A Tale of Two Stadiums
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Here in Minneapolis St. Paul, MN, an era is ending and another beginning. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome will see its last public event today, when the Minnesota Vikings play the Detroit Lions in the last game of the season for both lousy teams. The game will be boring, and the teams have no stake in performing well for the sold-out crowd seeking to attend this last, historic game. The Metrodome, first used in 1982, will be demolished, beginning not long after this final game is over. In its place will rise a new stadium, looking for all the world like a monstrous glass cathedral.
The HHH Metrodome was built with a large influx of taxpayer dollars, and with the promise of great economic benefits to the Twin Cities. Those benefits remain unseen so far, really. There were, of course, a couple of sports bars built near the edifice, so a few long-term jobs in the food service industry were created, I guess, but the expansive conception of a thriving community around that stadium somehow never became a reality.
The new $1 billion Vikings stadium, like the old one, will be built with the help of a very large sum of taxpayer dollars as well, and the arguments for that public investment are pretty much the same arguments raised for the one they are now tearing down. The likelihood that the benefits will appear this time is about the same as the last time. But, an edifice is needed, and will be built. So spake the movers and shakers of Minnesota.
For what, some ask? Well, for the pride of the community! For a multi-purpose stadium for the citizens of Minnesota! Perhaps, but the real benefits will accrue to the owner of the Minnesota Vikings, one Zygi Wilf, a real estate magnate who, by chance, was recently judged to be a fraud in the state of New Jersey, and will have to pay almost $100 million in damages to the defrauded party. Zygi, a mustachioed entrepreneur of the first water will see the selling price for the Minnesota Vikings increase dramatically once the new stadium is erected. Now, to be fair, Zygi is contributing part of the cost of this new football cathedral, as is the NFL, but that money is highly leveraged and one wonders how long the lever might be and where the fulcrum will be placed. I suspect the fulcrum will bear directly on the backs of Minnesota taxpayers in some circuitous way.
For our investment, Minnesota residents will have the opportunity to visit this new cathedral honoring a boy's game at least 8 times each year, and maybe 9, if the team actually wins enough games to be in the playoffs. That, given the last two seasons, though, seems highly unlikely. There will also be some other opportunities to visit the new stadium, perhaps. A monster truck rally or two, and other possible events that are as yet unknown. Still, given the price of this new stadium, ticket prices are bound to go up substantially, and they are already high enough that most Minnesotans do not have the price of a ticket available so they can attend a game. Only those of considerable means will have entry into this stadium, it appears.
It is folly. This new stadium, built on the backs of Minnesota taxpayers at extreme cost, with the price of attendance high enough to prevent most of those who pay for the stadium from every attending a game, is an obscenity. That the taxpayers of Minnesota will be forced to pay for a facility they cannot use, all for the profit of a man already judged to be a fraud, is the source of the obscenity. When will we learn that public money should not be spent on rich men's foolishness? When will we say NO! to such excesses? When will that money be spent instead on rebuilding infrastructures, pacifying troubled urban neighborhoods and educating Minnesota's children?
Perhaps next time? This time, there's no such luck.
The New Viking's Cathedral
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to be used 10 days a year, unless the Vikings are a home team in the playoffs, then maybe 12.
Sounds like good use of public funds. Not like Minnesota need infrastructure repair or anything.
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It has Arrowhead and Royals stadium in the same location. It was build in 1972!
One of the prettiest venues in all of baseball. I've always loved the zig-zaggy roof over the outfield bleachers. I'd like to go to a game there someday.
if I had talked about three stadiums. 
It reminds me of this:
Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs
, which was rejected as too costly. Sorry. 
As much as I oppose the building of this stadium, if we build it, it must have a roof of some sort or it will not be usable much of the year here in MN.
Card for the city like other large arenas etc so there are probably arguments for some subsidizing. I dunno, when Green Bay wanted to work on Lambeau they just sold more shares. But we've got a socialist system up there
Yup - big game today 
Teams which embrace the weather as part of their team such as the Bears and Packers continue to succeed.
You lose the toughness playing in a dumb and I doubt the fair weather fans would want the cold air in in winter.
Look to Soldier Field today to see how NFC North football should be played. Then Lambeau Field next week for the wild card game!
Teams need to sell shares like the Packers! They are only worth the bragging rights, but when I say MY TEAM, I really can say that.
Go Pack Go!! ARod and Cobb both return today! 
from you at all,
Packers Suck
Go Bears Go!!!
Hell of a rivalry, ain't it?
Daaable check the score after the game!
Cutless knocked out in 1st. 1/4. 
keep the bears out of your back yard?
Hell, I'd be happy if we could keep them out of our back field!
Okay. I give up. 
The 49ers haven't seen our new and improved running game yet.
Our opening loss to them was a shaky start.
In any case,
Go Packers!went to the clinic today for checkups, coaches and owners wanted to find out if they could hear a whistle, or not. 
Now there's the Passarooski ! 
As Lombardi said, "What the hell is going on out here?"!!
(Being from Wi originally, So Ca. since 74, I note the Ski. Damn I miss a good Polish sausage or brat) 
officials will be given vision tests.....since they have problems seeing if it was a touchdown or not. You should have been in my living room last night, you would have heard wifey cussing like a sailor. 
has a rather interesting history, as I found out just recently...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette_Stadium
Anyway, NE haters can say what they want about the team, the coach, and the owner, but Robert Kraft paid for Gillette out of his own pocket
As the article says, a rare instance of a team owner financing the cost of a stadium.
He's been rewarded many times over by the wins, titles, and general sense of pride (among Pats fans, anyway) in our team.
And the Bengals!
And a host of others!
You wouldn't want to FALL BEHIND!
Isn't that kinda how it works? Kinda like CEO pay?
