Vikes Stadium - A Lesson in Myopia
So, the (bankrupt) Federal government can loan Solyndra $500 million for a solar panel technology that nobody wants but the (bankrupt) State of Minnesota can't get it's act together for $500 million for the Vikes? Come on. If there is one state that is going to fuck this up, it's gonna be Minnesota, right? I know, we got a deal done for Target Field but that was in the heady days of 2002. I feel like this is going to end badly. Question, when they move to LA, do you still follow them or the NFL for that matter?
- Asian person pictured is not an actual state legislator. Well, I guess I don't actually know that but. . .
2 Comments:
If the Vikes move to LA, my already waning interest in the NFL is reduced completely to fantasy football. If the Vikes do move I would imagine most current fans will jump off the Vikings ship. How many Minnesotans followed the Dallas Stars? And if they do move how long will it take for the talk to start about moving the Jaguars to Minnesota?
As I transform more and more into Randy G (my father), I can tell you how unexcited I would be to have to drive from 50th and Minnehaha Pkwy all the way out to Blaine. I might go once and then turn down free tickets in the future due to the pain in ass factor. Is that still the #1 idea, a stadium in Blaine? Did I also hear that they were kicking around the idea of a downtown casino in the dome's current space? I bet that would go over as well as Block E.
Same shit is going on down here. The Falcons want a new stadium. One option is to move them from downtown out to the sticks. Again, I am not driving out to Gwinett, home to a eclectic mixture of rich people, hood rats and illegals. The other is to build the new stadium on the land of the current parking lots next to the stadium which sounds a whole lot better to me. Keep in mind that the current stadium is down near where the Hawks play, the aquarium, the world of coke, the future college football hall of fame, Turner field and all the hotels. All of that is important because Atlanta is the center of the college football world. Pulling in huge numbers of people from all over the south for the Chik-fil-a Kickoff Classic, the SEC title game, the SEC basketball tournament and the Peach Bowl. In short they are trying to fuck up a good thing so that the Falcons can make some more bucks.
November 6, 2011 at 8:45 AM
RTS - please, oh please don't turn into Randy, I'd hate to think of your lovely daughter Little RTS and her friends who call her (assuming land lines exist in 10 years) and have to deal with you, exhaling loudly as if you were in the middle of solving world peace, and gruffly saying "Hold on" in your best 'I'm so annoyed right now' tone. (quick question, was Randy usually simply staring at a wall when I would call and interrupt him asking for you?)
The stadium debate as I frame it:
1. Yes, the Wilfs want the Arden Hills site. I've heard because he wants to develop the whole area with retail and residence along with the stadium. But this rumor is mostly just Minnesotans being really dumb and thinking things like that. I don't think you're alone on this blog for hating the idea of the stadium being there. I concur 100% with your assessment, I'd go once. Or at least once in a long while.
2. Mayor Rybak has thrown a couple proposed sites into the mix - the current Dome site and where the current farmer's market is (right by TF, in a spot where 94 and 394 come out of downtown. The latter idea makes far too much sense considering it would benefit from: the infrastructure already existing for TF/TC - including all the parking and mass transit (light rail etc.)
3. Gambling - yes, they are proposing a casino downtown (among special pull-tabs etc) Actually I think the casino would take over Block E. At first blush, you'd think this is a bad idea, I think it is a great idea. Foremost, it'll help defer the costs for the stadium on the taxpayer (I am also for legalizing pot - in general - and prostituion and taxing those to pay for a stadium but nobody wants to get serious with me about those ideas. Secondly, you know who likes security? Casinos. Block E sucks balls mostly because of the businesses it allows in there (thank God Hooters left) and the type of people who loiter there usually waiting for buses to go to the North side (while packing heat.) yes, i know how it sounds but it's the truth. I think if they put in a casino, the vision of downtown full of active theater-goers/diners/shoppers may actually happen. DTK and I were discussing this the other day and determined that largely downtown Minneapolis sucks - there are 3 places you actually would go and, like TF, the Vikes stadium would at least change this to some degree.
November 6, 2011 at 8:36 PM
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