The Vikings stadium bill was voted down by a vote of 9-6 in the House Government Operations committee Monday. The bill, which died in the same committee that killed another stadium bill in 2010, was heavily amended and does not pass out of committee. Vikings VP Lester Bagley is at a loss on what to do next: "It's been 10-plus years, and a Vikings stadium bill has never seen the floor," he told SavetheVikes.org. "No new taxes; no general funds. What else can we do?" Throughout the process of a new stadium proposal, which failed in a state House committee Monday, owner Zygi Wilf and the Vikings organization have not threatened to move the team if they didn't get a new stadium. They may be headed in that direction: "It's a mistake to think the Vikings and the NFL will stick with the status quo in Minnesota," Bagley told Fox9 News. Source: CBS Sports
And the taxpayers don't deserve to take out a loan until 2045 to pay for this! Do you think if this pace keeps up they won't be asking for another stadium before 2045? Really?
As I recall, the tax payers have not had a voice in this matter yet... The bill has never made it to the floor, the house committees have shot it down before it gets there. Zygi apparently hasn't greased the right palm enough.
Exactly my thoughts. The NFL and their teams making billions of dollars, but the public is asked to pay for a new stadium.
This is truly sad for any Viking Fan! Minnesota just doesn't want a football team anymore!! All the true fans are now old and don't care anymore!!
Yes I am old myself and I don't live in Minnesota. But I suffered through 4 Super Bowl losses and I will be hopeful for a win until I die! Go Vikes!!
look, i think it's bullcrap that taxpayers all around the country have been picking up the tab for so many of these new baseball/basketball/hockey/football stadiums and arenas over the past several years. however, that is now the cost of doing business in big-time sports and if the Minnesota politicians won't let any taxpayer pay a dime to keep the Vikings, i GUARANTEE another city will and the only people that are going to lose are the loyal Vikings fans. the twins just got a brand new stadium and most of it is being paid for with a 0.15% sales tax. why can't they just do something like this again? the alternative is the vikings moving to L.A. or somewhere else and that's not a good option, is it?
Baseball plays how many home games a year? The NFL has what, 8? So the economics of MLB are totally different. I don't think they should have paid for the rotten Twins either though.
Dunno Captain. The economy is going down and another raise of taxes isn't really a good idea, especially if the benefit goes to a multi billion company like the NFL, who could probably build this stadium without breaking the bank.
well, unless all of the cities/counties/states say 'enough is enough' at the same time, we're going to start having a rash of places 'stealing' professional teams from other places because this has become the norm. and, really, this is no different than tax perks that cities/counties/states give to companies to move to their area. it means jobs and tax revenue to the area, which helps 'pay back' the investment. a sports team can bring in a lot of tourism, media visitors, etc. the 'estimated' annual economic impact of an nfl team on a community is $120 million to $160 million, depending on which study you believe. It's a fair chunk of change and whether or not we think it's bullcrap, it's better than losing the team, jobs, tax revenue, tourism, etc. If a team wants a new stadium every 30 years, I would give them a few years worth of economic impact to make sure they stay in my locality. well, and the sad part of all of this is that these same legislators will probably approve some sort of goobered $500 million 'green' program in the near future that won't generate any revenue or economic impact whatsoever.
One more Minnesota team to LA....sad stuff...seems pretty lame the Vikes have been put off for 10 years while the other pro teams get something shiny and new... Seems like yesterday the Sonics were stolen from Seattle and it seems like a crazy process getting another team here to Seattle...keep up the fight Vikes fans!
maybe someone can explain something to me. The money coming in from the tv revenue is split between the players and the owners. If the salary cap is the players cut then the owner should get almost that much if not a few million less. That leaves almost what 80+ million per year? Couldn't they build one themselves? But if they did that they would have no one to threaten to move the team.
well, it's not that simple. there are a lot more operating expenses other than just player costs. Most small-market teams (like the vikings) only end up making a net profit each year of $10 or $20 million. to build a new stadium all by themselves, it would take most small-market teams 30-50 years to pay it off if they didn't receive local contribution from the city, county, and/or state. this is why the average stadium or arena project that has been built in the last 15 years has been publically funded to the tune of 50%-75% with the sports team chipping in the rest.
Its going to be a multiple purpose stadium, there will be a lot more than the 8 Vikings home games there.
Thanks for clearing that up. That makes sense as far as funding the stadium themselves. That is a lot of operating expenses. But still 20 million a year is not too bad.
