The Vikings' 'delusion'

Posted at 10:12 AM on October 18, 2011 by Bob Collins (5 Comments)
Filed under: Politics, Sports

One can get a pretty good feel for the political will to build a football stadium for Zygi Wilf and his Minnesota Vikings by noting the opinions of some of the not-connected-to-the-Vikings-nor-politicians people who a reasonable person might expect would support the notion.

Rick Prescott, writer of the BallPark Magic blog, for example, makes clear he's not anti-stadium -- far from it, he says -- but he thinks the notion of a stadium in Arden Hills is "delusional."

But let's be clear about one thing. It's not hard to understand why that tract in Arden Hills would be Zygi's first choice. It's a ton of vacant land, at the intersection of two major interstates, which somebody else would buy and clean up for him and yet which he would control completely. It's a developer's wet dream.

If the stadium were built there, Zygi would be able to extract money from the fan base to his heart's content. Lots of money. For every little thing. Forever. $100 for a tailgating spot on game day? Count on it. $400 for a room at his hotel? Without a doubt. Just bear that in mind if you ever feel the urge to drool over the current proposal.

But don't worry. It's not going to happen. If you've followed the stadium saga even a little bit, it's also quite easy to spot why this plan has been dead in the water from day one. And there are a whole lot of reasons:

Where will the stadium end up? Probably the Farmer's Market site, Prescott figures.

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Comments (5)

An interesting question was asked by the Star Tribune on their facebook page this morning about what is going to happen to the Ford plant that is closing in St. Paul. However, it is only 140 acres (not enough for a stadium).

Posted by bench | October 18, 2011 11:02 AM

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It'd also be a nightmare to get people in and out of there.

Posted by Bob Collins | October 18, 2011 11:22 AM

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.....plus, that is some prime real estate right there, it would be a shame to waste it on a team like the Vikings......

Posted by andy | October 18, 2011 11:47 AM

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He's right.

The failed Anoka deal from a few years ago was nowhere quite as sweet as this.

Posted by Paul (@princejvstin) | October 18, 2011 12:15 PM

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but if there is no stadium, and no tailgaters, who will wander out to the local homes in the area to piss in their front yards?

My dog only has so much urine to dispense when we walk around that area...

Posted by Jon | October 18, 2011 1:18 PM

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