across Abbott Road is projected to cost 13 times as much as the adjusted-for-inflation total it took to build the previous one.
But the stadium number Adam Ziccardi considers totally kablooey pertains to the job he once held. Ziccardi was the Bills assistant ticket director when they transitioned from War Memorial Stadium in the city to Rich Stadium in the suburbs.
Buffalo's ticket office back then handled the task with four people in the span of four months. The most recent Bills team directory listed 20 people in the ticket department, six of them with titles of 'director' or higher. Then the Bills in 2021 contracted Legends Global Partnerships to pick up additional sales needs, an army of 44 more to help over five years until the stadium opens in 2026.
While not all 44 troops are directly selling tickets, the most recent Bills front office directory (the team has scrubbed a rundown of every position and name from its website, but an archived version from December exists) shows Legends added a sales director, two ticket sales managers, four PSL coordinators and 19 account executives among the crew.
So let's say 50 people are currently selling Bills PSLs and tickets and suites.
'That is definitely crazy,' Ziccardi said from his retirement home in North Carolina. 'Sounds like, with that many people, they got one person for each section of the stadium.
'Big money, big times.'
Rich Stadium, although eventually downscaled, opened with a gargantuan inventory of 80,023 possible seats compared to The Rockpile's 46,206 at-the-seams capacity. And the turnaround was swift. Dignitaries broke ground in April 1972 with one last season planned in the city.
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Yet there were no guarantees Rich Stadium would be completed in time for the 1973 campaign. The final 1972 game program mentioned nothing about a farewell. The Bills in January 1973 requested a provisional, one-year lease extension for The Rockpile just in case. Four months later, the Bills still were worried enough to pay $5,000 to resod the neglected, patchy field because their new home might not be ready.
But as soon as the 1972 season ended with a 4-9-1 record and a sixth straight failure to reach the playoffs, Ziccardi and his crew couldn't wait around. Season tickets for the as-yet-unnamed stadium had to be sold.
While the current Bills have a battalion, the 1972-73 staff was a lean, mean dialing machine.
Ziccardi worked with ticket director Jim Cipriano and staffers Pat Shaughnessy and Adrianne Kolesar at the team's 69 W. Mohawk St. office. Working off index cards, they phoned season-ticket holders in order of seniority and told them their options: stay in roughly the same seat or upgrade to the club level.
'I had the lucky privilege of numbering the whole damn stadium,' Ziccardi said. 'The architect gave me the sections and how many rows there were and how many seats in each. I made the seating charts and numbered each seat. As people would take the seats, we would X them out, write up the change order that would go into the computer, and that would put them in the seat so it couldn't be given to somebody else.
'We called everybody, working from 8 in the morning until 10 or 11 at night, seven days a week. It was a real effort, but we got it done. I think we were done by April or May.'
As Ziccardi recollected, Bills vice president Patrick McGroder and administrative assistant Bill Munson handled sales of 34 'business suites,' as they were called. Those cost $60,000 on a five-year lease.
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As for courting new season-ticket holders, they essentially waited for their phone to ring.
'Exactly,' Ziccardi said. 'That was it. The stadium marketed itself.'
That's nowhere near the case today.
In addition to beefing up the personnel, selling for a significantly smaller stadium and years of transition time, the new PSL-based sales operation has been sweetened with the Bills Stadium Experience at 5110 Main Street in Williamsville. The initial budget to build the preview center in the Tony Walker Plaza — with touchscreens, intricate scale models and a virtual-reality theater — was $4 million.
The Bills' promotional materials in 1973 consisted of a four-page folder on cardstock (the cutout cover showed the upper deck; open it up to isolate the club level and lower bowl) and a 16×20-inch poster of an artist rendering. Lower-level end zone season tickets went for $55 ($399 adjusted for inflation), corner stadium and club end zone for $70 ($508), sideline for $85 ($617) and club level for $120 ($871).
Oh, you also could borrow from the Bills a 16 mm highlight film, 'A Year to Cheer,' for your stag parties, smokers, church groups and any other 'organization of 25 or more persons and is free of charge.' But you had to supply the sound projector and screen.
'It was so unsophisticated, even as recently as the 1980s,' Rice University sports management professor Tom Stallings said. 'You would just call in, and the reps would be more for service than for sales.'
Stallings formerly sold group and season tickets for the Houston Astros and was an award-winning executive with the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League before entering academia. One of the classes he teaches at Rice is sales and revenue generation in sport.
With so much money on the line in the major leagues, especially the NFL, all these sales reps are not overkill in the 21st century.
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'Every year, you've got to do more and more,' Stallings said, 'because people have so many options on how to spend their money and how to watch the games. Do I want to buy season tickets and force myself to go to 10 games, including the preseason which nobody cares about anyway, or sit on my couch and watch everything in high-definition with no restroom lines and beer in my fridge?
'There are retention reps. There's ticket ops. Some are new-sales reps. There are sales assistants. You have premium reps. There are inside-sales reps that always try to upgrade existing customers. They all have specialties.
'You break your staff up into hunters and farmers. The farmers are great at retention. They grow the business. Then there are your hunters, who are always looking for the companies that don't have tickets with us and why not. Who should we be going after? It's not like they have 20 people all doing the same thing.'
PSLs add another important dimension to the Legends dynamic. Buffalo is one of the last big-league markets to mandate these licenses, and potentially aggravated fans need to be educated about why they're inevitable.
By all accounts, Legends is doing well in this regard. Bills executive vice president and chief operations officer Pete Guelli repeatedly has remarked how swimmingly the PSL rollout has gone for the new Highmark Stadium.
'It's all to maximize that golden opportunity for sales,' Stallings said. 'That's the big picture. This stadium didn't come free. You have to pick up the prices somehow. People might say 'No,' but the team will just go find someone else who will say 'Yes.' That's just the way it is.'
The first seats at New Highmark Stadium have been successfully installed. 😍https://t.co/aTW4bt4uPu | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/QnzjKZnqiZ
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 10, 2025
Stallings said breaking down PSL information for Bills fans is 'Real World 101.'
Ziccardi called it something else.
'It's gouging,' said Ziccardi, who grew up in East Lovejoy and worked for the Bills until 1987. 'I don't like it. To make someone pay 10 grand or whatever they're asking before they even buy a ticket? There's more than enough TV revenue. Even when I was there, Ralph didn't spend a dime because TV was enough. The owners got a check from TV that paid all their expenses, and everything else went into the owners' pockets.
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'Revenues and player salaries are all higher, but it's all a mathematical equation, a percentage that guarantees massive profits.'
Definitions of what's sufficient, what's fancy, what's unnecessary and what's overkill have changed in the past 52 years.
The April 1973 edition of the 'Buffalo Bills Bulletin' fan newsletter trumpeted the luxuries of the stadium that was being built.
'Every one of the 80,000 seats will have an unobstructed view of the playing field,' the front-page article read. 'The seats are individually contoured aluminum with comfortably contoured backs. The new club level seating can be described as chair-style seating with arm rests.'
The Buffalo Courier-Express reported in August 1973 that 'Wisely, the designers built the benches hanging in mid-air, with no legs, giving the fans a convenient place to stash their coats and stadium blankets.'
That, of course, was at a time when many of the program ads featured fans wearing neckties. What happens under those seats today is no place to put anything you don't plan on fumigating later.
And let's not forget the $1.25 million scoreboard 'composed of a set of nearly 10,000 light bulbs … The scoreboard will combine sight and sound with vivid, high-definition images, all created with modern computer techniques.'
Imagine that.
'People weren't really excited about it like they are this new one,' Ziccardi conceded.
The Bills, more or less, simply shuttered The Rockpile and told fans not to forget to show up in Orchard Park next season. Rich Stadium's rollout was minimal, partially due to concerns it wouldn't be completed in time, but also because ballparks back then were more utilitarian than loaded with accoutrements.
Even so, Ziccardi and his skeleton crew sold a whopping 52,474 season tickets for Rich Stadium's launch and in 1974 raised the total to 54,146 – a club record until 1991, the year after their first Super Bowl appearance.
'If they went to the Super Bowl this year, imagine how high the season tickets would climb,' Ziccardi said. 'The prices would be absolutely astronomical.
'But they would sell out. That's just how Buffalo is.'
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I think Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation," he said. More from Reuters: President Trump on Friday expressed pessimism on US trade negotiations with Canada, suggesting he may simply impose threatened 35% tariffs on Canadian goods not covered by the existing US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement. "We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation," he said. More from Reuters: Boston Beer Company says strong profits helped brewer absorb tariff costs The Boston Beer Company (SAM) continues to feel the effects of President Trump's tariffs, but a strong quarter of sales and profit is helping the Samuel Adams brewer absorb some of those cost increases. Boston Beer expects tariffs to add about $15 million to $20 million in costs for the full year. Previously, it modeled tariff costs of $20 million to $30 million. Expect the company to raise prices by 1% to 2% to offset some of the costs as well, executives said. Boston Beer did see tariffs negatively affect its gross margin toward the end of the second quarter, but it benefited from improved brewery efficiencies. For the second quarter, the company reported profits of $5.45 per share on revenue of $625 million, versus estimates for earnings of $4.00 per share on $588 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Right now, I think we're very happy with the performance," Boston Beer CEO Michael Spillane said on the earnings call. "Not only that, but that's allowed us to offset some of the tariffs that we've seen so far." The Boston Beer Company (SAM) continues to feel the effects of President Trump's tariffs, but a strong quarter of sales and profit is helping the Samuel Adams brewer absorb some of those cost increases. Boston Beer expects tariffs to add about $15 million to $20 million in costs for the full year. Previously, it modeled tariff costs of $20 million to $30 million. Expect the company to raise prices by 1% to 2% to offset some of the costs as well, executives said. Boston Beer did see tariffs negatively affect its gross margin toward the end of the second quarter, but it benefited from improved brewery efficiencies. For the second quarter, the company reported profits of $5.45 per share on revenue of $625 million, versus estimates for earnings of $4.00 per share on $588 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Right now, I think we're very happy with the performance," Boston Beer CEO Michael Spillane said on the earnings call. "Not only that, but that's allowed us to offset some of the tariffs that we've seen so far." Some headlines from Trump on tariffs this morning Via Bloomberg: Via Bloomberg: Trump: US will sell 'so much' beef to Australia President Trump said on Thursday that the US will sell "so much" beef to Australia, following Canberra relaxing import restrictions. Trump added that other countries who had refused US beef products were on notice. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said on Thursday that the US will sell "so much" beef to Australia, following Canberra relaxing import restrictions. Trump added that other countries who had refused US beef products were on notice. Reuters reports: Read more here. World's No. 3 automaker Kia takes $570M tariff hit in Q2 Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Puma shares dive after warning of full-year loss, US tariff impact Puma ( shares fell 17% on Friday after the sportswear brand said that it now expects an annual loss due to a decline in sales and US tariffs denting profit. Reuters reports: Read more here. Puma ( shares fell 17% on Friday after the sportswear brand said that it now expects an annual loss due to a decline in sales and US tariffs denting profit. Reuters reports: Read more here. LG Energy Solution warns of slowing EV battery demand due to U.S. tariffs, policy headwinds Reuters reports: South Korean battery firm LG Energy ( Solution warned on Friday of a further slowdown in demand by early next year due to U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainties after it posted a quarterly profit jump. Its major customers Tesla (TSLA) and General Motors (GM) warned of fallout from U.S. tariffs and legislation that will end federal subsidies for EV purchases on September 30. "US tariffs and an early end to EV subsidies will put a burden on automakers, potentially leading to vehicle price increases and a slowdown in EV growth in North America," CFO Lee Chang-sil said during a conference call. Read more here. Reuters reports: South Korean battery firm LG Energy ( Solution warned on Friday of a further slowdown in demand by early next year due to U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainties after it posted a quarterly profit jump. Its major customers Tesla (TSLA) and General Motors (GM) warned of fallout from U.S. tariffs and legislation that will end federal subsidies for EV purchases on September 30. "US tariffs and an early end to EV subsidies will put a burden on automakers, potentially leading to vehicle price increases and a slowdown in EV growth in North America," CFO Lee Chang-sil said during a conference call. Read more here. Japan, US differ on how trade-deal profits will be split Japan said Friday that profits from the $550 billion investment deal with the US will be shared based on how much each side contributes. A government official suggested the US will also put in significant funds, but details of the scheme remain unclear. The White House had announced earlier in the week that the US would retain 90% of the profits from the $550 billion US-bound investment and loans that Japan would exchange in return for reduced tariffs on auto and other exports to the US. This would mean that returns would be split 10% for Japan and 90% for the US, according to the White House official, and that it would be "based on the respective levels of contribution and risk borne by each side." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Japan said Friday that profits from the $550 billion investment deal with the US will be shared based on how much each side contributes. A government official suggested the US will also put in significant funds, but details of the scheme remain unclear. The White House had announced earlier in the week that the US would retain 90% of the profits from the $550 billion US-bound investment and loans that Japan would exchange in return for reduced tariffs on auto and other exports to the US. This would mean that returns would be split 10% for Japan and 90% for the US, according to the White House official, and that it would be "based on the respective levels of contribution and risk borne by each side." Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. US business activity rises; tariffs fuel inflation concerns US business activity rose in July, but companies increased the prices for goods and services, supporting the view from economists that inflation will accelerate in the second half of 2025 and it will mainly be due to tariffs on imports. Reuters reports: Read more here. US business activity rose in July, but companies increased the prices for goods and services, supporting the view from economists that inflation will accelerate in the second half of 2025 and it will mainly be due to tariffs on imports. Reuters reports: Read more here. It sounds like Trump now has a new minimum tariff rate: 15% President Trump set a new rhetorical floor for tariffs on Wednesday night in comments in a shift that raises the president's baseline rate from 10%. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul writes: Read more here. President Trump set a new rhetorical floor for tariffs on Wednesday night in comments in a shift that raises the president's baseline rate from 10%. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul writes: Read more here. Keurig Dr. Pepper brewer sales volume drops 22%, CEO says tariff impacts 'will become prominent' Keurig Dr. Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said that tariffs are putting additional pressure on the company in an earnings call Thursday, especially when it comes to its coffee business, which KDP expects to be "subdued" for the remainder of the year. "Commodity inflation will build as we roll into the back half and we roll into our higher cost hedges on green coffee," Cofer said. "The tariff impacts will become prominent. And we all know that tariff situation is a bit fluid." Keurig is one of the biggest coffee importers in the US, along with Starbucks (SBUX) and Nestle (NSRGY). The US sources most of its coffee from Brazil, which is set to face 50% tariffs on its products on Aug. 1, and Colombia, which faces a tariff rate of 10%. In Keurig's coffee business, appliance volume decreased 22.6% during the quarter, reflecting impacts of retailer inventory management, and K-Cup pod volume decreased 3.7%, reflecting category elasticity in response to price increases, the company reported. "Our retail partners will likely continue to manage their inventory levels tightly, in particular on brewers," Cofer commented. "And then finally, you know we did a round of pricing at the beginning of the year. We've announced another round of pricing that will take effect next month, and we'll need to closely monitor how that elasticity evolves." Read more about Keurig earnings here. Keurig Dr. Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said that tariffs are putting additional pressure on the company in an earnings call Thursday, especially when it comes to its coffee business, which KDP expects to be "subdued" for the remainder of the year. "Commodity inflation will build as we roll into the back half and we roll into our higher cost hedges on green coffee," Cofer said. "The tariff impacts will become prominent. And we all know that tariff situation is a bit fluid." Keurig is one of the biggest coffee importers in the US, along with Starbucks (SBUX) and Nestle (NSRGY). The US sources most of its coffee from Brazil, which is set to face 50% tariffs on its products on Aug. 1, and Colombia, which faces a tariff rate of 10%. In Keurig's coffee business, appliance volume decreased 22.6% during the quarter, reflecting impacts of retailer inventory management, and K-Cup pod volume decreased 3.7%, reflecting category elasticity in response to price increases, the company reported. "Our retail partners will likely continue to manage their inventory levels tightly, in particular on brewers," Cofer commented. "And then finally, you know we did a round of pricing at the beginning of the year. We've announced another round of pricing that will take effect next month, and we'll need to closely monitor how that elasticity evolves." Read more about Keurig earnings here. The EU's Trump insurance As my colleague detailed below, EU member states voted to impose tariffs on over $100 billion of US goods from Aug. 7. The Financial Times reported that this move that allows the bloc to impose the levies quickly at any point in the future should its trade relationship with the US take a turn for the worse. From the report: Read more here (subscription required). As my colleague detailed below, EU member states voted to impose tariffs on over $100 billion of US goods from Aug. 7. The Financial Times reported that this move that allows the bloc to impose the levies quickly at any point in the future should its trade relationship with the US take a turn for the worse. From the report: Read more here (subscription required). Europe approves $100B-plus tariff backup plan A report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday said that the European Union has now approved its retaliatory tariff package on US goods that could start in August if no trade agreement is reached. The EU announced on Wednesday that it will hit the US with 30% tariffs on over $100 billion worth of goods in the event that no deal is made and if President Trump decides to follow through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1. The US exports, which would include goods such as Boeing (BA) aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey would all face heavy tariffs that match Trump's 30% threat. The approval of the package comes despite the growing optimism that the US and EU will reach a deal that would put baseline tariffs on the bloc at 15%, matching the level the US applied to Japan. The EU is keen to reach a deal with the US but as a cautionary measure has approved 30% tariffs if a deal is not made. A report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday said that the European Union has now approved its retaliatory tariff package on US goods that could start in August if no trade agreement is reached. The EU announced on Wednesday that it will hit the US with 30% tariffs on over $100 billion worth of goods in the event that no deal is made and if President Trump decides to follow through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1. The US exports, which would include goods such as Boeing (BA) aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey would all face heavy tariffs that match Trump's 30% threat. The approval of the package comes despite the growing optimism that the US and EU will reach a deal that would put baseline tariffs on the bloc at 15%, matching the level the US applied to Japan. The EU is keen to reach a deal with the US but as a cautionary measure has approved 30% tariffs if a deal is not made. Trump tariffs wreaking havoc in Brazil's citrus belt Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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I Asked ChatGPT To Give Me the ‘Cheat Code' for Making the Most of My Money: Here's What It Said
If managing money feels like trying to beat a boss level with no walkthrough, you're not alone. Many people work hard but still feel stuck in the same place financially. So the idea of a 'cheat code,' like having a simple, strategic way to make money work harder, feels tempting. Read Next: Explore More: GOBankingRates asked ChatGPT to outline the most effective habits and tools that can stretch, grow and protect income over time. The goal is not to get rich overnight, but to play smarter with what you earn. So this is the cheat code for making the most of your money, according to ChatGPT. Also see seven tricks to make the most of your bank accounts. Automate Everything You Can ChatGPT put automation at the top of the list. That means setting up automatic transfers into a high-yield savings account, scheduling bill payments and directing part of each paycheck to investments. Services like Wealthfront and Betterment help users auto-invest based on risk preferences. The same goes for investing apps like Fidelity and Vanguard, which let you schedule regular deposits into index funds. Using budgeting tools can help you track spending and catch leaks before they drain your account. 'Automating your money removes emotion and inconsistency from your finances. It's the closest thing to passive self-discipline,' ChatGPT explained. Check Out: Live Below Your Means, Aggressively Living below your means isn't about being cheap; it's about being strategic. ChatGPT suggested tracking every dollar, capping lifestyle creep and viewing minimalist living as a strength. The less you spend, the faster you build a surplus. To do so, it recommended learning how to budget. 'You don't need to track pennies to win at budgeting. What matters most is having a repeatable system,' ChatGPT said. It recommended two simple methods: The 50/30/20 rule: 50% for needs, 30% for wants, 20% for savings or debt Zero-based budgeting: Assign every dollar a job. Apps like YNAB and Goodbudget can help users stick to a plan without getting overwhelmed. Invest Early — Even With Small Amounts Compound interest is the real cheat code. ChatGPT explained that investing early, even small amounts, can grow into a large sum over time. Consistency is key. Put money into broad-market exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or index funds, use tax-advantaged accounts like a Roth IRA, and always reinvest dividends. The sooner you start, the more time your money has to multiply, and history shows this approach beats trying to time the market. Starting small is often better than waiting for the 'right' time. 'Time beats timing. The earlier you invest, the more compound interest works in your favor,' according to ChatGPT. Build an Emergency Buffer One overlooked cheat code is having money set aside for surprises. Surprises happen, and an emergency fund is your financial firewall. ChatGPT recommended saving three to six months' worth of expenses in a high-yield savings account. This cash cushion keeps you from dipping into investments or racking up debt when life throws a curveball. Having this safety net reduces stress and prevents financial setbacks from turning into disasters. Learn How To Maximize Credit, Without Debt Credit isn't just about borrowing. It affects interest rates, housing applications and even job offers. 'Treat your credit score like a tool, not a trap. Use it to access better terms, not unnecessary purchases,' ChatGPT said. That includes paying bills on time, keeping utilization under 30% and regularly reviewing your free credit reports. Strategic use of cash-back cards can also put money back into your pocket, if paid off monthly. Debt with high interest, like credit cards, can quietly eat away at your wealth. If you currently have debt, ChatGPT suggested using either the avalanche method (tackle the debt with the highest interest rate first) or the snowball method (pay off the smallest balances for quick wins). Refinancing or consolidating debt can also help if your credit score allows. Don't Just Save — Earn More Strategically Cutting expenses has limits. Earning more often delivers faster growth. ChatGPT highlighted a growing trend: 'Monetizing skills online, through freelancing, content creation, or digital products, is more accessible than ever.' Instead of chasing endless gigs, ChatGPT said to focus on building high-value skills — think coding, digital marketing or sales. With these skills, you can negotiate raises or land better jobs, which is often more sustainable than juggling multiple side hustles. Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork and Teachable let users build scalable side income, turning time or knowledge into long-term assets. It's not passive at first, but it can become hands-off with the right systems. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard 6 Popular SUVs That Aren't Worth the Cost -- and 6 Affordable Alternatives 7 Things You'll Be Happy You Downsized in Retirement This article originally appeared on I Asked ChatGPT To Give Me the 'Cheat Code' for Making the Most of My Money: Here's What It Said Solve the daily Crossword