Nationally and locally there’s speculation whether the Vikings franchise will remain in Minnesota. This week, for example, Forbes.com listed the Vikings among the top five professional franchises most likely to relocate.
The speculation makes for a lot of angst among Vikings fans who gather around the office water cooler during the week or at the local pub on weekends, but the opinion of Sports Headliners is the Vikings will remain in Minneapolis. The Vikings originated here in 1961 and during that time have moved so far ahead of this state’s other sports attractions in popularity it’s no contest. How could this town and state give up an entertainment entity that has hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans watching on Sunday afternoons and has embedded itself into the hearts and souls of the masses, young and old?
A franchise relocation isn’t going to happen, even with the Vikings and Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission advocating a $1 billion or so retractable roof stadium on the Metrodome site. Look for a stadium push to be made during the last weeks of next year’s legislative session.
Yes, economic times aren’t so good but we’re talking about the Vikings, a franchise that has waited its turn in the give-us-a-new-facility line for more than 10 years while the Twins and Gophers were served. Now the franchise whose revenues have ranked toward the bottom among NFL teams for years and who Forbes magazine ranks last in value among NFL teams is asking for approval of a new facility before the existing use agreement at the Metrodome expires after the 2011 season.
Stadium funding is likely to come from the Vikings and hospitality taxes such as car rental or hotel taxes. That’s a formula used to finance facilities in other towns.
A roof on the facility is mandatory to help justify the expense. A covered facility like the Metrodome means a multipurpose facility remains available for community use ranging from high school sports to recreational rollerblading, plus concerts, consumer shows and national events such as the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl.
Downtown is a central location that can be readily accessed including through public transit in the metro area and throughout the region. The commission and the Vikings are committed to downtown and the city deserves to continue as home to the Vikings. Not always recognized is that historically and today, it has been Minneapolis’ area leadership, businesses and fans that have been the foundation to pro sports in this region.