New Minnesota Vikings Stadium Thread (Minneapolis, Ramsey: appointed, condo, loan)

[Laggard]

Bud Grant is one of the biggest arseholes to ever come down the pike so I can't take much of what he says seriously. He's just jealous I reckon. :-)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by knke0204

Really, go read up on the state of MPLS public schools right now. HS keep closing because even the kids realize that they are getting a crap education in a crap building

It's all relative. Compare Minneapolis public schools to Atlanta Public Schools (that entire district is currently being threatened with accreditation loss) and Clayton County schools (an Atlanta metro county which lost its accreditation not that long ago and has since earned it back).

Accreditation at risk for Atlanta Public Schools; lawsuit also filed *| ajc.com

Clayton County Schools Lose Accreditation - News Story - WSB Atlanta
School Board Screws Up: District to Lose Accreditation - I Speak of Dreams

I'm not kidding. Some places are a lot worse.

[rogead]

I give St Paul mayor, Chris Coleman a lot of credit for this statement:

“The fact that it's not in Minneapolis is not a reason to support something in Ramsey County".

Coleman hasn't committed for or against the stadium, but he does seem to be leaning against it based upon this story:

Coleman: Supporting Vikings stadium plan politically tough | StarTribune.com

The thing to remember is that the city of St Paul makes up about sixty percent of Ramsey county's population, and would therefore carry, by far, the largest taxation burden in the county. Yet, St Paul gets nothing in the deal--probably not even publicity. Even though Arden Hills is in Ramsey county and is technically a ST Paul suburb, national commentators are almost certain to refer to the site as being in "Minneapolis" or possibly in "Arden Hills, MN"

In reality, a downtown Minneapolis stadium would likely be more beneficial to St Paul than would a stadium in Arden Hills. Downtown St Paul would serve as the starting and ending hub for many east metro residents who are going to or coming from downtown Minneapolis. For example, someone might drive into downtown St Paul, park, and take the light rail to the stadium. After the game, they might enjoy the amenities of downtown St Paul before leaving for home. St Paul would also benefit from the fact that visitors to the metro area could stay in downtown ST Paul hotels and still have quick and easy access to stadium events. None of that is likely to happen with the Arden Hills site. Visitors would probably limit themselves to the hotels in downtown Minneapolis and in Bloomington-- then, just drive straight up 35W.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by Laggard

Bud Grant is one of the biggest arseholes to ever come down the pike so I can't take much of what he says seriously. He's just jealous I reckon. :-)

I've heard of this by at least 10 different people.

Cool Bud, go back to Superior, WI you cheesehead... I just have one thing for you Bud... 0-4 in da' Big Game!

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I've heard of this by at least 10 different people.

Cool Bud, go back to Superior, WI you cheesehead... I just have one thing for you Bud... 0-4 in da' Big Game!

To be fair, a couple of those games were against VERY tough opponents (the Steelers at their height, and the Dolphins). But I would have expected them t io take at least one of the three games in the 70's.

(I'm not old enough to remember the first one against the Chiefs)

Personally, I think the 1975 team that lost to the Cowboys at the Met with the last second Hail Mary pass was the best Viking team in that decade.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

To be fair, a couple of those games were against VERY tough opponents (the Steelers at their height, and the Dolphins). But I would have expected them t io take at least one of the three games in the 70's.

(I'm not old enough to remember the first one against the Chiefs)

Personally, I think the 1975 team that lost to the Cowboys at the Met with the last second Hail Mary pass was the best Viking team in that decade.

these young punks don't know squat

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

To be fair, a couple of those games were against VERY tough opponents (the Steelers at their height, and the Dolphins). But I would have expected them t io take at least one of the three games in the 70's.

(I'm not old enough to remember the first one against the Chiefs)

Personally, I think the 1975 team that lost to the Cowboys at the Met with the last second Hail Mary pass was the best Viking team in that decade.

I've always respected Bud Grant, I was just taking some pokes.

He was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers if I think right?...

He's a great NFL coach and is widely respected in the football community. I just wonder what could have been had he won all four of those.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I've always respected Bud Grant, I was just taking some pokes.

He was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers if I think right?...

He's a great NFL coach and is widely respected in the football community. I just wonder what could have been had he won all four of those.

Even one win would have been good. Just one.

[Blue Earth]

So I take it after all the huff and puffing this week, there still is no decision on whether or not there will be a stadium.

I personally do not favor the Arden Hills site because a stadium on this level is not going to just be a stadium for the Vikings. It will be a major attraction for the metro area on the scale of Cowboys Stadium or Reliant Stadium, and I think that it's better for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to have such a stadium in downtown Minneapolis rather than a suburb that no one outside of Minnesota has ever heard of.

Remember that when this stadium is shown on TV, let's say in a Final Four or Super Bowl, it's going to be referred to as being in "Arden Hills, Minnesota", not Minneapolis. Just as Cowboys Stadium is referred to as being in "Arlington, Texas", not in Dallas. Maybe a minor thing, but it's about perception and how people perceive the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Is it perceived as an area where the suburbs are dominant or an area where the city is dominant and the suburbs are secondary. Already the suburbs have the majority of the population, but the cities have most of the entertainment and attractions. A stadium of that size and caliber built out there is going to further suburbanize the metro area and give the impression to outsiders that Minneapolis-St. Paul is all about the suburbs.

Second, there is no light rail either existing or planned up there. Why build all this light rail and then put the region's premier stadium in an area not served by rail? It's dumb.

Third, the Metrodome will sit there and rot for 15 years if the new stadium isn't built on that site.

[talktobrent]

Anybody with any kind of business sense can see what is going on here... If you look at the Arden Hills plan it's blatantly in favor of the Vikings, and shifts the vast majority of the costs and risks onto the public, while securing profit after profit for Vikings. The state is paying the mortgage while the Vikings lounge on the couch and bring home food every now and then. They obviously found some wide eyed, naive, "fan" in the Ramsey County Commissioners, and just steamrolled over the poor guy in these negotiations, probably promising him a lunch with Adrian Peterson or something.

What this has been all along, here and elsewhere, is a private business exploiting the public's emotional attachment to an entity that has little connection to their state other than their name and home field. You think any of these guys are actually HERE right now, raising a family, sending their kids to school here? No they're in South Beach chasing women and playing golf. Zigy is probably on a private jet to sleep in his gold plated mansion in New Jersey every night. You think any these goons see us and our state as anything more than a revenue stream? Hell no. This is just a money grab.

Wilf must not get much sleep at night because he's probably too busy laughing at the fools we are making of ourselves: Minneapolis is competition to get stadium with Arden Hills? So now we're actually competing to fund a billionaire in his overly lavish, unsustainable business plan? Wake up. Let them leave town if this is the kind of respect they have for their fans and our populace.