Viking Stadium (Minneapolis, Crystal: live, metro, news)

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Voyageur

Oh, yes... everyone who disagrees with you about a stadium is a "hater"...

Sorry...that was a typo, I meant to characterize the idiot (femmie) stadium opponents in this manner...

[marmac]

Maybe the people who pooled their own money for a billboard in Hattiesburg MS begging Bret Favre to return should pool their money and pay for the Viking stadium.

[Oildog]

So why is the option of putting casinos in Canterbury in exchange for stadium money not been given much consideration? This would be a slam dunk for the tax payer???

Gamblers are going to gamble, I'm guessing the only ones who may be upset are the Indian gambling houses...but didnt they offer to build a stadium?

I dont get it, Pittsburgh did it, why are we so opposed to letting gambling money build the stadium???They dont OWN the team.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Oildog

So why is the option of putting casinos in Canterbury in exchange for stadium money not been given much consideration? This would be a slam dunk for the tax payer???

Gamblers are going to gamble, I'm guessing the only ones who may be upset are the Indian gambling houses...but didnt they offer to build a stadium?

I dont get it, Pittsburgh did it, why are we so opposed to letting gambling money build the stadium???They dont OWN the team.

As I understand it (it's pretty confusing)...Back when (1980's) the US Courts were settling the legality of the tribal rights concerning casino's, Minnesota reached a seperate deal with the state tribes that was much more favorable to the tribes than the eventual federal agreement. My understanding is that this agreement stipulated that the state would not enter into the gaming business but to what degree that means I haven't a clue because there certainly has been expansion since then with everything from pull-tabs to card rooms at the two metro horse tracks.

Whenever the talk of "machines" expansion comes up, the legislature seems quick to run to their basements and turn out the lights. No doubt this is due to the highly lucartive (lots of revenue, little expense) income this current monopoly provides the casinos and even more telling, the powerful lobby group$ the Tribes have established with virtually each and every legislator. Wouldn't hold out much hope that video games would be allowed outside the tribal casinos anytime soon.

Very little info on this is even available from the media, which seems equally peculliar.

google tribal gaming compacts for more info on this

[Bignellyxx]

This whole thing is getting a little more attention now than what i expected. It seems there are multiple ideas out there right now. The Racino idea seems like a strong one if it passes. It seems like another strong one is yet another Hennepin county tax. I don't completely oppose this idea but find it to be BS that Hennepin county would carry the burden and the state would benefit. Kind of wish Hen. Co. could just take all the sales tax money on all ticket/concession sales to ease the burden a bit.

[knke0204]

What's going to happen is the Vikes are going to get a stadium with a roof on it that doesn't retract, on the current Metrodome site. They'll play at the Bank for 2 seasons like the Bears played in Chapagne while fixing Soldier. It's just not feasible or efficient to build a retractable roof stadium. They are gawdy, and way over priced. They are clumsy too. Half the people who complain about Target Field not having a roof are people who have never stepped foot in a retractable roof stadium. They aren't unique. They are clumsy and lose all architectural uniqueness that Target Field now has. They create weird wind patterns.

They penny pinched in the late 70s when designing and building the dome, and now look at it. It's a travesty. It's a joke. No we're stuck with a giant ugly bowling shoe of a venue DOWNTOWN Minneapolis. I think the Vikes will end up building a beautiful, multi-use sports venue so they can not just have 8-10 Football games there a year, but also have High School football, monster rallies, supercross, tractor pulls, NCAA games, etc. Something like Ford Field or Lucas Oil Stadium would be awesome downtown MPLS on the Dome site.

Or our government can get a clue. Become capitalists in a capitialistic society- Start taxing things that people always will inevitably buy. Prostitution, drugs, and gambling are all things that the government can make MAJOR money off of. Some countries have done this for years and make money off of it. It would actually be a super win-win. Having legalized prostitues would keep the streets clean, and keep them safe.

Prostitution, drugs, and gambling are 3 touchy subjects that SHOULD be legal, I'm so sick of tax dollars being spent on 3 hots and a cot for a guy who grew a few plants in his basement, sold them, and gave people the munchies. Woah, big threat to society, wow. Let's house him, bathe him, feed him, and give our DEA some real work. Maybe give some help to the Mexican border towns who have 30 murders a DAY.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by knke0204

Something like Ford Field or Lucas Oil Stadium would be awesome downtown MPLS on the Dome site.

That would depend who you ask. It would probably still rank worst in the NFL for tailgating if they don't make some major changes around the site with the streets/parking lots. Maybe if they closed or tunneled 3rd and 4th streets near the site and the stadium owned a couple blocks of property in the direction of the river.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by moving123456

That would depend who you ask. It would probably still rank worst in the NFL for tailgating if they don't make some major changes around the site with the streets/parking lots. Maybe if they closed or tunneled 3rd and 4th streets near the site and the stadium owned a couple blocks of property in the direction of the river.

Haha, this is Minnesota! You think we'd ever be able to 'tailgate'?

Our leaders will think it's "too big of a liability"

You can't even drink at a Big 10 College Football game. Lame.

[nrogers1122]

I really hope to hell that the Vikings stay in MSP. Moving from DSM where there is no team is one of the highlights. It would be too ironic for me personally to move to a team only to have its NFL team move away. Give LA the Iowa Barnstormers. Cali already has the Raiders and the Chargers. They don't need any more, but MN, IA, ND, and SD do.

Don't go open air. You do realize that most of the football season is cold as hell, right? You want to be hardcore and tailgate outside, fine. But make the place attractive to families with indoor seating. You call yourself the Crystal city (which I've only heard referenced a few places, albeit), so make the roof of the dome totally transparent and heated so it doesn't accumulate snow and cave in. Hell, why not make the whole thing look like its made out of glass? Look what the Cowboys did. They made headlines. Not that MSP could support that big of a project, but you could make a spectacle in your own way.

Don't copy Green Bay. That would be lame. Everyone would know that you are just trying to one up them or copy them, and the team would get made fun of for at least a decade by Jim Rome.

As far as location goes, I've only been there once, but I say go somewhere that you can have extreme parking lots suitable for tailgating; with shuttles or a monorail that takes you to the stadium or something. That would be sweet. Make the place unique. The Metrodome is crappy, and everyone thinks so. It was nice a few years ago, but its outlived its time and needs to be put down. It kind of looks like one of those St. Patrick's day tents you see at bars, or some kind of quilted marshmallow plopped right down next to the otherwise sexy looking skyline.

[WhiteBearLake]

^Good post except I disagree about having a roof. The best places in the league to watch a game are Green Bay, Buffalo, Chicago, and Cleveland. I've been to 20 stadiums and those are my favorites despite them being the four coldest places to play. I say no roof. Plus I don't really think the Vikings will move; other teams are in much worse shape than ours.

I have also always lived in the metro and never once heard Minneapolis being coined "The Crystal City". It may true but if it is, it's new news to me. It might just be some gimmick the city chalked up to plaster on some promotional materials for the city despite no locals ever using the phrase.