Vikings Stadium: If We Build It . . .
Lots of press lately on the Vikings and their woes with the Metrodome, specifically the Minneapolis Sports Commission. The Vikings have said "No" to any proposal by the MSC and extending their lease at the Dome beyond 2011 and they want a new stadium or are threatening to, well, nobody knows for sure but I'm gonna guess "leave." The team is set to unveil a $1 bn proposal for a stadium funded, in the most part, by John Q. Public. In a time of historic budget deficits, hard to sneak this one past those fat cats in St. Paul. In effort to show how much money pro sports teams give to the state coffers through taxes, a report this week shows that since 1961 teams have pumped $450 million into the states budget through taxes on teams players, concessions etc.; while this may not seem like a lot, the firm that produced the report orginially did the estimation in 2006 and in the process of updating it found that $100m+ of that $450m was generated in the past 3 years alone. Nothing to sneeze at. Still, here we sit with the prospect of losing one of the most recognizable assets we have. I get it, we can't afford it, well we can't afford a lot of stuff that gets passed by the state legislature but it gets passed anyway. I, for one, am for the stadium - whether we pay for it by a Racino or some other method I don't care, I love the Vikes and Minnesota without a team will be an empty place in my heart.
3 Comments:
They need to handle this so much better. I don't get why both sides try so hard to make this a pissing match and not play up that this is a partnership. The team needs to be here and we need to have them here. Why cant politicians and the media step up and say we love this team, we want them here and lets talk this through, and why cant the vikings say, we need to be here and we want to make this work. These threats are nonsense.
Some of these dipshits need to think outside the box. I bet you can build a huge public private partnership that would be a unique deal. dont just make it a stadium. build it as a shopping complex or convention center, all attached which would make it an all year revenue builder. You get huge upsides. i have no idea what im talking about, but it would be much less expensive to do when youre building from scratch on a huge footprint. like the ginats are doing but not in a shithole. You could have the public own part of the complex with a revenue sharing of team and complex profits going to specifically to education and infrastructure. The vikings put up part of the revenue and play rent free and get some share of complex revenue and the private partner gets the same, teh public gets a complex and future revenue on priorities and has an incentive to make it profitable.
I don't know if that makes sense, but i don't know why someone couldnt figure this out. Why just lock in a 10 day a year complex. WOuldn't you kill to be a mall owner that was goinhg to have 80,000 people coming near your join ten days a year? that seems like a few extra weeks of christmas. Yeah, i know that maybe people don't want 80,000 people scaring away the normal customers. Though, i dont see a lot of people shopping downtown on sundays anyway.
I don't like corporate welfare and they shouldnt get it, but almost no owner is going to be able to pay to build the stadiums these team require anymore so its time to get creative. I'd get creative on ads - sell the fucking sections -- for 50k section 403 is the FTLOSBW section. for a million bucks you get the concourse. 500 bucks you get a chair. for ten million, every viking fan gets a chip implanted that makes them buy your product.
December 16, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Jan - very timely post. Peter King actually mentioned the issue in MMQB this week. It seems we're headed for a showdown, as the MSFC and the Wilfs are currently playing a game of chicken with regard to the humpdome (or Mall of America Field, to be exact). The whole situation is scary, because if the Vikes move, I will be crushed. Absolutely crushed.
In the past, the threat to move the team was largely an empty one, as there has been no viable city/stadium combination that could realistically house an NFL franchise. That changed recently, however, when some billionaire real estate d-bag in LA got clearance to build a stadium in some dumpy, industrial city (called, literally, the City of Industry) East of LA. So, assuming this place actually gets built by 2013 or so, an NFL team will be moving to LA.
What scares the hell out of me:
1) The Wilfs are from NY. They've been great owners so far, and claim they only want to win, but they are ultimately businessmen who want to make a profit. They have no real emotional tie to MN.
2) The NFL could be moving to a situation where there is no salary cap, which would put the Vikes in a BAD spot, unless we get a new stadium deal.
3) If the team is not winning (or at least competitive), MN fans will think twice about filling the dome. I've always said Vikes fans are die-hard and widespread around the country, but they are somewhat fickle and certainly aren't stupid. They have enough perspective (and Mpls has enough to offer) that they realize there are other things to do with your dollar than spend $250 for a day at the dome watching a bad team.
4) MN voters will not approve a publicly funded stadium, unless it comes from a sin tax, hotel tax or gambling tax.
5) No one in the state legislature seems to be championing this cause(other than that dude from Owatonna).
What eases my tension:
1) There are a handful of other teams that are equally, if not more, likely to move to LA. The Chargers, Raiders and Niners all have dire stadium situations, and I'm guessing the NFL would prefer to relocate one of the California teams to LA (that said, the Niners are close to having a deal). Also, the Saints stadium situation is horrendous, and the Jaguars haven't sold out a SINGLE home game this year. Goodell would be taking a huge risk moving an old school franchise like the Vikes ahead of a crappy expansion franchise that can't sell out like the Jags. And we know Al Davis will follow the money, if necessary...he's already done it.
2) I think the NFL has some interest in preserving traditional rivalries, such as those in the NFC North. In other words, I think the league will do what it can to help the Vikes get something done in MN in order to preserve Chicago-MN, Green Bay-MN.
3) I think the Wilfs are smart enough to know that they've got a great asset, and they are good real estate development guys. I have some confidence that they can put together a proposal that makes economic sense. Whether or not the public will go for it is another question, though.
4) When push comes to shove, I don't think any Governor wants to be the one who let the Vikings leave town. Not something you want on your political resume.
December 16, 2009 at 5:50 PM
DTK and BG - this is the kind of sensible approach to the problem that we need. BG - you're right, getting public dollars right now ain't gonna happen but ideas like DTK's where the facility is more than just a stadium for 8 guaranteed home games is what we need. The Packers have Lambeau which is available to host events etc. the rest of the year and has parts of the venue set aside for those events. The Sconnies also have things like a 'license plate fee' where for like $3 people pay to have a Packers license plate. I have no problem with a Racino (and if you say "hey, Jan, what about all the gambling addicts" I say shut your face we already have 19 venues across the state that allow gambling of some kind.) Granted, the Racino idea doesn't work if ALL the dollars go to the stadium.
Last night some doucheface McGee state rep was on t.v. saying "All this talk about losing money is nonesense, it's not like people who would have gone to a Vikings game aren't going to spend that money somewhere else." I wanted to punch him in the face but it would have hurt my hand and broken my t.v. (I did that once during the Bush admin.) Proves that this isn't about 'what makes sense' it's about people having a pissing contest.
I'm thinking of running for governor to get this all cleared up once and for all. One slogan idea is "Let's all work together, stupid." I'm still working on that as my campaign would be managed by DTK.
December 16, 2009 at 7:11 PM
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