GO, VIKINGS! PLEASE!

[MineralMan]

Vikings Stadium Raises Ugly Head Again

This morning, as I perused the Pioneer Press, I noticed that the Minnesota Vikings are reintroducing the idea of getting the taxpayers to fund a new stadium again. So that's what hiring Brett Favre was all about. I expected this, of course, since the Vikings' contract to use the Metrodome expires after next season.

This year, though, they'll be using a new tactic to promote this $700 million boondoggle. Well, it's not new, really. Every team who wants a new stadium uses it. The tactic? "If we don't get a new stadium, we'll have to leave this wonderful state." They aren't saying it, directly, but the team's VP for public affairs said, according to the PP's story, "If the answer is no, then why would you own a team in this market?" There it is, folks. Brett Favre and a threat to leave, all in one season.

There's just one word that can be offered as an answer: NO! That's NO, as in there is no chance any state legislator's going to propose picking the taxpayers' pockets this year for a stadium boondoggle. That's NO, as in the state's taxpayers saying "Oh, hell no!" to paying $700 million for a playground for the football boys. Not now. Not while the state's economy is pressed to the limit. Not to support a professional sports team.

Los Angeles is calling. They've been without a pro football team for a long time, now, and they seem ready to build an open-air worship center for the sport. The team wouldn't even have to change its name: The LA Vikings sounds pretty good.

I'm going to buy one of those "GO VIKINGS!" bumper stickers for my car. I'll add a comma, so it reads: "GO, VIKINGS!" Go to Los Angeles! Our taxes are already too high here, and we've had to cut critical funds for health care for the poorest of our citizens in Minnesota. They don't go to Vikings games. We've had to close schools. We're cutting expenses all over the place. And the Vikings want us to give them almost three-quarters of a billion dollars?

GO, VIKINGS! PLEASE!

www.osomin.com

[kenfrequed]

1. Definitely

I live in St Paul and I am absolutely tired of this private NFL scam for bleeding money out of individual states. We are still crawling out of a recession and they want MORE? The gall, the avarice, the conceit of it all.

This is a hollow threat that needs to be called. If the owners are tired of the ardor, effort, pain, and loss of owning a football team perhaps the city could become owners of the damned thing. It works in Green Bay and strangely that team seems to be performing fairly well for a community owned non-profit organization.

Otherwise they can take their chances with another city and hope that someone stupid will throw together the absurd amount of money required to foot the bill during a time where every one is cutting back.

[glinda]

2. I'm sick of the Twins personally. They whined and whined and put huge players on their

rosters then the richest people who had invested in the new stadium got richer. Asses. I think the Vikings have personally been rather shit on. The Dome is AWFUL!!!!!!!!!! Of course a Team will leave if they have to. Brett was added because 1) He wanted to come to the Vikes as they needed a quarterback 2) He ended on a bad note and wants to play until he cannot anymore 3)The challenge of the Vikes actually winning a Super-Bowl for the very first time is too too tempting 3) I think he still has his cabin in WI and also his children's Foundation and then there is Mayo for his wife should she need it_hope not. 4) Money for him, the Team, the owners, etc.....
I think the mistake is that when they built a Stadium, it should have been for BOTH the Vikes and the Twins. But no........ pressure was put on the City and State because in the time of war and depression, blah blah blah, it is America's sport. Besides, all the decent players will get traded off as they say they are hurt and the owners will cash in. BS. Seen it over and over again.
I say.... let's figure out how to keep the Vikings. So scream at me. And I am a girl who loves football.

[dflprincess]

3. The Vikings are the ones who wanted the Dome in the first place,

the Twins never really were happy with it and were the ones who were rooked on the deal for it. The Twins get none of the revenue for the suites as the Vikings own those and very little of the concenssion revenues. I could understand why the Twins wanted a new stadium, though they should have built one with a retractable roof and should not have used taxpayer money for it.

The state is cutting funds for medical care, schools need more money and the infrastructure is falling apart and these jerks think tax money should be used to build them a playground where ticket prices will be out of reach for a lot of Minnesotans.

This is the stadium the Vikings wanted and if they don't like it any more, they can build the new one themselves.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. It is mostly about bringing in even more money

in that by revenue standards, the Dome is behind the rest of the NFL. Also it is named for one of the greatest DFLers of all time Hubert H Humphery, and most NFL owners lean Republican, so they would rather see a sponsor name on the Dome and drop the HHH. Wilf et al wanted Mall of America Stadium, not Mall of America Field at HHH Meterodome.

Even in down economic times greed still rules the roost.

[dflprincess]

6. I doubt if Ziggy even knows there is a down turn

Oh sure, his dividend checks might have dropped a bit, but mostly it's just something he reads about in the papers.

[Generic Brad]

5. The Wilf's have millions of dollars to spare. Minnesota does not

As much as I love watching the Vikings, they can pay for their own damned stadium.