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Bills President Russ Brandon Does Not Believe Team Has A Fan Behavior Issue

Bills President Russ Brandon on Tuesday said that the team does not "have a massive problem on their hands," despite frequent "viral videos showing rowdy fan behavior in the parking lots surrounding Ralph Wilson Stadium," according to Vic Carucci of the BUFFALO NEWS. Brandon: "It's never positive when you see stuff like that because it doesn't reflect the fan behavior of 98 percent of the people in the building, but that's the unfortunate part of the society we live in with technology." He added, "The facts are that our game experience has never been better, the facts are that arrests are down significantly, ejections are down significantly." The Bills also released data showing the team "averaged a team record low of three arrests per game" in '15, down from a high of 25 per game in '10. Ejections in '15 were a "club record-low" of 57 per game compared to a record high of 134 in '11. Brandon: "It is disappointing when you see (the viral videos) because that becomes the perception. But what's nice to know is you see it in your surveying, and in your data, and when we get tremendous notes and letters from fans about what a great experience they had. Fifteen years ago, I’m not sure how comfortable some people were bringing their family to a game, but I think we have turned the worm there." The team also said that its Designated Driver program "saw a team record 19,969 fans register" in '15. That placed the team "second in the NFL" (BUFFALO NEWS, 3/23).

MORE SECURITY: Brandon also said that the team hired an additional 150 police officers to "patrol the parking lots and stadium on game day." Brandon added that "he believes much of the nonsense is being curbed." Brandon: "When people see a uniformed presence at the facility, there's that balance of making sure that people are having a great time but not going over the line. There's nothing more important on game day than safety: that's our No. 1 focus" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 3/23).

NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH: Brandon also noted that as of Tuesday, 53,500 Bills season tickets for '16 "had been sold, and in some ticket categories there are waiting lists, which total 1,300." Brandon said that among season ticket holders, 12% "are from the Rochester area," and another 11-12% "are from Ontario." In Toronto, John Kryk noted Rochester and Ontario "each account for some 18-20% of the crowd at every Bills home game," meaning Buffalo-area residents "constitute just 60-64% of home ticket sales" (TORONTO SUN, 3/23). 

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