Stadium thread

[HornedMessiah]

That's a pretty charged opening sentence: "The Vikings are concerned about the turn of events surrounding a stadium solution in Minnesota". Notice how the team name and the state are separated.

[dead_poet]

No Special Session: Vikings are 'concerned about turn of events'

Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday that he will not call a special session before Thanksgiving or release his own plan next week to get a stadium built for the Minnesota Vikings because of a lack of progress regarding a solution for the issue.

Dayton added he is disappointed in the lack of progress by legislative leaders. This came after Kurt Zellers, the Minnesota House Speaker, sent an e-mail Tuesday night to his fellow Republicans saying he would not support a special session to consider the stadium bill.

Zellers, rather, wanted to see a specific plan for the stadium before he gives his support to a special session.

Failure to hold a special session to attempt to get the stadium deal complete would mean the Vikings would have to wait for the regular session. That delay would take the stadium issue into the spring and force constructions costs to go higher. There also is no guarantee a stadium would gain approval at that point.

The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome expires on Feb. 1 and the franchise has the right to inform the NFL and the state of its intention to relocate by Feb. 15. The Vikings' hope has been to get a stadium built in Arden Hills, although Minneapolis also has expressed interest in continuing to be the team's home city.

The club issued a statement on Wednesday night that read: "The Vikings are concerned about the turn of events surrounding a stadium solution in Minnesota. While we have been encouraged by the efforts of Governor Dayton and the four caucus leaders to seriously discuss this issue, these recent developments are very disappointing.

"The Vikings stadium issue has been heavily debated in the public for over 10 years. With less than 90 days left on the team's lease, the urgency to act is on us. The Vikings continue to stand ready to work with State leaders on a stadium solution that works for Minnesota and the team."

Dayton had planned to meet with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf on Friday but the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the Governor now says he will cancel that get together.

Without a stadium, the Vikings are one of the NFL teams considered as candidates to relocate to Los Angeles.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/No_s ... ents110211

[HornedMessiah]

Well that's terrible news. ####

[dead_poet]

Seriously. #### Kurt Zellers.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collec ... ml?refid=0

Make your voice heard.


Kurt Zellers

463 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

651-296-5502

E-mail: rep.kurt.zellers@house.mn

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/member ... p?id=10811

[HornedMessiah]

I just sent an email. I live in ND but he, or whoever reads his emails, doesn't need to know that. Like it will do any good, anyway. Meh. Hopefully I'm not the only person who contacts him. He needs to get flooded with emails and calls. I hope he freaks out when he realizes that his name will be attached to the Vikings moving to LA.

Next few days might be interesting. That last tidbit might whip people into a panic.

[thatguy]

I just sent an email. I live in ND but he, or whoever reads his emails, doesn't need to know that. Like it will do any good, anyway. Meh. Hopefully I'm not the only person who contacts him. He needs to get flooded with emails and calls. I hope he freaks out when he realizes that his name will be attached to the Vikings moving to LA.

Next few days might be interesting. That last tidbit might whip people into a panic.

You won't be. I'll be giving him a call and an email. Screw him.

Edit: Just called and left a message. It's impossible to talk to these people in person (especially not as a constituent), so I doubt I'll ever get a real phone conversation with him. Just gotta flood his inbox and answering machine.

I just explained my extreme displeasure with his stance on the subject. I explained that the Vikes have been excellent tennants and waited their turn. I told him that if he wants his name attached to the Vikings moving to LA, so be it, but he will not be receiving my vote if he does not change his stance. "If you want to tell the Vikings to wait on getting a stadium deal done, we can certainly wait on your re-election."

I'll be calling again within the next couple of days.

[Juice]

Thanks for the contact information, dead_poet.

I'll be sending out my e-mail momentarily and will be giving him a call tomorrow morning... more like probably leaving him a voicemail but still got to try.

[BGM]

We really cant expect the artsy farsty community in this state to put up any money for the Vikings....this is a group of people who tore down the Parade Stadium softball field in Minneapolis in order to build their Big spoon and cherry and rumor has it that they are now considering a Big Fork or Knife or some other utensil to go along with it and they think thats money well spent !!!!

I'm sure there are hundereds of thousands of people who every year when considering their vacation plans say to themselves "Lets go see the big spoon and cherry in Mpls" Now thats entertainment

I know you were frustrated when you wrote this, but this is the LEAST effective way to convince the "artsy-fartsy community" (of which I am a very proud member) to support a stadium. You want to convince someone? SHOW them how losing the Vikings will affect the things they value. Explain how losing the tax revenue generated by having an NFL franchise could result in more major arts cuts in the state. (Not saying that is actually true, but it IS a starting point) Point out how local vendors and small businesses in the area around the stadium will be negatively affected if the Vikings leave. Show them how their community benefits from NFL Players doing community service. Ask them how they would feel if the Walker or Orchestra Hall or the Guthrie were to say, "We have contributed for many years to the cultural history of Minnesota. We need public funds to build a new gallery (concert hall, theater, etc.). If we don't get that funding, we will leave the state." Show them that the Vikings ARE a part of the fabric of the community and the history of the state.

Find some common ground and go from there. The problem with most proponents and opponents is that they are so dug in and passionate that they are unwilling to even begin a discussion.

I happen to be proud of BOTH the presence of professional sports and the high level artistic professionals in Minnesota.

[BGM]

I am still absolutely dumb-founded at the incredible ineptitude of Lester Bagley and the Vikings stadium push. They should be flooding the airwaves with what losing the Vikings would mean to Minnesota. They should be emphasizing how historically the state and the team have been identified closely - only three teams are identified by their relationship with a state (Arizona, Tennessee and Minnesota) - and the Vikings belong to Minnesota and have for 40 years.

Instead, they incessantly whine about not getting a special session, which in this political climate would have been nearly a miracle. They approach with incomplete plans for the stadium and surrounding infrastructure. They emphasize the negatives when they should be showing the public just why this stadium is a necessity.

The main problem is that I believe Wilf and Bagley are approaching the entire enterprise as a real estate development opportunity rather than a football business necessity. This stadium push has been snake-bit ever since the most promising option in Anoka County was ridiculously botched. That was a win-win that with a little political savvy should have been a slam dunk.

I also blame the politicians who are, for the most part, acting as if they are listening to the constituents who elected them and opposing large public funding for a big business. The problem is that while they do that, they continue to subsidize other less visible big businesses. Between the political hypocrisy and the lack of energy from the Vikings stadium push, this logjam isn't surprising.

[dead_poet]

They should be flooding the airwaves with what losing the Vikings would mean to Minnesota. They should be emphasizing how historically the state and the team have been identified closely - only three teams are identified by their relationship with a state (Arizona, Tennessee and Minnesota) - and the Vikings belong to Minnesota and have for 40 years.

These are things the organization has done, and will continue to do.

http://www.vikings.com/stadium/new-stad ... mpact.html

http://prod.static.vikings.clubs.nfl.co ... 021511.pdf

http://www.vikings.com/stadium/new-stadium/facts.html

The "whining" they're doing is simply expressing displeasure at recent events. The talking points you refer to are the things i hear on nearly every interview given by members of the organization when given the opportunity.

[BGM]

These are things the organization has done, and will continue to do.

http://www.vikings.com/stadium/new-stad ... mpact.html

http://prod.static.vikings.clubs.nfl.co ... 021511.pdf

http://www.vikings.com/stadium/new-stadium/facts.html

The "whining" they're doing is simply expressing displeasure at recent events. The talking points you refer to are the things i hear on nearly every interview given by members of the organization when given the opportunity.

Those are all great resources, and yet, has there been a media blitz to stress these points? If you want to have a grassroots effort, you need to energize the fan base. That has never happened. Using the "fund us or we'll leave" approach has apparently had little effect up to now.

And if their marketing arm was worth its salt, you would be hearing these points incessantly and everywhere. You don't wait for the opportunity, you create the opportunity. The Vikings organization seems to have not developed enough political relationships in the Capitol to bank on.

The thing is, the opposition to the stadium has been energized and vocal. There are some valid points by those opposing the stadium concerning the exaggeration of economic value of public funding for a stadium. The Vikings stadium push seems to have the numbers to counter that, but other than cruising the website, how would anyone know?

[BGM]

Oh, and let me be clear, I think Zellers is an idiot. He's playing politics and doing it with an easy target. It's more of the same obstructionism that is running rampant at all levels of government these days.

[dead_poet]

Those are all great resources, and yet, has there been a media blitz to stress these points?

Members of the organization routinely speak to the media and bloggers to get their message across. I don't know the budget or specifics of what's been done, but I could probably get them.

If you want to have a grassroots effort, you need to energize the fan base. That has never happened.

Incorrect. Minnesota Momentum was created just for that purpose. MM is a grassroots coalition of fans, business and community leaders dedicated to finding a stadium solution with the Minnesota Vikings. The same is said about savethevikes.org (http://www.savethevikes.org/about/). I know there are others out there but to my knowledge those are two of the largest and they are thousands strong.

Using the "fund us or we'll leave" approach has apparently had little effect up to now.

To be fair, Zygi has never come out and said this. It's also hard to argue that something drastic needed to be done to get the legislature to address this situation that's gone on for 10 years and tripled in cost because of inaction.

It's also clear the "patiently wait our turn while the Gophers and Twins get their stadium while not being overly forceful in a difficult economic climate" approach has had even less of an effect. It's hard to argue the Vikings have been bullies about their stadium efforts these last 10 years.

You don't wait for the opportunity, you create the opportunity.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here. The Vikings have really never had a great opportunity to get a stadium thanks to Minnesota politics.

The Vikings organization seems to have not developed enough political relationships in the Capitol to bank on.

I agree with you here.

The thing is, the opposition to the stadium has been energized and vocal.

I would argue that those trying to save the Vikings are every bit as energized and vocal.

[thatguy]

To be fair, Zygi has never come out and said this. It's also hard to argue that something drastic needed to be done to get the legislature to address this situation that's gone on for 10 years and tripled in cost because of inaction.

He has actually promised that he would never move the team in the past. Only thing that scares me is selling the team to someone who would.

[thatguy]

I agree with you here.
I would argue that those trying to save the Vikings are every bit as energized and vocal.

1st - Ehh, Pawlently dodged the issue like it was his job. Hard to get involved at the Capitol if the governor won't get on board b/c he's too focused on the White House (btw, he can suck it...I'm glad he's out of the running).

2nd - The opposition on the Star Tribune website has been energized and vocal, yes. But that's because those people have nothing to do with their time. It's been PRETTY clear that the majority of Minnesotans want the Vikings to STAY, but they just aren't sure about the funding issue.