TORONTO - With over 2.5 million residents, Toronto is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is one of the top financial centers in the world.
Don't expect Toronto residents to support a mediocre National Football League team like the Bills.
The NFL season is during the same time as the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors.
"We have enough professional sports teams," Russell Jacobs, a Toronto resident said. "You can't give Raptors tickets away right now. If we have a losing football team, no one will support them either."
Apparently, it's tough enough to give away Bills tickets in Toronto as well. With a crowd attendance announced at 51,000, several tickets were given away.
"They can't even sell out one NFL game a year up here," Jacobs continued. "How do you think they can sell out eight home games a year when they can't even sell out one?"
While a vast majority of the fans were cheering on the Bills, the Toronto base didn't exactly demonstrate the passion one might see at the Ralph.
When players were asked about the atmosphere, they didn't exactly rave about the home field advantage at Rogers Centre.
"You know, it was a neutral site," Terrell Owens said. "There was a lot of excitement just by the game itself being here in Toronto, and I guess no matter what, I saw an array of jerseys from all across the league so I don't think either team had an advantage but there was definitely some excitement."
Buffalo Bills Interim coach Perry Fewell said, "I thought the fans were good but I was so focused on the Jets and accomplishing that job that I wasn't really all into the hoopla."
Not exactly the same answer one would hear if the players and coaches were talking about Ralph Wilson Stadium where it is obviously a home game.
While the Bills are receiving $78 million from Toronto-based Rogers Communications to play five annual regular-season and three preseason contests. But, it is apparent no money can make up for the home field advantage Ralph Wilson Stadium possesses as the Bills are 0-2 north of the border.
December football in Western New York is when the Bills have the advantage as southern teams aren't used to the frigid weather. And though Bills fans are enjoying unusually warm weather, a game inside a dome posed problems no one expects during a "home" Bills game.
"It was more humid and hot than we anticipated today and so we had several guys going in and out because of the humidity," Fewell said.
If the Bills move to Toronto and continue to play like they have in the first two games at Rogers Centre, and Toronto residents can't support four major sporting teams at once, they may be forced to go see the Raptors play.
