The Vikings are desperately trying to get a stadium built in Minnesota but as much effort as they have put into it, it may never happen. The team's lease on the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome runs out after next season and the team says it has no plans to renew the lease. The Vikings under Zygi Wilf, the New Jersey billionaire and current majority owner of the Vikings, have come a long ways in their attempts at getting a new stadium built. They waited patiently while the Twins and Gophers got new stadiums but now there is no more time to wait. They must get a deal done now. They have looked at four potential sites including the current Metrodome site, the area west of Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, a area on Target Corp. property in Brooklyn Park, and finally at the former ammunition plant in Arden Hills/Ramsey County a suburb of the Twin Cities.
After considering the proposals by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County as well as the offer from Ramsey County the Vikings chose to go with Ramsey County and announced a stadium deal with Arden Hills. They reached an agreement for a new 65,000 seat retractable-roof stadium that could be expandable to 72,000 seats for larger events.
After considering the proposals by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County as well as the offer from Ramsey County the Vikings chose to go with Ramsey County and announced a stadium deal with Arden Hills. They reached an agreement for a new 65,000 seat retractable-roof stadium that could be expandable to 72,000 seats for larger events.
The stadium would be built on a Superfund site. The site of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant property in Arden Hills, about 10 miles north of the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega called the deal a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to create jobs and fix the sprawling Superfund site.
The Vikings preferred the Ramsey County site over the downtown sites in Minneapolis because they wanted to bring back some Minnesota traditions and this site best gives them the opportunity to bring back the old football experience from the Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, which closed in 1981. The 430-acre site will be home to a "day-long NFL experience," said Wilf with 21,000 parking spaces and plenty of room for tailgating! "This is what our fans want and this is what everyone wants to experience," Wilf said at the press conference. The Vikings also plan to build a Hall of Fame museum on the property and the stadium itself could mean a return for Major League Soccer to Minnesota. |
The only problem they face now is getting the approval for the new stadium's funding before the legislative sessions ends next week. The state of Minnesota's cost would be roughly $300 million with the county's cost being $350 million, financed by a half-cent sales tax increase. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said that $300 million represents the absolute limit of the state’s contribution. The total cost is about $1.057 billion, leaving at least a $175 million shortfall. Aside from the Stadium's costs ($884 million) an additional $173 million for on-site infrastructure, parking and environmental costs would be needed. Then there is the cost of road improvements. Dayton anticipated fixing the roads near the location would likely cost between $175 - $240 million but a recent report suggest the figure is more around $131 million as of now. That doesn't matter as much though because those roads and highways needed improved whether or not the Viking's stadium was built there or not.
The major problem is that plenty of people in Minnesota think that the team and the league should pay for all of it. I think that is absolutely ridiculous to expect the Wilf’s and organization to pay for all of the costs. Zygi Wilf is willing to put up the largest share between the Vikings and the county/state. Wilf and the Vikings will commit $407 million to the $1.057 billion project. The $407 million portion is 44% of the stadium costs and 39% of the overall costs. That’s the 3rd most all-time I believe. Plus recent news suggests that the Vikings and the NFL are willing to cough up more than the $407 million if that is the final hurdle to getting this stadium passed now. That is more than fair. A big time investment for a stadium that they won't even own and won't be using it all the time.
The major problem is that plenty of people in Minnesota think that the team and the league should pay for all of it. I think that is absolutely ridiculous to expect the Wilf’s and organization to pay for all of the costs. Zygi Wilf is willing to put up the largest share between the Vikings and the county/state. Wilf and the Vikings will commit $407 million to the $1.057 billion project. The $407 million portion is 44% of the stadium costs and 39% of the overall costs. That’s the 3rd most all-time I believe. Plus recent news suggests that the Vikings and the NFL are willing to cough up more than the $407 million if that is the final hurdle to getting this stadium passed now. That is more than fair. A big time investment for a stadium that they won't even own and won't be using it all the time.
Governor Mark Dayton said, "any new stadium must first benefit the people of Minnesota." The governor only supports a new stadium if it could be both a new home to the Vikings and a "people's stadium" that, like the Metrodome, could host public events.
It’s not going to be a NFL football or sports only facility. Aside from the Vikings home games, a potential Super Bowl, College Sports Tournaments, and High School Championship games the new stadium could host other non-sporting events such as concerts, trade shows, rodeo’s, moto-cross/super-cross/snow-cross, Monster Truck events, fundraisers, and other public or private corporate events that I cannot think of off the top of my head. |
The Metrodome is used about 300 days every year. Of those event days, fewer than 100 feature professional or major college sports. So in actuality the Vikings will use the building less than the state will and they wouldn't own it either. It would be owned by a sports authority, not by the Vikings. So tell me, if the state is going to be using the building more than the Vikings, why should the Vikings pay for all of it?
I find it just astounding that people have no clue that the Vikings are a state, county, and city wide investment due to ancillary businesses and jobs that will be created with the new stadium. The overall benefit the Vikings and the new stadium would bring to the state in construction jobs, retail jobs, restaurant jobs, hotel jobs, transportation jobs, facility jobs, and so on gives them reason enough to help fund a new stadium. Economic development doesn't come cheap.
I find it just astounding that people have no clue that the Vikings are a state, county, and city wide investment due to ancillary businesses and jobs that will be created with the new stadium. The overall benefit the Vikings and the new stadium would bring to the state in construction jobs, retail jobs, restaurant jobs, hotel jobs, transportation jobs, facility jobs, and so on gives them reason enough to help fund a new stadium. Economic development doesn't come cheap.
I also find it equally mind baffling that Minnesota opted to build a new ballpark for the Twins and a new stadium for the Gophers but they won’t ante up for the Vikings. They'll let their most important sports franchise go and expect to continue on like nothing will change. Without the Vikings, Minnesota becomes the next Dakota, the land of 10,000 mistakes. Keeping the NFL in the state is vital. All the millions of dollars these players make, gets taxed to Minnesota. All the millions people traveling to the state for events in the stadium spend here, the tax and concession revenue, the state revenue service, and state run commissions get back from it will boost the state's economy. You lose all of that immediately if they leave because without the Vikings their is no-one to support the Metrodome's cost and then there's no stadium to really host all those events. Right now the Metrodome is the only major facility in Minnesota big enough to host major motorsports events. It would be fiscally irresponsible to allow the team to leave rather than help fund a new stadium.
Then there is the emotional investment most of the state has with the team. The Vikings have a rich history in the NFL and in Minnesota since 1960. They have established some heated long time rivalries between teams (and fans) in the upper midwest and they are very much apart of the states identity and certainly one of their major attractions. All of that would almost certainly be lost if they moved. Moving them would simply piss off a lot of the Viking fan base that is already established and I for one am one of those fans who would not just cheer for the team a couple of thousands of miles away. I would either quit watching the NFL or just watch it with no favorite team and therefore never buy their merchandise like jerseys and what not in support of my team ever again. I imagine the NFL would not want to remove the already established Vikings fanbase and their incoming money they spend on NFL merchandise and tickets.
There is a lot of talk about Los Angeles being a major contender for the Vikings. The Vikings have received overtures from two groups trying to lure an NFL team to Los Angeles, but the team told each "we're focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota." From the outset Zygi Wilf has said he will not move the team but if the state continues to be stubborn he may be forced to sell the team to someone else who then could move them to L.A. Everyone believes that L.A. is a great city with a great market and that the Viking would thrive there. That may be true now because the large population of L.A. could easily support a NFL team and for the most part their citizens have all kinds of money to spend to support the team better than Minnesotans have lately. However on the flip side L.A. also has a long history of being fair weather fans in the city's NFL past which caused both the Rams and the Raiders to struggle when they were there and ultimately both leave. The thing is though the NFL has grown in popularity to become the most popular sport in America unlike years past when the Raiders and Rams played in L.A. so I don't think there will be any problem with the citizens backing whatever team goes there.
Then there is the emotional investment most of the state has with the team. The Vikings have a rich history in the NFL and in Minnesota since 1960. They have established some heated long time rivalries between teams (and fans) in the upper midwest and they are very much apart of the states identity and certainly one of their major attractions. All of that would almost certainly be lost if they moved. Moving them would simply piss off a lot of the Viking fan base that is already established and I for one am one of those fans who would not just cheer for the team a couple of thousands of miles away. I would either quit watching the NFL or just watch it with no favorite team and therefore never buy their merchandise like jerseys and what not in support of my team ever again. I imagine the NFL would not want to remove the already established Vikings fanbase and their incoming money they spend on NFL merchandise and tickets.
There is a lot of talk about Los Angeles being a major contender for the Vikings. The Vikings have received overtures from two groups trying to lure an NFL team to Los Angeles, but the team told each "we're focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota." From the outset Zygi Wilf has said he will not move the team but if the state continues to be stubborn he may be forced to sell the team to someone else who then could move them to L.A. Everyone believes that L.A. is a great city with a great market and that the Viking would thrive there. That may be true now because the large population of L.A. could easily support a NFL team and for the most part their citizens have all kinds of money to spend to support the team better than Minnesotans have lately. However on the flip side L.A. also has a long history of being fair weather fans in the city's NFL past which caused both the Rams and the Raiders to struggle when they were there and ultimately both leave. The thing is though the NFL has grown in popularity to become the most popular sport in America unlike years past when the Raiders and Rams played in L.A. so I don't think there will be any problem with the citizens backing whatever team goes there.
We'll see how this all plays out but I am starting to think that the press conference announcing the Arden Hills stadium site was nothing more than a PR stunt. The Vikings get cover for if/when the legislature doesn’t approve the stadium bill which will lead to their relocation. A way for the Vikings to say, "Well we tried but you can't blame us now." I have a bad feeling this will end up being the L.A. Lakers all over again. A somewhat successful Minnesota sports franchise leaves for L.A. and then turns into a dominant force and championship dynasty. Whether the team will still be known as the Vikings if it moves to Los Angeles or whether the name will be left behind for a possible expansion or relocated franchise is up for debate. My feelings are that if the Vikings leave Minnesota there won’t be a replacement. Ever. The citizens or rather ingrates of Minnesota would then have to live with their decision and face the repercussions.