Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is urging the Buffalo Bills to name the Orchard Park football stadium "Veterans Stadium."
The Bills and New Era Cap announced Wednesday that they are severing their agreement for naming rights to New Era Field. The Bills intend to pursue another sponsor, but Poloncarz said the team should honor veterans such as former owner Ralph Wilson and former Bills player Bob Kalsu, who was killed in Vietnam.
“Now that the Buffalo Bills and New Era have agreed to part ways regarding the name of the football stadium in Orchard Park, considering the facility is publicly owned, my preference would be to not name the stadium after a private sector entity but to simply call it 'Veterans Stadium' to honor the men and women who have served our nation," Poloncarz said in a statement.
The county, however, does not have a say in the naming rights partner and the Bills are pursuing other corporate partners in order to supplement revenue.
"However, because the Buffalo Bills do retain the naming rights to the facility through the lease’s expiration in 2023, if they should choose to sell the naming rights I would hope they partner with a company that has a sterling reputation, especially as it relates to their workforce, and one our community would be proud to associate with as the home for our team – the Buffalo Bills," Poloncarz said.
