Buffalo's New NFL Stadium Paid for by $850 Million in Public Funding

Publicly funded stadiums for privately owned professional sports teams are facing increasing amounts of criticism for draining public coffers to the benefit of wealthy team owners. Three cities—Oakland, California, San Diego, California, and St. Louis, Missouri—found themselves on the losing end in 2016 after facing expensive demands from National Football League teams.

Buffalo, New York is choosing the other path by devoting major financial support to keep their beloved franchise local. A plan for a Downtown Stadium, proposed in August 2014, failed.

"After months of negotiations, the National Football League team has reached an agreement with New York State and Erie County to build an open-air stadium in Orchard Park," report Tim O'Shei and Jason Wolf for the Buffalo News. "New York is slated to contribute $600 million and Erie County $250 million toward construction."

The $850 million in taxpayer funding attached the stadium's price tag is less than anticipated, according to a soundbite from the article attributed to New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The article also includes planning details for the new stadium, including a superlative: "The new stadium will be built directly across the street on Abbott Road, adjacent to Erie Community College’s South Campus, in what Hochul called 'the largest construction project in Western New York history.'"

More details on the stadium project can be read on the Buffalo Bills website.