I’m going to skip all the usual shots we like to take at [intlink id=”35″ type=”category”]Minnesota Vikings[/intlink] fans, today.
Well, maybe not all of them.
In case you haven’t heard, the Vikings want to move out of the shithole, commonly known as the Metrodome, they currently play in. The team has two competing plans for a new stadium, one on the site of the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis and another in suburban Arden Hills.
The Arden Hills site is expected to be announced as the winner today.
Here’s the problem, the stadium itself still needs to be financed. Some of the money to pay for construction will come from the Vikings and the rest will likely come from the state of Minnesota through a mix of new and existing taxes.
Guess what?
People in Minnesota, who supposedly love the hell out of their truly-awesome, beacon-of-all-that-is-right franchise, don’t want to pay for the stadium.
Seventy-four percent of respondents to a Star Tribune poll were against using public funds for a new Vikings stadium. Further, 62 percent said the Vikings should stay in the Metrodome.
If the Vikings played in a stadium built 20 years ago, I’d have to agree, especially with Minnesota facing a $5.1 billion budget deficit.
End collective bargaining, that will take care of everything!
Sorry. My ADD got the best of me there for a moment.
Anyway, this stadium situation is a little different. The Metrodome is right up there with whatever the [intlink id=”89″ type=”category”]San Francisco 49ers[/intlink] are calling Candlestick Park these days as the worst venue in the NFL. It doesn’t generate money for the Vikings — specifically, luxury box and suite revenue most other teams do generate — leaving them consistently ranked as one of the poorest franchises in the NFL.
While I could personally care less about the Vikings, this reality makes relocating the team a very real possibility if they don’t get a new stadium. The team’s lease at the Metrodome ends after this season, which is the only thing tying them to Minnesota, other than history.
You’d think Vikings fans, who love to stand up and yell nonsense in your ear when their team is winning, would be more than happy to pony up some extra tax dollars to keep their beloved Vikings in town. You know, kind of like the people of Wisconsin did when the Green Bay Packers wanted to renovate Lambeau Field.
Of course, you’d be underestimating the ignorance of Minnesota Vikings fans.